Anxiety is a feeling experienced by almost everyone from time to time, and it's a response to significant life stresses.
It's also described using words like inner distress and suffocation, created by biological adaptive mechanisms that become active in the body during threatening situations.
Through the feeling of fear, necessary emergency measures are taken against threatening situations.
However, if this state of anxiety and fear is perceived without an actual danger present, negatively affecting daily life, or if there's a sense of an impending disaster, it could be considered abnormal anxiety.
Fiziksel Belirtiler;
1. Increased heart rate and palpitations
2. Changes in heart rhythm
3. Feeling of faintness, actual fainting
4. Blushing, hot flashes
5. Chest pain, burning, pressure, and tightness
6. Shortness of breath
7. Muscle tension, twitching, trembling
8. Twitching of the face and eyelids
9. Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting
10. Dry mouth
11. Frequent urination
12. Profuse sweating
13. Cold and clammy hands
14. Itching fits
Behavioral Symptoms
1. Avoidance
2. Restlessness
3. Freezing in place
4. Disruption in speech flow
5. Lack of concentration
6. Inability to remember important things
7. Fear of not being able to cope
8. Fear of losing one's mind
9. Fear of physical harm or death
**APPROACH TO DENTAL PHOBIC PATIENTS:**
- Dental phobia refers to the development of fear and anxiety during any dental procedure.
Even if the individual knows this reaction is irrational, they cannot control their behavior or tolerate this situation without significant distress.
Dental fear is crucial in dentistry as it leads to patients missing their treatment appointments and not receiving the necessary care.
Understanding and acknowledging the relationship between fear and pain are essential for dentists.
Individuals with phobias may have heightened pain perception.
Dentists should understand patients' fears and utilize proper communication and treatment options.
Dental phobia is often associated with other anxiety disorders and panic disorders, such as fear of pain, fear of blood, fear of germs, and fear of bodily injury.
➢ Some individuals fear needles, and the level of fear can vary from person to person.
The dentist tries all possible ways to administer painless injections and distract attention during injection to prevent anxiety.
➢ While the procedure begins, the effect of anesthesia prevents pain sensation, but some individuals are sensitive to the sound produced by dental instruments. Although blocking out the sounds may not be possible, listening to music with headphones during this time can be helpful. Engaging in conversation with the dentist and redirecting attention elsewhere can also be beneficial.
➢ After traumatic dental experiences in childhood, the risk of developing dental anxiety and dental phobia increases. Misunderstandings left from previous experiences should be addressed, and dentists should be informed about their anxieties, needs, and expectations. Dentists should understand them, dispel their helplessness and fear of the unknown, and increase their trust in the dentist.
➢ What is heard from family and friends, what is seen in the media, and the belief that the dentist is a stranger also increase fears. Choose a wonderful dentist who listens and cares. Your fears will only increase if you choose a dentist who is not suitable for you.
➢ Learn about attention, meditation, and breathing techniques. They are ways to reduce your anxiety.