Top 3 Reasons Why People Avoid the Dentist
So, you haven’t been to the dentist for a while? You’re not alone in your reasons for avoiding the dentist.
From chatting to our wonderful patients at Whitehorse Dental, we find that some of our first-time visitors have left years, sometimes even decades since their last visit to any dentist!
A big part of our job is to help our patients through their dental anxieties. To work through any worries that have been holding them back from getting their teeth checked.
There are many reasons why people may avoid the dentist for so long. We’re going to look at the 3 most common reasons cited by our patients.
If you haven’t gone to the dentist for a long time, our article may help you pinpoint exactly what’s holding you back. We’d love to see you take that first step towards a lifetime of healthy teeth.
Reason #1. Fear of the Dentist
This is the number one reason that we hear from first-time visitors to our dental practice. In fact, high dental fear affects about 1 in 7 Australian adults, making it one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders in the country.
For some, this fear stems from feeling vulnerable in the space. Understandably, your mouth is a very personal and sensitive space to have someone peer and prod into it. When you’re lying down in the dental chair, the dentist may look like an ominous figure towering above you.
For others, the fear of the dentist may derive from the sensations and sounds of the practice. We understand that the vibration of a dental drill is not exactly the most relaxing sound or feeling!
However, you can view your fear of the dentist as the best reason to go. The best approach to teeth care if you’re scared of uncomfortable visits to the dentist, is preventative dentistry.
Preventative dentistry encourages you to come in for short and small procedures on a regular basis. That way, you can keep your visits to the dentist as short, straightforward and as comfortable as possible.
A dentist visit every 6-12 months for 30 minutes, is all it takes to put your preventative dentistry routine into place.
Why Preventative Dentistry Works
The reason why the preventative dentistry approach works is that dentists can easily pick up teeth problems when they’re still small using magnification and x-rays. Even when it seems like there’s nothing wrong with your teeth, we can detect any hidden nasties and rectify it within a simple check-up.
When left unchecked, tiny teeth problems can gradually turn into big complications. Teeth problems never get better by themselves, and unfortunately, the longer you leave them the more significant the work that is required to fix them.
Major dental work is usually what comes to mind in people’s fear of the dentist. So put your worries at ease by paying a quick visit to your friendly dentist and starting your preventative dental care now.
Read more about Preventative Dental care here.
Reason #2. Costs of Going to the Dentist
Life can get expensive. This means that the costs of going to the dentist often pushes it down the ‘to-do’ lists for many people.
On top of that, most people correlate a trip to the dentist with high costs. Many automatically assume that they’re going to require a lot of dental work.
In our daily interactions with our dental patients, however, we find those cost expectations are always substantially disproportionate to our patient’s actual dental costs. Based on feedback that we get from our patients, we find that many are surprised that their dental procedures cost less than they initially thought.
Don’t assume the worst if you haven’t visited the dentist in a while. We encourage everyone to get some definitive knowledge on the position of your dental health. Knowledge is power after all!
A comprehensive dental examination is the only way you’ll know how much dental work you’ll actually need.
All of our first-time visitors to Whitehorse Dental receive a comprehensive dental examination, where our friendly dentists take a thorough look at the teeth, gums, and skin inside your mouth. We may also do some other tests or take x rays to make sure any potential issues are picked up while they’re small and easy to fix. In the early stages, a lot of teeth and mouth problems actually can’t be picked up by just looking.
The comprehensive exam is a fairly inexpensive procedure to have at the dentist. You may be surprised at how little you need doing.
Book your First Visit Comprehensive Examination online today.
Teeth Need Servicing Too
Regular small check-ups are what we call preventative care. It allows our dentists to advise you on ways to avoid costly procedures.
We liken these dental check-ups to getting your car serviced every year. Maintenance is integral to your car because you use it every day. It’s got moving parts that need to be checked up on, and minor cleans and fixes ensure that it continues to run smoothly and safely.
If you leave a long time between services, you’ll find that your car might suffer from major problems that you didn’t notice until they become big issues. And we all know that big car problems means big expenses. Once there’s a major problem, there’s no way of diminishing those costs. The only way is to find the problem earlier on and fix them while it’s small and cheap to repair.
Teeth are very much the same! Simple yearly checks will save you all the costs of finding major dental problems. Fix them while they’re still small and cheap to repair.
So if you’re afraid of dental costs, then booking your dentist appointment now, rather than later will save you money. It might even end up costing less than you think.
Dental checkups are often covered as basic dentistry for those with private health insurance.
Eligible families for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule can incur no out of pocket expenses for dental checks up for their kids at Whitehorse Dental.
Reason #3. No Time to Go to the Dentist
As a society, we’re very time poor these days. As a result, important things rarely seem urgent and urgent things are rarely important when you look at it in the scheme of things.
People with a busy work or family schedule often push health and teeth checks to the back of their minds.
It’s very common to leave regular dental checks to slide. Oftentimes, the dentist is only called when massive toothaches or dental emergencies occur.
However, if you’re struggling with having enough time in the day, then major dental problems will only cause more inconvenience and take you away from the time you need to spend on more important things in life. Not to mention that toothaches cause discomfort, pain, potential sleepless nights and the inability to eat properly.
Furthermore, big dental issues can take you by surprise. It can pop up at an inconvenient time, requiring you to take unnecessary time from your schedule to fix.
When you try to save time by skipping regular teeth checks, you lose a significant amount of time when a dental emergency occurs.
Regular dental checkups require as little as 30 minutes every 6-12 months. If you’re short on time, then this is the most time efficient way to look after your teeth.
Got any other fears that are holding you back from visiting the dentist? Contact our friendly dental professionals to see how we can help.
