How to Overcome the Fear of Dental Implant Surgery

Posted By All On Dental Implants

With all of the advances in the field of dentistry, you can be certain that any phobia of dentists – officially known as dentophobia — is at best an irrational fear.

If you require dental implant surgery and find yourself timid about the prospects of being operated on by a dentist, you’re not alone. More people than you think dread the idea of going in for even routine checkups, much less dental implant surgery that could require local anesthesia and pain medication. However even with that in mind, there really is no rational reason for letting fear stop you from getting the oral care you need to feel and look your best.

What follows are some tips for how to overcome the fear of dental implant surgery so you can look forward to the procedure with confidence rather than with apprehension.

The world of dentistry has changed

Dentistry of yesteryear did have some scary tools, such as large drills and big anesthetic needles. But those days are no more. Dentists now have plenty of modern tools in their arsenal to perform procedures such as dental implants, and understanding how advanced this technology is will in turn help you understand how simplified these procedures have become in the last decade.

Look around

If the idea of undergoing dental implant surgery has you feeling jittery, you may be able to alleviate your fears by simply finding the right dentist.

Although it may take more effort than you were anticipating, actually visiting prospective dentists will allow you to find one who you have a personal bond with. You can draw up a short list of candidates by first looking at review sites for dentists in your area, or by asking family, friends and colleagues for recommendations. It goes without saying that finding the right dentist can do a lot towards lessening, if not altogether eliminating, your fears.

Be realistic about expectations

Surveys show that most patients find that the actual procedure, as far as discomfort was concerned, was better than expected. As a result, chances are good that you won’t experience as much discomfort during a dental implant procedure as you might think.

Patients experiencing fear going into the procedure should keep this in mind in order to keep their nerves calm as they approach their appointment. Doing so will allow them to have realistic, and therefore positive, expectations of what is to come.

Learn coping strategies

One way to make it through your dental implant surgery is by employing the art of distraction. Research shows that you can cope by distracting yourself by listening to music, watching a TV if there is one available in the office, engaging in prayer, giving yourself a pep talk or even playing mental games that help you to think about anything other than the dentist’s chair.

Don’t let irrational dentophobia hold you captive. By following the aforementioned recommendations, you’ll get through your dental implant surgery just fine.