Are You Suffering from Odontophobia?

March 25th, 2022

While actual statistics vary, there’s no doubt that many of our patients delay dental treatment because of dental-related anxiety. They may suffer from odontophobia, also called dentophobia, which is a fear of the dentist. This fear may stem from a prior bad experience in their youth, a general fear of pain, a smell or noise or similar anxiety. Some patients simply become anxious when they see someone in a white coat, another related phenomenon that is known as white coat syndrome.

No matter what you label it, dental fears and anxieties shouldn’t be keeping you from improving your smile. It’s one of the key reasons we offer various sedation options to ensure your added comfort, if needed. Our sedation options include:

  • Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas)
  • Oral Sedation
  • IV Sedation

In more complex situations (such as medical complications) our board-certified anesthesiologist, Dr. Eitan Gross, can provide even deeper sedation than normally obtained in a typical dental situation. In all instances, your comfort and safety are always our top concerns.

Seeing is Believing When it Comes to Your Smile

Check out our Smile Gallery for some actual patient before and after images. Many of these patients suffered from anxieties and had initially delayed important dental work due to various anxieties and phobias. These patients have given their permission for us to highlight their individual cases for full-arch implants, localized tooth replacements, periodontal and implant regeneration, gum and smile enhancement and ceramic implants.

Our smile gallery represents just a handful of the thousands of patients we see annually, patients who leave our office with beautiful, healthier smiles.  While you’re doing your research, be sure to check out Dr. Norkin’s video in which he discusses sedation options.

If you’re dealing with dental fears, contact us to talk about all the many options we can offer to make you feel safe, comfortable and relaxed while we enhance your dental health and attractiveness.