Drill, forceps, anesthesia! Now, probably, every fourth of our readers has a heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and his nose felt the smell that reigns in the dentist's office and terrifies everyone who suffers from dentophobia. How to stop being afraid of dentists, "Zabaikalsky Rabochy" figured out. "Fainted, lying in a chair" Toothache, as you know, is considered one of the most severe, and only a specialist, whom most people are so afraid of, can cope with it. As statistics show, and the stories of our readers are confirmation of this - most often the fear of the dentist is fear from childhood. There were no good pain relievers back then, and the methods of dental treatment were rather primitive. - Up to 9 years old, I was not afraid of dentists at all, - Anastasia Reshetnikova recalls, - But after they drilled a nerve to me, I began to panic wildly even at the sight of a dentist. But at the age of 22, she stopped being afraid of dentists-surgeons, but the sound of the machine being drilled makes me feel bad to this day. I cannot overcome this fear and therefore I endure the pain to the last. I will probably never dare to receive treatment. Chitinka Ksenia Druzhinina also has a difficult relationship with dentists, like a swing, the girl compares. - At the age of five, they pulled out a tooth with pliers, did not wait for the action of anesthesia. I was afraid until the age of 12, then a normal specialist was caught - the fear was gone. In the first year, they could not cure and put a filling for 14 days, they did not cure it, I abandoned it, I was worn out. In 2017, I found a normal clinic, went as if on a holiday, until one moment - at one of the receptions the jaw flew out of the joint, they put it in place an hour later, as they were waiting for the orthopedist. Now I'm not so afraid of the dentist as that the jaw will fly out. Another of our interlocutors, Lydia Taskina, had a fear of dentists so strong that consciousness literally could not cope with it. But a competent specialist still managed to prove to the girl that curing her teeth without pain is a very real task. - I was very afraid of dentists, fainted several times while lying in a chair. I constantly put off going to the dentist, but once it got so bad that I ran there. Now I realized that it is not so scary to treat, it is more scary to experience this pain. All the same, I still postpone the hike, but I try not to pull up to wild pains, - says Lydia Taskina. Be honest with yourself! And there are hundreds, if not thousands of such stories. Experts call the dental fear of dentists dentophobia or stomatophobia - it is a pathological fear of dental treatment, a dentist and even equipment in the clinic. But, in fairness, we note that some people are afraid not only of dentists, but may also be afraid of doctors in general. Therefore, we asked our permanent expert, psychologist Ekaterina Yudina, to give recommendations on how not to be afraid not only of dentists, but also of other specialists. In order to work through your fear, you need to learn to be as honest with yourself as possible. There is no point in justifying your own inaction and being led by fear. Fear tells us about danger, but we need to "run away" from danger, the main thing is to correctly define the vector. After all, if you look closely, then we will cause ourselves more harm if we do not consult a doctor in time and ignore the first symptoms of the disease. For those who want to work on their fear of doctors, I recommend the following steps to overcome it: 1. Admit to yourself that you are afraid. You can share your fear with someone close, and it is best to discuss the topic of your health with your doctor. Often it is from ignorance and incorrect information that we feel insecure and restless. A competent doctor will share reliable information with you, answer your health questions and dispel your doubts and anxiety. 2. Realize responsibility for your health. Regardless of what exactly each of us is afraid of (pain, negligence of doctors, a new diagnosis). These are all our emotions that do not arise from scratch, but signal that you need to pay attention to health, it is in danger! And above all, we are responsible for it. 3. Set a clear goal and move in the direction you want. Present your health problem as a challenge that you need to solve. Have a clear goal. It is advisable to write down the date and time when your goal will be achieved. For example, the goal might be: "Cure your teeth on March 3" or "Brush your teeth on March 3". 4. Action against fear. We begin to move towards the goal. Overcoming obstacles that prevent you from going to the doctor. Obstacles are most often physical (for example, there is a hospital far away) and psychological (the same fear, distrust, uncertainty). For example, if the fear of pain is the cause of my fear, then I am looking for a clinic where teeth are treated only with anesthesia (looking for clinic contacts, calling, collecting information). It happens that the obstacle is very strong (strong fear, phobia), and you cannot cope with it on your own. In this case, it is better to seek help from a psychologist. 5. Positive thinking and imagination. Think that you have achieved your cherished goal (for example, healed your teeth). Imagine yourself joyful, with a happy smile, proud to have done this. You are no longer worried about toothache, and you can move on with peace of mind. 6. Reward. Of course, after you have managed to do what you wanted with some difficulty (your teeth are healthy and shine white), allow yourself something pleasant (a small gift) in honor of your courage, courage and determination. Remember that fear must be overcome by action, and inaction only prolongs your suffering and anxiety, driving you into a corner. It is not always possible to cope with fear on your own; in some cases, the help of a specialist is needed. Then going to a psychologist will be your first step towards overcoming your fear. Anton Saltanov.
