My husband and I have been married for four years. In all that time he hasn’t been to a dentist. Every time I schedule an appointment for him, something comes up at the last minute and he cancels. I am beginning to think he is afraid of the dentist but doesn’t want to admit it. Is there some way I can help him with this?
Aimee
Dear Aimee,
A dentist shouldn’t make you want to hide!
It is very possible your husband suffers from dental anxiety. Many people do. Often, it stems from a traumatic experience at the dentist in childhood. This can happen for two reasons. Some dentists just aren’t gentle. But, more often it’s because many parents don’t realize even young children need regular check-ups with a pediatric dentist. That means the first time their child sees a dentist is for a cavity or worse.
If your first experience with a dentist is painful and negative, that will be your association for the rest of your life. This may be what your husband is dealing with. It’s scary.
Fortunately, there is a way to help him through this.
Finding Dentists Who Cater to “Cowards”
Though your husband is not a coward, that is one of the search terms used to find the type of dentist your husband needs. There are dentists who are compassionate with fearful patients. They are gentle, take their time, explain everything they’re doing if that is what the patient needs, and offer sedation options.
You can search online with any of the following terms:
- Cater to Cowards Dentist
- Sedation Dentist
- Gentle Dentist
He’s likely to find when he returns to the dentist they’ll say he needs a lot of work. The longer he’s been away the more work he’s likely to need unless he’s one of those super blessed people where brushing and flossing are enough to keep their mouth healthy.
If he turns out to need a lot of work, don’t panic. He certainly won’t need to have it done all at once. You can have whichever dentist you settle on to list what he needs in order from most urgent to least. That will allow him to get his work done in stages.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.