If you have not been to the dentist because you suffer from moderate to severe dental phobia, we are here to help!
According to the NCBI, 36% of people suffer from dental anxiety or dental fear. Another 12% suffer from extreme dental fear. This means that it is a fairly common problem that many Americans experience. But the question remains, why are people afraid of the dentist?
Nearly half of all people with dental problems avoid dental care due to their fears and anxiety. If you experience dental anxiety, even extreme dental fear, The Dental Anesthesia Center is here to help. Modern, safe anesthesia techniques allow the fearful patient to have dental procedures accomplished without the anxiety associated with dentistry.
Our adult daughter has cerebral palsy and requires being fully sedated when having anything done. The DAC was such a positive experience. Dr Hoffmann and his staff were kind and did great explaining things. As a mom, I had a lot of questions about how certain things would be done as usually she’s in her chair when getting examined at her local dentist and they had everything under control including transferring from her chair to the dentist chair and keeping her secured in the dentist chair as well as keeping her neck and legs comfortable. Many thanks to them!
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words. We’re grateful for your trust and happy to hear that you had such a positive experience with our team. Our goal is always to provide compassionate, attentive care in a safe and comfortable environment. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
TWENTY YEARS! That is how long our special needs son has been seeing Dr Hoffman and his dedicated team! Our son suffers from an intellectual disability, is non-verbal, and is unable to cooperate for dental cleaning, x-rays, or other routine dental work. He requires general anesthesia. It is such a blessing to avoid a hospital setting just for dental work.
The team is always well staffed, friendly, personable and very professional. Every single year we have been supported by a deeply caring team who are dedicated to patients with a very wide range of disabilities and needs. They have shared useful dental advice and tools (3 sided toothbrushes, blocks to hold open their mouth for daily at-home care, etc.) which improved our son’s daily dental care. We always receive a call back the day after to check his recovery-even on weekends!
Highly recommended and so appreciative to have this team supporting our ever long road of raising a special needs son.
Response from the owner:Wow — thank you for sharing such a heartfelt review! We are so grateful for your trust and for allowing our team to be part of your family’s journey over the years. It means so much to us to know that our care and support have made a difference. We truly appreciate your kind words and recommendation!
We've been coming to Dr.Hoffman for twenty years. There's a reason we keep coming back! He's great. His staff is great. He's double boarded as an MD (Anesthesia) and DDS!!! Our son with special needs needs sedation for even a cleaning. You get what you pay for. He's expensive and... we know he's getting the best care!
Response from the owner:Thank you for trusting our team over the years and for your kind words about Dr. Hoffmann and our staff. We truly value your confidence in the care we provide!
Omg!! This place is Amazing! The people who work here are so very nice and understanding. I love this team
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words! We truly appreciate your support and are grateful to have such wonderful patients.
Searching for a new dental clinic is challenging for someone who has
dental anxiety, fear, and traumatic experiences in a dental chair. The staff and doctors at the Dental Anesthesia Center were immediately very welcoming. Dr. Thoms put together a very detailed plan to repair and replace the previous work that I had in the past that was now causing problems. Putting my faith in him was the best thing that I could have done for my situation. I am more than completely satisfied with all of the extensive dental work that I’ve had with Dr.Thoms. I had my fourth sleep dentistry experience yesterday and I’m very happy with my results. I highly recommend this practice and truly want to give them more than five stars! Thank you for giving me back my health and confidence.
Response from the owner:We know it isn’t always easy to find a dental office where you feel at ease, so your words mean the world to us. We’re so glad you feel comfortable with our team and truly appreciate your trust and recommendation!
Forms of Dental Anxiety
We hear the terms dental fear, dental anxiety, and dental phobia. Are they just different ways of saying the same thing?
Dental fear, or also phobia, and dental anxiety are different psychological stages for patients. A person who experiences dental anxiety has apprehension or feels a sense of danger or uneasiness in dental situations. On the other hand, dental fear or a phobia is regarded as a physiological, emotional, and behavioral response to a feared stimulus.
A person with a dental phobia has a more serious condition than anxiety. They may feel terrified and panic-stricken. They may be aware that their fear is irrational, but they cannot really do anything about it. This fear, unfortunately, keeps them from going to the dentist unless in severe pain or an emergency.
Causes of Dental Phobia or Anxiety
There can be many reasons why some people experience fear or anxiety about going to the dentist. Some of the common reasons include:
- Fear of pain – This is a common issue for a lot of people. This fear generally stems from an early dental experience that was painful or unpleasant. For some, they have heard so-called horror stories from others.
- Fear of injections – Many people are terrified of needles, especially when needing an injection in the mouth.
- Fear the injection won’t work – Included in fear of needles is a fear that the anesthesia won’t work. Perhaps they feel it hasn’t taken effect yet or that it wasn’t a large enough dose to eliminate the pain completely.
- Fear of the side effects from the anesthetics – Anesthetics can make a person feel nausea, dizziness, or faint. It also makes the area that is numb feel very strange. Many fear these odd feelings.
- Fear of not being in control – Many people have feelings of helplessness and loss of control. After all, they are sitting in a dental chair with their mouth open wide, unable to see everything that’s going on.
- Embarrassment – Many people feel self-conscious about the appearance of their teeth or mouth.
- Loss of personal space – Many people do not like being close to others. They may feel uncomfortable about the physical closeness of the hygienist or dentist in their face.
A Comfortable Solution
Modern dentistry has made significant advancements in recent years. Many of today’s dental procedures are considerably less painful or even pain-free. If you have not been to the dentist because you suffer from moderate to severe dental phobia, Dr. Michael J. Hoffmann, Dr. Sean M. Thoms, and Dr. Behl are here to help you. At The Dental Anesthesia Center, we value our patient relationships, making it our priority to deliver the gentle dental care you deserve.
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The first two board-certified Dentist Anesthesiologists in the state of Missouri.
