Calming Your Fear Of The Dentist: Challenging Media Portrayals

Ever see Little Shop of Horrors? Adapted from an off-broadway musical in 1986 (which itself was based on a 1960 Roger Corman film), the movie features a sadistic dentist (played by Steve Martin) who sings about his natural sadistic tendencies. "People will pay you to be inhumane," he sings.

Dentists don't exactly love that song.

Most portrayals of dentists in movies and television tend toward one of a couple of different stereotypes. Most commonly, a movie dentist will be shown as a sadistic monster; a dentist in one fourth-season Simpsons episode is a German-accented monster who offers to install braces that "predate stainless steel, so you can't get them wet." And the dentists who aren't sadists are nebbishy, henpecked losers.

But in truth, your dentist is likely a confident, caring professional. So let's challenge a few of those stereotypes:

Your Dentist Isn't a Sadist. Well, we can't speak for every dentist, of course, but nobody gets into medicine because they like hurting people. Sure, dental work can be uncomfortable at times, but it's actually easier for your dentist when you're not in pain, since a calm patient is generally easier to administer care to. Think about it: If dentists were truly sadistic, why would they offer their patients novocain and IV sedation?

Your Dentist Isn't Cold and Unfeeling. Dentists want to help their patients maintain good oral health. You don't do that by being a stoic. It pays to shop around when you're looking for a new dentist -- you'll want to find someone you mesh well with -- but you'll be hard pressed to find a dentist who isn't fairly friendly.

Your Dentist Doesn't Think You're An Idiot. Most dentists see themselves as partners in their patients' quest for a healthy mouth. They understand that maintaining good oral health is an ongoing and thankless task, but most dentists understand that their patients are up to the challenge. So if you get a cavity or three, your dentist might be disappointed, but he won't think less of you. It happens to the best of us.

Your Dentist Isn't a Medieval Barber. Advances in dental technology come along every day, and many dentists like to keep themselves apprised of the latest developments. If you find a dentist who uses tools that have been out of date for a couple of decades, rest assured he's in the minority. Keep looking -- it's easy to find a dentist who knows that taking good care of his patients means keeping up with the times.

There Have Been Remarkable Advances in Drilling Technology. For a lot of people, fear of the dentist comes from fear of the drill he uses when filling cavities. Many of us who are old enough to remember the high-pitched whine of the dentist's drill get a chill when thinking about it -- but don't worry. Most drills these days are quiet, and don't produce quite as much smoke as their technological precursors. Many dentists even use lasers.

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The dentists at Comprehensive Family Dentistry have been providing high-quality dentistry to patients in Newtown, Langhorne, Yardley, Philadelphia and the greater Bucks County area for years. Call today for an appointment!