Monday, October 10, 2011, is World Mental Health Day. This day is dedicated raising awareness about the special health care practices needed for people with mental health conditions.
You may be wondering what mental health is doing on a dental blog, but the answer is simple: a fear of the dentist is among the top ten fears in the U.S., and feelings of fear, anxiety, and phobia are part of your mental health.
If you have a fear of going to the dentist, it’s probably safe to assume that you haven’t been to the dentist in a while- probably much longer than six months ago, going against the recommendation of the American Dental Association.
If you’re avoiding the dentist, you’re neglecting your dental health, and that can put you at risk for developing a number of serious oral health problems, such as tooth decay, periodontal disease, and oral cancer, which can lead to serious general health problems, including diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even death.
In honor of World Mental Health Day, take a step back and do a self-evaluation on the state of your dental health or, if you’re avoiding the dentist because you’re afraid, try to figure out what exactly bothers you about the dentist.
If you need a little help, call Lake Orion Family Dentistry to reserve an appointment with Dr. Brad Greenfield. With years of experience treating patients with a variety of needs, Dr. Greenfield can help you get to the bottom of your dental phobia and design a treatment plan that’s right for you using sedation dentistry.
Dr. Greenfield and our team provide sedation dentistry in the following ways:
For more information about sedation dentistry, or if you need help getting your dental health back on track, call our Lake Orion, Michigan dental office at (248) 693-6213.
