An estimated 30 to 40 million people, in the United States alone, are so afraid of the dentist that they avoid going, even for an annual checkup, at all costs, according to a Washington, DC dentist.  As a result of this overwhelming patient crisis, dental assistants have undertaken the role of helping to alleviate dental patient’s anxieties and helping to ensure the patients have a good, positive experience.

A person’s oral health – the health of their teeth and gums – is a gauge of their overall well-being and state of good health.  Furthermore, gum disease has been associated with numerous other medical concerns such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory problems and stroke according to the American Academy of Periodontology and National Women’s Health Resource Center.

Believe it or not, there is such a place as the Dental Phobia Treatment Center of New York and they estimate approximately 8 to 14% of Americans actually avoids the dentist because of dental anxiety.

Even the best Washington, DC dentists could have all the latest technology and implement spa-like treatments; however if these patients do not come to the dentist’s office, the technologies and treatments are wasted.

A dentist’s patient load has increased tremendously over the past 30 years making it virtually impossible for a dentist to spend any quality amount of time with each individual patient, especially those with high anxiety who demand more attention than others.  This is where the dental assistants are much needed to help calm patients and support their dentist.

Dental assistants use touch therapy, aromatherapy, visualizing techniques, the latest in video and music entertainment, with CDs and DVDs, virtually anything to help a patient keep their minds off what is going on in their mouth.  Also at the disposal of dental assistance is the use of humor to help put patients at ease and help them relax with the situation they’d rather not be in, in addition to being able to explain each and every procedure that the dentist will perform in as much detail as the patient requires.