Curing Fear of the Dentist

January 14 -- Twenty percent of the U.S. population avoids going to the dentist because they are afraid. But a special clinic for dental-phobics uses medication, calming methods, and an interactive computer program to take the bite out.

Dental drills ... They sound and look scary -- so scary they keep phobic patients like Steve Brown out of the dental chair.

"I used all kinds of excuses to miss appointments," he says. "In a nutshell, I was fired by my periodontist." So Brown came to the University of Washington's Dental Fears Research Clinic. There, dentists tailor treatment to each patient using both medication and behavioral therapy.

"The basic concept is that people ought to be able to take control of this problem themselves, "Peter Milgrom, D.D.S., director of Dental Fears Research Clinic tells Ivanhoe.

Brown learned to take deep breaths. He also uses nitrous oxide and this to get him through. "I sit in the chair, and when I'm feeling anxious I just wiggle my fingers," he says.

Researchers are also studying the effects of this interactive computer program on patients severely afraid of injections. It shows the process of getting a shot through seven video segments. Patients can only go to the next one if their anxiety is low. More than 95 percent of patients who use the system are able to get a shot.

At the Dental Fears Research Clinic, patients can signal they want to stop at any point during a dental procedure, and if they feel like they can't make it through their appointment, they can leave with no repercussions.

Dental fear usually stems from a bad experience as a child.

"It was just terrifying," Brown says. Although it took 70 years, he's finally over it.

According to Dr. Milgrom, the next step of the interactive computer program is to have it available over the internet so patients can access it from anywhere.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Peter Milgrom, D.D.S.
Dental Fears Research Clinic
University of Washington
P.O. Box 357475
Seattle, Washington 98195-7475
dfrc@u.washington.edu

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