Dental Phobia

At Dr. Dipika Shah, DDS we want our patients to feel as comfortable when they visit us. An estimated 9% to 15% of people avoid the dentist due to dental phobia. Patients who avoid going to the dentist have a greater chance of developing gum disease and early tooth loss. To ease your mind, we will talk with you about any concerns or fears you have.

Some signs that you might have dental phobia include tense or nervousness, sleepless nights before the dentist, and the thought of the dentist makes you feel sick.

We know and understand your anxiety. That's why we have invested in a very soothing massage while you are in our office, headphones to listen to your favorite show on television or music. We will help you establish your yoga breath to relax you. We even have air abrasion and laser where we may not even need to give you injection to numb you. 

If you have a fear of pain we offer different anesthetic gels that can numb your mouth during procedures. Anesthetic’s take away any pain you might normally feel and allow you to relax.

We encourage our patients to ask us questions before your appointment so we can make you feel more comfortable. We are just as much about your comfort as your teeth.

Dr. Dipika Shah, Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, operates at 723 N Beers St, Suite 2F, Holmdel, New Jersey, 07733-1512. To schedule an appointment, call 732-264-8180 or visit Dentist NJ and fill out a contact form

Reducing Children's Dental Anxiety

We love treating children at Dr. Dipika Shah’s Holmdel dental office. It is very important how they are introduced to dental office, staff and how they are handled on their first visit. Parents should be honest with themselves about whether they may be transmitting their own anxiety to their child. Emphasizing to children that they’ll get rewarded for being brave indicates that there’s something to be afraid of. Instead, the child should be taught to think of the dentist and hygienists as friends and dental office as a pleasant outing to get their teeth counted, brushed with tickle brush and play in a magic chair. In short, no negative words, just positive talk.

When your child arrives, we can describe the procedures in terms they will understand and give demonstrations with our tools. It is usually unnecessary to give descriptions of procedures that we are unlikely to do, but children often like to hear about the importance of fighting cavities and keeping their mouths guarded during sports depending upon their age. We have lots of options to distract them and make a dental visit real fun.

Dr. Dipika Shah, Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, operates at 723 N Beers St, Suite 2F, Holmdel, New Jersey, 07733-1512. To schedule an appointment, call 732-264-8180 or visit DentistNJ.com and fill out a contact form.

Dental Phobia

If the thought of having your teeth cleaned by a dentist frightens you to no end, Dr. Dipika Shah, DDS is here to make you feel as comfortable as possible during a procedure. Dental phobia is different from dental anxiety and fear of the dentist, in the sense that it is much stronger. Someone with dental phobia will avoid dental care at all costs until either a physical problem or the psychological burden of the phobia becomes overwhelming.

The most common causes of dental phobia are bad experiences, a history of abuse, uncaring dentists, humiliation, and post-traumatic stress. Anyone can be affected by dental phobia, regardless of age. Dental phobia not only allows a person’s dental health to suffer, but it may lead to anxiety and depression. Loss of self-esteem over not being able to do something as “simple” as going to the dentist and intense feelings of guilt over not having looked after one’s teeth properly are also very common. Dr. Dipika Shah, DDS is dedicated to making her patient’s as relaxed as achievably possible, this includes keeping them informed every step of the way and providing an individualized treatment plan,very gentle massaging while you getting treated, headphones with entertainment to distract and state of the art equipments to reduce stress. .

If you fear the dentist, you are not alone, please give us a call to learn how we can ease your mind. To learn about the services we provide at our practice, visit www.dentistnj.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Dipika Shah, DDS in our Holmdel, NJ office, call 732-264-818.