You've stuck your webs into my business for the last time! (Doc Ock in Spiderman 2)

There is no reason to have a spider phobia. They're quite harmless!

I have a friend who thinks of a Ferrari F430 or an Alfa Romeo when he hears the word 'spider'...

His wife, a vet, probably thinks of two body segments and eight legs...

I myself -a thriller freak- think of Along Came The Spider by James Patterson.

However, most people think of SPIDERS!!!!!! and are scared to death of them.


It's a fear that is commonly accepted, just like fear of dentists.

Once you are in a dentist's web, you're stuck, aren't you?

In our clinic, you're not. We are very experienced in treating anxious patients. Every time we think we have heard it all, another patient tells us what he/she went through and we have to admit it is even worse.

Phobia is one (big) step beyond fear and anxiety. It usually develops in late childhood, adolescence, or early adult life in response to a frightening situation. Dental phobia often comes from an earlier experience or it simply runs in the family, because children learn to fear.

We have proved to handle these things very well, but if you are looking for some information or support, please visit

http://www.beyondfear.org/

Fight or flight

When we experience excessive stress, the "fight or flight" response -discovered by physiologist Walter Cannon- gets activated.

The very famous adrenaline flows into our bloodstream. Our breathing and heart pumping changes (gets faster), our sight sharpens (dilated pupils) and our impulses quicken. Prepared for fight (or flight), we start looking for the enemy....

That enemy could be everyone and everywhere, because we see things through an extreme kind of fear.

Dental treatment can be such an enemy and lead to this 'prehistoric' and 'animal like' response. However, every time your body triggers it for situations that are not truly life-threatening, you are having a false alarm. Too many false alarms can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure and other stress disorders.

We can help you to fight (and conquer) instead of flee.

As they said to the DJ: put the needle on the record!!

I take blood thinners and so, every 8 weeks, I have to go to the hospital to have my blood checked. I don't mind. Usually, the only trace of this bi-monthly abuse is a tiny needle mark in my arm, but even that miraculously disappears after just a few days.


Thinking of needles going into my gums (I have dentures for 30 years now) still gives me the creeps. I've never been needle-phobic, but it was close! And I remember one time when a specialized dentist tried to extract one of my brother's teeth. Frank has Down's Syndrome and when he is afraid, he is very, very strong. They tried everything: distraction, holding him down with three men, laughing gas... It all worked fine until... he saw the needle. In the end, they removed the tooth under general anaesthetics. That worked, because he gets the anti-flu virus every year, so he is used to getting injected in his arm.

Needles are used to take blood, to sedate, to give fluids and medication (intravenous drip), give insulin etc. etc. etc., so if you are terrified by the sight or thought of them, you have a huge problem and so has your doctor. Officially it is called Belonephobia, the fear of sharp objects.
For good information: http://www.needlephobia.info/

"Roger, Roger." "What's our vector, Victor?" (from Airplane!)

I saw this photo ('policeman at Schiphol') and thought: now where on earth was that pic really taken?

I guess it is all about being in the right place, at the right time.

I have worked at (Amsterdam) Schiphol Airport for seven years and never saw one of the Military Police lads put on or take off his helmet (or perform any other action). All they ever did was sit in their office and try to look important.

They were supposed to protect the travellers and the people working at the shops, restaurants and bars, but I never felt safe. Every work day, I would park my car in the 'strictly personnel' parking lot and even when I was lucky and this only took a minute or two, some of these huge airplanes flew over me. No small and easy jets, but Boeing 747's! It always looked like they were to crash right in front of me.

Even though there was airconditioning and no windows to be opened, I could often smell the kerosine. And sometimes I heard the stuttering engine of a Russian airplane.
For seven years I seem to have been in the wrong place at the right time, because nothing happened.

I live in another part of The Netherlands for quite a few years now, but my brother lives very close to the airport. Whenever I go to see him, it is like going back in time......

"The things which we fear the most in life have already happend to us."
Robin Williams in the film One Hour Photo

Your triumph

A lot of people have to conquer a lot of fear before visiting our clinic in Bulgaria. They do not think of holidays but of pain, a small table with dental instruments, the sound of drilling and a metal or porcelain spitting bowl.

I think they all deserve a monument! There already are quite a few of these 'arcs' in the world, so a few more would not cause anyone harm.

A distinction has been made between dental anxiety, dental fear, and dental phobia.

Dental anxiety is a reaction to an unknown danger. Anxiety is extremely common, and most people experience some degree of dental anxiety especially if they're about to have something done which they've never experienced before. Basically, it's a fear of the unknown.

Dental fear is a reaction to a known danger ("I know what the dentist is going to do, been there, done that - I'm scared!!"), which involves a fight-or-flight response when confronted with the threatening stimulus.

Dental phobia is basically the same as fear, only much stronger ("I know what happens when I go to the dentist - there's no way I'm going back if I can help it. I'm so terrified I feel sick"). Also, the fight-or-flight response occurs when just thinking about or being reminded of the threatening situation. Someone with a dental phobia will avoid dental care at all costs until either a physical problem or the psychological burden of the phobia becomes overwhelming.

Some of this information comes from

You can visit this website for extensive information on dental anxiety, fear and phobia.



In the meantime, I will start building your arc.

Fear

There is fear of rats (this is one of our pets) and there is fear of dentists....

This morning, I woke up from what I always call a 'nightMary'. My mouth was so dry that I had to get out of the bed and into the kitchen for water immediately.

Ever since I work at the Dentaprime service centre, I suffer from dental hypochondria.
This time, I immediately thought of Sjögren's (dry mouth) Syndrome instead of half the bottle of garlic sauce that I added to my French fries the night before.

While dressing, I relived my dream. An elderly lady was talking to my mother, telling her to make me behave, open my mouth again, keep it open this time and -most of all- stop wining. She then took a metal hook and a metal mirror from a table and started poking into my mouth. The harvest of this visit: some sticky candy, a new appointment for drilling and filling and a huge imflammation.

It was only after many years that I heard my childhood dentist had been banned by her professional association because she had an alcohol problem and never properly cleaned her tools ...

At the age of 18, I finally had enough courage to visit another dentist. I can still hear the breaking of the two front teeth.... It was about the only sound that was made in that musty room. No discussion possible. All teeth were extracted and temporary dentures were put in. They should be replaced after 6 months.

So, after 5-6 years, I accompanied my father to his dentist. The man sold me my first set of permanent dentures and was the third person in his profession that made me feel very small.


A dental treatment in our clinic in Bulgaria is very special. Every effort has been made to ensure that patients receive superior dental care while feeling relaxed and comfortable.



Dr Regina Schindjalova is our leading dentist and implantologist.