Why you should see the dentist in the afternoon

If you are afraid of pain during visits to the dentist, you should pay close attention to what time of day you schedule your appointment. — dpa

The dentist’s drill is screeching, your mouth is filling with saliva and you can’t swallow.

A lot of people have felt panic at a moment like this.

Some, however, are afraid of doctors in general, suffering from what’s known as iatrophobia.

If you can relate, then it may help to know that the time of day is decisive for how much pain you are likely to perceive.

Dentist Jochen H. Schmidt’s advice to anyone reluctant to come for a check-up or longer procedure: come in the afternoon, because at this time of day, patients feel less pain caused by injections and drilling.

This is due to pain-inhibiting endorphins and opioids, which the brain produces in particularly large quantities at this time of day, according to the dentist based in Cologne, Germany.

An anaesthetic will then work a little better and, above all, last a little longer.

According to some estimates, about 12% of the population have a fear of doctors, while in children it’s as much as 19%, although patients with severe iatrophobia are thought to be fewer.

Experts say the problem is often that the longer iatrophobics put off seeing a doctor, the worse their condition becomes.

Hence, the medical procedure ends up being more unpleasant if they finally do see a doctor, which only validates and intensifies their fear – a vicious cycle.Fortunately, iatrophobia can generally be cured with cognitive behavioural therapy.

The patient and therapist analyse the sequence of events in a doctor’s surgery as if in slow motion.

Afterwards, the patient is gradually exposed to the triggers of his or her fears.

Dentists, in particular, now offer to treat fearful patients under general anaesthesia or hypnosis.

Relaxation techniques or distractions such as music or movies can also be helpful.

And it’s important that patients facing surgery not suppress their fear. – dpa