Many people are nervous about visiting the dentist and experiencing dental procedures. Unfortunately, dental anxiety often prevents people who are suffering from dental problems from searching for solutions, which forces them to endure pain and cause damage that could be prevented with routine dental care. This fear is unfounded and can be detrimental to your health, but it is also unnecessary.
Modern dental care provides a variety of ways to render dental procedures painless and stress-free. Whether your anxiety is relatively mild or completely debilitating, there are methods to ease or eliminate your fear. Try these ideas to help alleviate your anxiety and keep your mouth healthy and pain-free:
Discuss your anxiety with your dentist. Some people find that it is easier to experience a procedure if the dentist explains what is being done at every step; others prefer not to be aware of what is happening at all. Let your dentist know what scares you and discuss how you can feel more comfortable so that your care can be tailored to suit your specific needs.
Make appointments as early in the day as possible. Anticipating a dental appointment all day can cause your anxiety to build and increase your dread of your appointment. Plan procedures to be done as early in the day as you can to prevent anticipation and the associated panic.
Wear headphones. Many patients complain that it’s not the procedure but the sound of the dental tools that scares them. Try listening to music or your favorite podcast while you undergo cleanings and dental work. The sound will drown out the noises of the tools and will help distract you from the procedures themselves to make time go by more quickly.
Think about sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry is an easy way to eliminate the fear associated with dental procedures. Forms of sedation can even help the patient to forget the procedure and make it feel as if time has passed very quickly. Sedation dentistry allows fearful patients to receive regular, necessary dental care with little to no anxiety.
Discuss your fears with your dentist and let the staff help you find a solution to ease your anxieties. Dental health is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Without regular dental care, you may suffer pain and even disease that could have been prevented by routine appointments.
If you suffer with dental anxiety, contact us to let us help you find a way to get the care you need without the anxiety!