For many out there, even the thought of visiting a dentist could be nightmare inducing, dental anxiety can lead to people suffering from dental issues to prolong their condition and worsen it.
They may try ineffective home treatments or try to ignore the pain and discomfort, this can be problematic and even cause life-threatening complications that a visit to a dentist could avoid. Learning coping mechanisms and effectively facing your fears with these few strategies could help.
Steps to Manage Dental Anxiety
1. Consultation Appointments
Try to visit a dentist for a simple consultation on the first sign of discomfort in your teeth, rather than wait for it to become an advanced issue that needs immediate treatment. A consultation can help you be mentally prepared before having the treatment done, it may help to alleviate your fears and anxieties if you can meet the dental care provider, ask them all your concerns and communicate your anxieties to them, they may also help alter the treatment to make it as comfortable for you as possible.
2. Understand The Process
Going uninformed into the procedure may make you feel unnecessary anxiety and panic, ask all your questions and do the research yourself to understand the dental procedure you will be undergoing, so you may have a sense of what to expect and give you a sense of control.
3. Bring a Companion
Bringing a loved one like a friend or a family member could help you as their presence can give you some emotional support while you undergo the procedure. They may help you feel a sense of comfort and safety.
4. Sedation Options
Explore your sedation options through queries. It’s a good idea to not hide your anxieties, and be open about how anxious you are about dental procedures and your feelings about dental pain, you may be recommended sedation options from anesthesia or nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas.
5. Avoid Longer Appointments
Have your procedure done in brief visits instead of a single long one that can lead to feelings of trauma regarding dental procedures, it’s a good idea to start out with the small visit and get the initial work done, and then come back for a second or third appointment, spanning it out this way can make it easier for you to get used to a dentist’s office environment and you may be able to lessen the feelings of anxiousness.
6. Meditation and Distraction
Sitting on the dentist’s chair is usually when the feelings of anxiety are peaking, it’s important to brave the situation and using meditation techniques during the procedure, this can make the discomfort of treatment easier to deal with. Try to divert your mind by thinking about the plot of your favorite movie or the lyrics of your favorite songs. Such coping mechanisms can help you ignore the discomfort of the procedure.
7. Positive Reinforcement
Treating yourself after every dentist’s visit can make you associate the visits with a positive feeling, so doing a fun activity you like or having your favorite snack might help you look forward to the next visit.
Keynote
Dental anxiety is surely difficult to face, it’s essential we turn these negative feelings about dental treatments into something more acceptable through the above listed steps so that dental anxiety can’t get in the way of the treatment your teeth need.
Our dentists at Village Park Family Dentist of Cypress can help you with your anxieties and adjust your treatment plan accordingly. Find out what we can do for you by calling (281) 376-4444.