Dental care is crucial to good health, but many people avoid the dentist due to fear or anxiety. These bad feelings are often due to a past experience of pain, claustrophobia, or sensory overload.
Overcome Anxiety About Going to The Dentist?
Avoiding the dentist, however, can lead to serious problems down the road, including the loss of teeth, gum disease, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Instead of putting off your next cleaning, learn how you can address your fears and have a more relaxing experience in the dental chair.
What Is Anxiety-Free Dentistry?
Anxiety-free dentistry, available from WilmotFamilyDentistry.com, refers to several sedation methods that dentists use to help their patients have a more relaxing experience. One of the most common and effective methods is the use of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. When patients inhale the gas, combined with oxygen, they start to feel calm, relaxed, and euphoric almost immediately. Nitrous oxide not only has an anti-anxiety effect, but it also triggers the brain to release norepinephrine, a hormone that keeps the body from responding to pain signals.
Nitrous oxide provides an ideal form of sedation for dentistry because it takes effect quickly and wears off just as fast. In most cases, patients continue breathing pure oxygen for about ten minutes after a procedure to flush the nitrous oxide from their bodies. Side effects are rare, and most people are fully alert and able to drive home after about 15 minutes. Some patients may need deeper sedation, depending on their level of anxiety and the type of procedure they’re having.
What Other Strategies Can Help?
Sedation dentistry has helped many people overcome their fears of the dental chair, but there are other strategies that can also help to ensure a positive experience at the dentist’s office. The following are some tips for choosing the right dentist and tweaking your experience for maximum comfort.
- Choose a dentist you like. Having a friendly rapport with your dentist and their staff can go a long way toward easing your anxiety. If you’re looking for a new dentist, consider scheduling a consultation before you have any work done at all. A brief private meeting will help you get a sense of your comfort level with the dentist. When you visit the office, notice whether the waiting area is a calming environment, and pay attention to how the staff members interact with you.
- Be honest about your fears. Let the dentist know how you feel so they can accommodate your needs. Don’t worry that they’ll take it personally or think less of you for being anxious. In fact, the majority of patients have anxiety about dental appointments. It’s also important to share the details of your dental history, especially the bad experiences that led to your fear. Your dentist may be able to allay your worries by explaining how their methods are different from those of a previous dentist.
- Ask questions before a procedure. Whether you’re getting a basic cleaning or a root canal, you’ll feel calmer if you know exactly what to expect. You may want to ask how long the procedure will take, whether you should expect any discomfort, and what you can do if you feel pain. It’s a good idea to discuss hand signals you can use to communicate if you’re in distress.
- Minimize sensory overload. If your anxieties are triggered by the sound of a drill or other electronic dental tool, listening to music or a podcast through headphones can minimize the bad sounds and take your mind off of your worries. You can also wear an eye mask to block out the dentist’s light that shines directly in your face.
- Breathe deeply. When you experience fear or anxiety, your breathing tends to become rapid and shallow. That’s because your body is going into fight-or-flight mode, which requires a higher oxygen intake. Shallow breathing can lead to hyperventilation and the panicky sensation that you’re not getting enough air. To calm yourself, breathe slowly and deeply. For example, try inhaling and exhaling to a slow count of four.
- Consider your appointment time. If you schedule a dental appointment when you’re already worried about getting back to work for a meeting, your dental anxiety will intensify. Instead, try to schedule your appointment at a time when you won’t be in a rush to be somewhere else. Also, think about your mood and energy levels throughout the day. If you’re naturally a morning person, you’ll probably manage your anxiety better if you make an early appointment.
What Are the Benefits of Regular Dental Care?
The American Dental Association recommends that most patients get a cleaning every six months or once a year, depending on their dental and periodontal health. Standard cleaning includes a dental exam and removal of plaque and tartar from the teeth. A hygienist cleans teeth by scraping off plaque and tartar, polishing the teeth with a rotary toothbrush, and flossing between the teeth. Every year or two, the dentist will also take a full set of X-rays to look for cavities, bone loss, and other issues.
Brushing at home is important, but it isn’t enough. Dentists and hygienists are able to clean teeth much more thoroughly by removing tartar with special tools and cleaning the spots that a toothbrush and floss can’t reach. In addition, regular cleanings give the dentist a chance to catch small spots of decay or the first signs of gum disease and treat them before they become serious.
Dental care also protects your smile. Without regular cleanings, teeth often become stained or discoloured due to decay. Furthermore, if teeth develop cavities, they may continue to decay until they fall out. Keeping up with dental visits can help you avoid these problems, but if you already have them, your dentist can improve your smile through a variety of treatments such as whitening, bonding, bridges, implants, and veneers.
Final Thoughts | How to Overcome Anxiety About Going to The Dentist?
You may never learn to love a visit to the dentist, but you can manage your anxiety with the help of sedation dentistry and other tactics. The key to maintaining good oral health is to find the right dentist who will help you relax so you can get the care you need.