How To Overcome Your Dental Frights

You may think that your dental fears are uncommon and something that only you deal with. But, believe it or not, you’re not alone. Your fear of the dentist is more common than you may think, and it has a term to go along with it. It’s called dental anxiety, and in-fact a small study found that about 58% of people have the same fear of visiting the dentist like you.

Anxiety in itself isn’t something that you should take lightly. When it comes to dental anxiety, as you may know, and even see happening in your own life, the fear of visiting the dentist interferes with people keeping their dental appointments. And without dental appointments means possible worsened conditions of your teeth and gums.

A person who stays on top of their annual dental appointments has an average appointment stay of under an hour. But, when a person doesn’t regularly see the dentist, they may find that they need two or even three appointments. Luckily, there are a few strategies that can help you to overcome your dental frights and get back on track to giving your teeth the best possible care by adding the dentist to your routine.

Confront Your Fear

What is it about the dentist that you’re truly afraid of? One of the best ways that you can overcome the anxiety of facing the dentist is to dig down to the root of your fears. Is it because your parents deal with the same anxiety as you? Was it a bad experience? Was it because of something your friend told you? By facing your fears head-on, you will better understand and realize that your anxiety doesn’t have to control you. The more that you visit the dentist, you’ll notice that your visits will become more comfortable each time.

Explore Your Options To Ease The Anxiety

You may think that there is nothing that could help tame your anxiety regarding your dental visit. But actually, there are quite a few techniques out there that are shockingly simple. When your mind begins to overflow with your fears, having a mindfulness piece can in-fact, bring you back to a more calm place. You’re safe at the dentist, you’re comfortable, and your dentist is caring and skilled in what they do. If your emotions begin to get out of control, try to take a long, deep breath through your nose and release. Perform this slowly for a few minutes, and you’ll notice that you will feel better both physically and mentally.

Other ways that you can help calm your anxiety are:

Listening to music during your appointment
Nitrous oxide during your appointment
Scheduling your dental appointment during a time of less stress

Be Mindful of The Dental Office That You Visit

When it comes to your dental frights there are more techniques than you may realize to help calm them. There are reasons why you choose the dentist office that you do. Whether you chose a dentist because of their experience, they were recommended to you by a friend or family member, or because they take your insurance make sure they have experience with patients and dental anxiety.  If they make you feel ashamed, rushed, or even make you feel like less of the patient that you are, this will more than likely increase your dental frights before you even get called back to the dentist’s chair.

At Dentistry on Carmel, our team is experienced, qualified, and caring. Our goal is to make you feel as comfortable as possible and put you at ease during your visit. When it comes to overcoming dental anxiety, let’s do it together. Contact us today by calling 704.900.5045.