Make Dental Work A Less Stressful Endeavor

Very few people look forward to having dental work done

. Some, however, actually have a fear of the dentist. In fact, some people cannot even tolerate the term of sitting within the dentist's chair to have a cleaning done, much less something more elaborate like a root canal. There are ways to deal with this fear. You may try some imagery and relaxation techniques to help you deal with these feelings.

The first technique that you may try to get over the fear of sitting for dental work is to use positive imagery. If you start feeling anxious just thinking about your upcoming head to, then you have to start this process several months in advance of your appointment.

For a extremely short period of time (3-five minutes), it's best to attempt to imagine yourself within the waiting room of the dentist's office. Consider it and picture it for several minutes each day and then move on to a different activity to take your mind off of the thought. Once you have done this for a couple of weeks, then imagine yourself walking into the exam room and sitting within the chair. Once this imagery is in place, stop thinking about it. Move on about your day and don't consider it again until the following day. Do this for the next 2 weeks. Eventually, you need to work up to the point of imagining yourself within the exam room, lying back within the chair and experiencing dental work. When you are thinking about this situation, take into account your breathing. Slow your breaths down to a typical rate. Be sure you are not tense. Relax your muscles one by one, starting at your toes and working up to your jaw. Continue this imagery for several minutes per day, each day leading up to your appointment.

When the day of your scheduled dental work arrives, you will be significantly calmer than you were when you made the appointment. This is not to say that you will not feel any anxiety. As you are sitting within the waiting room, continue your imagery and relaxation techniques. Be sure your breathing is slow and steady. Be sure your muscles are completely at ease. Visualize something calming to help take your mind off of the nervousness that you feel. Some people find that imagining a gentle stream of water helps. Others prefer a tactile type of imagery. Imagine looking at the written word 'calm' or 'relax'. Say this to yourself while using the relaxation exercises.

When you are sitting within the chair of the exam room, feel free to close your eyes during your exam. It can help immensely since you're not faced with the tools that are related to dental work. While these medical tools are not scary (in fact, they're extremely useful in keeping your mouth healthy), they could seem that way to a person that is already feeling apprehensive. Finally, as you're lying there, fully relaxed with closed eyes, picture yourself on a warm beach watching the water wash upon the shore. Make sure to concentrate on each little detail of the scenery. Before you know it, the dentist is going to be tapping your shoulder to permit you to know that the appointment is over!

by: Aaron Brown

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