subject: How To Deal With Dental Phobia [print this page] There are a surprisingly large percentage of individuals in the world who suffer from a certain anxiety when it comes to getting themselves treated at a dentist. While it is common knowledge that many dental treatments can be quite painful, these fears are more often associated with early age influences such as comments from parents such as If you dont brush your teeth regularly, we will have to take you to the dentist.
More often than not, this phobia is often found to be a result of a negative perception rather than an actual experience. While a childhood experience at the dentist that was painful can also be a trigger factor, individuals need to realize that modern age tools and equipments ensure that dental procedures in todays day and age are virtually painless.
New Age Dental Tools and Equipment:
Technology in the field of dentistry has not evolved only from the perspective of aesthetics where individuals no longer require to get their teeth wired with braces and can easily rely on Invisalign treatment to shape their teeth and jaws.
Equipment in this field has come a long way from the perspective of functionality as well. Needles that inject numbing agents are much thinner than they used to be. In addition to that, the availability of disposable and finer tools makes dental work much more hygienic safe and pain free.
Dealing with the Phobia
If you are one to get the jitters every time you have to visit the dentist, here are some simple ways in which you can calm your anxieties
1. Discussing it with your Dentist Every good medical professional will start your visit by asking you how you are feeling and if there is anything there is that bothers you. Feel free to talk about your fears and any difficulties you may have experienced in the past sittings. This may help you open up with your doctor and relax a little.
2. Prepare Yourself Feel free to speak to an assistant or the doctor in advance to understand what you can expect during your upcoming visit.
3. Express your Discomfort If you are feeling any discomfort or pain, let your doctor know by raising your hand so that he or she understands that they need to stop working on you immediately.
4. Consider Sedation If you are not able to psychologically calm yourself down, ask for safe sedation methods ranging from the use of a simple nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas; or to using general anaesthesia for more complex dental procedures. In most cases, insurance companies will not cover sedation for routine dentistry visits, so you may have to pay out of your own pocket.
5. Alternative Stress Relief Techniques Before a visit, consider alternative methods of stress release to calm down. Some people like to listen to music, mediate or do some breathing exercises.
The idea is to understand where you stand with respect to the phobia and learn how to face your fears. Once you are able to emotionally and physically mentor yourself out of the underlying apprehension, there is nothing that is stopping you from maintaining perfectly healthy teeth with the help of a medical professional.
