You’d be surprised at how many people experience dental anxiety whether it’s a small or great amount. Between 10 and 20% of Americans experience some type of anxiety when going to the dentist, and we know how essential it is to see your dentist at least twice a year for a dental exam and cleaning.
Some symptoms of dental anxiety and reasons why you may experience it include:
– You experience nervousness or unease when going to or thinking of the dentist
– Trouble sleeping before an approaching exam
– Escalated uneasiness in the dentist’s office
– Fear of pain, injections, side effects
– Embarrassment (some may feel uncomfortable in close proximity with others or self-conscious about their teeth)
– The feeling of no control
– Unpleasant past experiences
As you may already know, avoiding the dentist can lead to dental problems, infections, and can even affect your overall health. It’s time to overcome those fears and schedule an appointment today! Here are some things you can do to prepare for a dental appointment:
– Inform our office you are experiencing dental anxiety, great or small, and we can help ease your concerns. We will help set expectations at the office by taking an approach your comfortable with and explain the process beforehand.
– If you feel most comfortable with our team explaining what they’re doing during your appointment, we can do that as well.
– Distract yourself by listening to some tunes, a podcast or your favorite film.
– Focus on deep, slow and even breaths.
– Set up a signal beforehand if you need to notify the dentist you need a break.
– Bring a friend or family member along who do not experience any type of anxiety. You can have them sit with you or even have them get a dental exam and cleaning beforehand.
– If you have a child who experiences dental anxiety, you can prepare your child by reading from a selection of books or watching a television show speaking about dental care, playing games with a toy dental kit (use popsicle sticks to act as dental tools), and don’t forget to enforce great dental habits. This includes teaching them how good it is to attend the dentist and help set a positive attitude when going to the dentist.
To help our patients feel comfortable and at ease during dental treatments, we use a computerized local anesthesia system known as CompuDent®. This system utilizes a wand which allows our team to provide optimal control and dispensing of anesthesia, so now you don’t have to be afraid of having dental work done! We know how important it is to take great care of your oral health and how it can affect your overall health, so call today!
