How to Ease Your Fear of Dentist

Get the Dental Treatment You Need Without Fear

how to ease dental anxiety or dental phobia

If you have a fear of going to the dentist, you need to be aware that there is a realistic solution. It will not only help you to relax more at the thought of going to the dentist, but it will also enable you to get the dental treatment you need. Dental phobia does not have to stand in the way of getting healthy teeth and gums. 

 

Many People Have Fear of Dentists

If you have fear of dentists, you certainly are not alone. There are many others who share that same phobia with you. The University of Harvard estimates that there is about a 20 percent average for people all over the world. Being afraid of dentists prevents many people from getting the treatment needed until the pain or problem becomes almost intolerable. 

 

Reasons You Need to Get That Treatment

Maintaining healthy teeth is not something that takes place on its own. While brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing will certainly help your teeth last longer, some problems are apt to develop that will require the attention of a dentist. 

A dentist will not only put fillings in, but they can also help you keep a beautiful smile. A dentist may also be the first to spot gum disease problems or oral cancer. In both cases, early treatment can help you – and may even save your life. 

Gum disease is an infection of the gums. It has recently been discovered that inflammation from this infection is behind many other major health problems. They include diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and many more. 

 

Tips for Overcoming Fear of Dentist

There are several things that can be done to help you with overcoming fear of dentist. Some dentists will help their patients with their fears, and others might be less inclined.  

  • Tell the Dentist – by letting the dentist know about your dental phobia, they can work with you and do things to help you be more relaxed. Even if you do not tell the dentist, you can be sure that your fear will be evident in ways you might not even realize. It will also help you to feel more in control in the chair.
  • Play Music – many dentist offices will now play relaxing music to help their patients relax. If you are not sure whether or not a dentist does this, you can bring your own CD or MP3 player and listen to the music of your choice while being worked on.
  • See a Dentist Regularly – while this may seem counterintuitive, the truth is that the longer you wait to see a dentist, the more work that there is that needs to be done. This may result in greater pain. 

You can keep the length of dental appointments shorter by taking care of the little things as they occur. Waiting longer between treatments may require extractions, root canals, and other treatments you probably would prefer not to need. 

  • Watch a Video or TV – some dentists will have a TV playing while they are working on your teeth. If there is a TV, it is for the purpose of reducing dental anxiety. Of course, it will not be easy to follow a program, since the dentist will have their head or hands in the way at times. Some dental offices may even provide VR glasses to keep you entertained. 
  • Choose Sedation Dentistry – if you do not feel that you can relax any other way, oral sedation dentistry may help. There are two types of oral sedation: one simply involves taking a pill – no needles, and the other involves breathing through a mask with nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Both will help you relax and let you still respond to the dentist. IV sedation is given through a needle in your arm, and it also lets you respond to the dentist. 

General anesthesia is where a dentist can put you to sleep while performing the necessary dental procedures you need. This way it cannot bother you at all – completely asleep and without pain.

  • Get an Early Appointment – If your appointment is later in the afternoon, this gives you time to think about it and dread it even more – making you even more anxious about it. If you make the appointment in the morning, it does not give you time to think about it as much, reducing your tension. 

Your fear of going to the dentist can be responded to in ways that are designed to help you relax. By focusing on the positive aspects of dentistry, such as your teeth will not hurt after they get the treatment they need, and the dentist is only trying to help you, will also help you relax. 

If you need dental treatment and have dental phobia, Champion Dental, Farmers Branch , Texas can help you. We offer sedation dentistry for patients who need it and our expert dentists are professional and comforting in their approach. Call 214-747-0763 today to schedule your dental anxiety free appointment .

Appointment Form

Accepting New Patients, No Referral Required
  • Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY