How
To Overcome
Dental Anxiety
Dental anxiety is one of the most common phobias
in the world with nearly a third of all adults disliking the dentist and 1 in
10 of us having a phobia so strong that we actually avoid making visits to the
dentist. Dental fear is a problem that needs to be tackled head on however as
our oral hygiene is incredibly important for our health. With that in mind I
thought it would be worth examining the strategies and techniques you can use
to overcome dental anxiety.
Overcoming Mild Dental Anxiety
Mild dental anxiety is discomfort and nervousness
at the dentist (as opposed to terror and panic). It can be treated in a number
of ways.
Talking to your dentist
Talking to your dentist is the first step to
overcoming your dental fears. Make sure your dentist understands your exact
fears and work with them to make your appointment as relaxed as possible by
taking breaks and letting them put you at ease.
Practicing breathing techniques
Controlled breathing relaxes your body and shifts
your focus to other things in order to preoccupy your mind. This is fantastic
when you are at the dentist as you can avoid a lot of discomfort and anxiety.
The easiest breathing techniques simply involve inhaling and exhaling through
your nose for a slow count of three - so three seconds breathing in followed by
three seconds breathing out. This technique is particularly useful as it also
overcomes the breathing issues many of us feel when things are in our mouth.
Using
relaxation techniques
There are a number of relaxation techniques that
may work for you. You could bring music into your appointment with you, ask to
have your favorite radio station on or just have the nurse chatting to you
about something. Different relaxation and distraction techniques work for
different people so try and find something that will work well for you.
Overcoming Severe Dental Anxiety
Severe dental anxiety often cannot be treated by
the steps above - though all of these techniques can and should be used to try
and put you at ease.
When it comes to severe dental anxiety we are
dealing more with a psychological phobia that is less due to nerves and more
due to fears. We can potentially overcome severe dental anxiety in a few ways.
Counseling
You can receive counseling for your phobia. This
will aim to look at the root causes of your phobia and will try to work through
it so that you can move beyond it.
Sedation
Though not a preferred treatment option for
severe sufferers of dental anxiety, sedation may prove one of the best
solutions to the problem, giving you a better chance of visiting the dentist
again!
There are different types of sedation available.
The simplest is oral sedation, which is a tablet that you swallow an hour
before the start of dental treatment. You will still be awake and aware of what
is happening around you, but you will be also drowsy and more relaxed.
If that isn't enough, you could also opt for
intravenous sedation. This is an injection which is often administered into the
back of the hand. Again you will still be awake, however you will be in a
deeply relaxed state and you may not remember what happened afterwards.
For Further Details Book an appointment with us.
Contact Us At: +91 2240147049
iDent, Idyll Dental Clinic
Email: smileident@gmail.com
Website: www.smileident.com
