Don’t Let Fear Keep You from A Healthy Smile: Ways to Overcome Dental Anxiety with Agua Fria Dental

Dental anxiety is a global problem affecting nearly 36 percent of the population, including children. The fear of the dentist near you keeps you away from the professional preventing you from seeking essential dental care and comprising your smile.

Besides impacting your dental health, the lack of dental visits to receive routine or intensive treatments to manage injuries or infections also becomes financially damaging as it causes you to need intensive dental procedures at high prices later.

Dentistry advances have enabled dental offices to equip themselves with the techniques essential to help you overcome dental anxiety. All it needs to access the methods is to discuss ways to overcome dental fear with the dentist at the dental office without hesitation and beat dental phobia at its game by seeking help from them.

Instead of postponing dental visits, here is a guideline on coping with dental anxiety and its associated symptoms.

Dental Anxiety Treatment and Coping Techniques

Dental anxiety affects people of all ages, including children. Fortunately, several coping techniques help ease your fears to get you in the dentist’s chair. Below are some that you can consider.

• Communicate Your Fear of the Dentist: if you fear visiting the dentist in Youngtown, discuss your concerns with them. They can take steps to make the process easier for you. The dentist explains each step comprehensively to ensure you know what to expect. They also recommend techniques to help you feel relaxed and comfortable during your appointment. Do not be scared to ask questions because if you understand the procedure, you will experience less anxiety.
• Breathing Exercises: deep breathing exercises help relax your mind to keep you calmer. The exercises help reduce stress during dental appointments. When learning this step, close your eyes, inhaling slowly with your nose, holding the air for a few seconds before slowly exhaling through your mouth. Repeat the exercise as many times as you like.
• Meditation and Muscle Relaxation: Your anxiety can worsen while waiting in the reception or after sitting in the dentist’s chair. In such cases, meditation is a simple practice to reduce stress and promote calmness. Meditation involves heightened awareness, focus, and muscle relaxation achievable anywhere, including the dentist’s office. After being seated in the dentist’s chair, please close your eyes, fix them on an object, and allow your body to relax entirely. Pay attention to different body parts making a conscious effort to release tension relaxing your body from your head to your feet.
• Guided Imagery: Another method is visualizing happy thoughts in the dentist’s chair. Think about funny or positive memories to make you feel more satisfied by being nostalgic. The technique helps calm and relax your mind.
• Bring A Friend: The support of a friend or relative proves helpful to calm you. Inquire with your dentist whether someone can accompany you in the exam room. Even if you can’t discuss the person during your appointment, their presence helps you feel relaxed.
• Analgesia: Analgesia is a medication that helps relieve pain. You can find over-the-counter drugs, but dentists also use the same during dental appointments to provide you relief from anxiety and pain. The Youngtown dentist typically uses nitrous oxide before or during your procedure. However, it helps if you verify with your dental insurance provider whether they cover nitrous oxide because some insurance plans do not cover the benefit.
• Conscious Sedation: if your anxiety levels are moderate, dentists prescribe antianxiety medications to reduce anxiety levels before your appointment. You must take the medicines an hour before your dental visit.
• Conscious Sedation: conscious sedation is an option for severe anxiety. This method involves taking a sedative a few hours before your appointment. However, it is not general anesthesia and does not make you sleep during your dental work. Instead, you remain conscious but responsive in a relaxed state.

With multiple techniques available to ease your fears about dentists and their work, it helps if you show confidence in dentistry to put your concerns behind to have a healthy smile. In addition, avoiding dental visits will ensure you require more intensive treatments and may have to endure severe pain instead of showing off a healthy smile.

If dental visits make you anxious and fearful, put your fears behind you because Agua Fria Dental can help you receive routine and intensive treatments without the dental phobia. Consult with them today to discuss your concerns and overcome dental anxiety using their recommended techniques.