Dental Fear is Scary
No one loves having dental work, but there are 5 easy ways to make the visits easier and get the work done so you can enjoy a healthy mouth and eliminate the fear of your dental visits!
First, we will start with the easiest as they are often the most powerful. The reality is that a lot of the fear comes from three basic issues. One is a lack of control. The lack of control is an easy one to address. Your dentist should be very clear about how to alert the team that there is something happening. Even if it is simply that you need a break. The other major fear driver is the unknown issues that may arise while you are having the work done. Potential issues should be completely addressed before the work is even started. That way you are aware of the situation and potential pitfalls before you start. While both of those are reasonably simple to address, the third may require some additional tools. If you have a bad dental experience that still haunts you, utilizing advanced tools described below are excellent solutions for you!
The best solution to eliminate fear is to have a healthy mouth. With today’s advanced technology and protocols, that is much easier than you might imagine!
5 Keys to Easy Visits
- Talking to the doctor – the science clearly shows that most fear comes from not knowing. Everyone is afraid of some part of the procedure and many people because of a past experience. Today, every step of the procedure can be more comfortable than even just a few years ago. Simply talking to your doctor about what part of the process you are afraid of will help them to be aware of how to make your visit more pleasant!
- Oral sedation – easily one of the most powerful and simplest ways to accomplish the dentistry and overcome the fear is careful use of oral sedation. Doctors who care about their patient’s experience will acquire the additional training. The main reason to offer oral sedation to help to make the procedure easier for you!
- NuCalm®is a safe, proven neuroscience technology that quickly relaxes you. NuCalm naturally brings your body to the pre-sleep states characterized by deep relaxation. Essentially plug and play meditation, this technology is very powerful and is used to help people suffering with PTSD – and is relatively unknown among most dentists.
- Establishing rules of the game with the dentist is a proven and powerful technique to help make your visits easier. Simply being able to stop the dentist if you need to is a powerful way to make this process easier on you. If your dentist didn’t bring it up ahead of time, ask how to stop if you need to swallow or ask a question or something is uncomfortable.
- IV sedation is rarely utilized as it is the most expensive and involved solution. This is reserved for when the previous four don’t hold the key to making the visit easier. However, should it be needed, IV sedation can be arranged for your appointment.
The science has clearly shown that everyone has at least some level of anxiety leading up to a dental visit, so you aren’t alone! For some people it is a monumental obstacle it can be all but crippling! However, it is critical to address problems as early as possible since there are always more options at the beginning. Keeping the mouth healthy as healthy as possible is the best way to have easy visits, but fear of the dental visits can make the problems more difficult to handle.
It’s Easier Than you Think!
Working with a team trained in adhesive dentistry eliminates a lot of issues. Working with who takes a comprehensive approach to your care will result in less necessary dental work over time. The more modern approaches to dental care are less invasive and more comfortable. Fortunately, there are fewer issues after the work is done. This is especially true compared to older dental patches like metal fillings and crowns. Talking to the dental team about the kind of treatment and the options is very important. This will also help you to find the simplest and most comfortable solution!