Anxiety is one of the major reasons people avoid the dentist. A regular dental checkup and cleaning is recommended every six months, but the average Canadian only sees their dentist once every few years.
Let’s examine some of the ways you can help alleviate anxiety and make your next dental visit a more comfortable experience.
Step #1: Think about your past dental visits.
Most people, when asked, will have a tendency to remember only the negative things that happened during a dental visit. This is usually pain associated with needles injecting Novocain into the gums, drilling, root canal, or something else. In reality, though, when people stop and think about it, they will see those moments as being only a small percentage of all actual dental visits.
Step #2: Make an appointment.
Being anxious about a prospective dental visit is one thing, but if you never get around to make an appointment, all that anxiety is for nothing.
Step #3: Discuss anesthetic options with the dentist.
There are numerous ways to help alleviate pain during a dental visit, including being ‘put under’ by an anesthesiologist. Not every dentist offers this type of dentistry, so discuss it with your dentist when you make your appointment. It may be a practical option, especially for major dental work.
Step #4: Remember the pain is temporary.
Most dental visits don’t have any pain associated with it, but from time to time it can happen. Just keep in mind that once every six months for regular cleaning is a small price to pay for a more confident smile and self-esteem.
Step #5: Sit in the waiting room a observe people.
If you sit in the waiting room of the dentist, you will likely notice as people leave they are not distraught, not doubled over in pain, and not holding their mouth and appearing to be in misery. Just watching people as they leave can be reassuring to know your next visit isn’t going to be the nightmare that you think it will be.