People worry about going to dental clinics and undergoing treatments or procedures. They often feel anxious and scared about the tools that dentists use. However, dentists share various techniques about dental anxiety management.
How do you begin your dental anxiety management?
A patient’s dental anxiety stems from a number of factors. Some of those include:
- Childhood stories that people around them that seemed a bit exaggerated that frightened them.
- Bad experiences at a very young age with dentists. Either they felt intense pain during the procedure that traumatized them.
Nevertheless, dentists recommend some ways to resolve their dental anxiety. One of those include sedation dentistry in Waterloo. However, before discussing that, here are some ways to manage dental anxiety.
Take some time to meditate
Before going to the dental clinic for your appointment, take a number of deep breaths slowly while grounding your feet to the floor. This allows you to clear your mind and focus on the good that enduring a dental procedure brings. Mediation not only allows you to calm your mind but also prepare your body for a little bit of pain that you might feel during the procedure.
Other patients consult their psychologists or psychiatrists for therapy that helps them with their dental anxiety management. Some patients undergo cognitive behavioral therapy or dialectical behavioral therapy to help them feel better whenever they need to undergo a procedure.
Request your dentist for control
Some patients like to hold the glass or the suction during the procedure. This helps them manage their anxiety levels. A number of professionals who practice dentistry in Waterloo allow their patients to assist and control how strong the suction or the rinsing.
Taking control of some of the tools helps patient calm down and go on with the procedure with getting scared of what happens.
Go to the dentist with your family
When going to the dentist, remember to bring someone with you to support you along the way. Seeing a familiar face while you sit down in the dental chair helps you calm down. You know that the presence of a friend or family member comforts you.
Dentists see this as an effective way of dental anxiety management. However, patients must remember to consult their dentists when they bring their friend or relative to the clinic.
Talk with your dentist about your dental anxieties
When patients go to their dentists, some shy away from talking to their dentists and learning about the dental issue and its solution. Conversing with the dentist clears the gap and builds enough trust so the patient becomes comfortable during the procedure.
When patients worry, professionals in field of dentistry in Waterloo engage with them to inform them This prepares the patient and orients what happens during the procedure.
Sedation dentistry
Sedation dentistry refers to using dental sedatives to calm the patient down during a procedure especially if they feel anxious or scared. Others refer to it as sleep dentistry.
Dentists classify dental sedatives into three (3) types:
- Nitrous oxide – also known as the laughing gas which dentists induce through a mask worn by the patient during the procedure. The gas relaxes the patient during the procedure and even after the procedure. Driving yourself may become challenging. It’s best to bring someone to accompany you during the procedure.
- Oral sedatives – usually takes the form of a pill that patients take an hour before the procedure. The level of sedation ranges from minimal to moderate. Oral sedatives make patients feel drowsy however retaining their consciousness. This causes some patients to forget how the procedure went while being awake and slur their words.
- IV sedative – goes through the veins of the patients and proves to work the quickest among the three (3) types. Dentists adjust the level of sedation continuously.
Sedation dentistry helps patients manage their dental anxiety and pain tolerance. When you feel anxious about going to the dentist, remember these practices and it will reduce your anxiety. Before choosing a dental sedative, remember to consult your dentist first.
