Struggling with your dental health due to dentophobia? These tips can help you feel more relaxed and comfortable during your dentist visits.
“How can I stay calm during dental work?” Dental anxiety is an unfortunately common problem that dentists see, ours included. More than half of Americans experience some form of nervousness about seeing their dentist, and about 10 to 15% have more severe dentophobia. Mild dental anxiety can make some patients dread their upcoming visit, but severe cases can lead them to avoid dentist appointments for as long as possible. For many, this means they only see their dentist when it’s a worst-case scenario, which doesn’t help their dental nervousness, either.
Patients may develop dental anxiety for several reasons:
Fear of pain during dental work
Previous bad experiences, especially as a child
Dental horror stories from friends and family
Fear of losing control
Worrying about poor dental hygiene habits
General stress and anxiety
However, no matter the cause, you shouldn’t let your fear of the dentist get in the way of your dental health. At Bellflower Dental, we’ve helped many patients stay calm and
Let Your Dentist Know
One of the best things you can do to help fight your dental anxiety is to inform your dentist about it from the get-go. It might feel embarrassing to admit, but the first step in moving forward is admitting something is holding you back from feeling relaxed at the dentist. And don’t worry, you’re not alone either. Our dentists are no strangers to helping people like you feel safe and comfortable in the dental chair, and we’re prepared to work with you to find the best solutions.
If you have any previous bad experiences, let us know. Communication is a crucial part of building trust, and it allows us to prepare for your dental appointments in a way that works best for you. We want to know what to keep in mind and avoid to help you stay calm and confident in our care. It also lets us better personalize the tips and coping strategies we can give you.
During this time, feel free to ask your dentist any questions you have. A large part of dental anxiety is the fear of the unknown. Our dentists want to help you however we can, including keeping you well-informed before we start your dental cleaning or other dental work. And there’s no such thing as a dumb question. What happens during a dental exam? What can I expect after the dental anesthesia wears off? Do all cavities need to be filled? What is the best option for replacing missing teeth? We can even explain each step of the process beforehand to help soothe your anxiety.
Hand Signals
We understand that it can be nerve-wracking for some people to give away their control of the situation and rely on a dentist. As trustworthy and experienced as our team may be, putting your smile in someone else’s hands can be difficult for some people. Luckily, there are ways you can take back some control during your appointment, especially when you need dental work done. Before your dentist starts treatment, establish a few hand signs with them to let us know if you’re feeling overwhelmed or uncomfortable. If you need to take a break, don’t feel pressured to keep going. Signal us that you want to stop, and we’ll give you the time you need to recuperate and calm down again.
Distract Yourself
Another great way to stay relaxed during your appointment is to keep your mind off of your treatment. Keeping yourself distracted can allow you to put your attention into things that make you feel happy or, at least, calmer. If the sound of the suction or drill makes it difficult for you to put your mind somewhere else other than the dental chair, bring in earplugs or noise-canceling headphones. From there, you can try some popular methods of staying entertained during your dental visit:
Listen to music or an audiobook on an mp3 player
Watch TV shows or movies on your phone
Keep your hands busy with a stress ball or fidget spinner
Let your imagination run wild as you visualize yourself somewhere else, like a sunny beach or tranquil garden
Mindfulness Exercises
We also recommend trying proven relaxation exercises. There’s a connection between the body and the mind. Physically calming your body has proven to help the mind relax, too. Take deep, slow breaths in and out and count between them evenly, five times each. Do this both before your appointment and during any breaks. You can also take stock of your body. Do a body check and go from one end to the other, consciously relaxing each muscle as you go. The American Dental Association recommends using a head to toe approach, beginning with your forehead and slowly making your way down.
Sedation Dentistry
For routine dental procedures, dentists numb the area we’re working on using local anesthesia. However, while your mouth doesn’t feel a thing as we take care of your smile, your mind is another thing entirely. With sedation dentistry, even the most anxious patients can rest easy in the dental treatment. As shocking as it may seem, some may even feel so relaxed that they fall asleep in the dental chair, even without using sleep dentistry.
What do dentists use to sedate you? There are three primary forms of conscious sedation we use at Bellflower Dental:
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide, more popularly known as “laughing gas,” is the mildest form of conscious sedation. It’s a great choice for any level of treatment because it quickly helps take the edge off of your anxiety, whether you need a routine cleaning or a root canal. What is laughing gas? Laughing gas is inhaled via a mask placed over your nose, and it rapidly makes its way through your system. You’ll start feeling the effects within two to three minutes. The gas helps slow down your body and mind’s reaction time, helping to numb any discomfort from treatment while also making you feel euphoric and calm.
As fast as laughing gas spreads through your system, it passes through just as quickly. Within minutes of the mask being removed, you’ll be lucid and feeling back to normal. You’re even cleared to drive yourself home after your treatment without issue. Nitrous oxide is safe enough that children as young as two and three years old have used it to help when they have a bad toothache.
Oral Sedation
Oral sedation is more potent than laughing gas. Its strength can range between mild and moderate, depending on the dosage you’re given. Unlike other sedatives, it needs time to kick in as the pills must be digested to work. As such, your dentist will provide you with the medication before your scheduled appointment. You should take the oral pills 30 minutes to an hour before you arrive so that no time is wasted and you can begin treatment right away. Be sure to plan ahead with a friend to have the drive you to and from our office.
Oral sedation doesn’t make patients feel happy and giddy like laughing gas does. It instead causes them to become drowsy and relaxed. It’s not a form of sleep dentistry, but higher doses can have you feeling calm and sleepy enough to drift off during your treatment. Your sleep is still light enough that your dentist can quickly wake you if we have a question or request for you.
IV Sedation
IV sedation dentistry is the strongest type of sedation available at our dental office. It’s often the treatment of choice for patients with severe dentophobia or who need major treatment like wisdom teeth removal or dental implant surgery. Patients who have multiple procedures scheduled on the same day also prefer it because it can easily give them the hours-long peace of mind they need. Since the medication is administered intravenously, your dentist can monitor your levels and lower or increase them throughout your treatment.
More powerful sedatives, like oral and IV, also have the added benefit of temporary amnesia. It’s not uncommon for patients not to remember most or any of their treatment once the medication’s effects wear off. This can be a huge relief for patients with severe dentophobia. However, for both of these options, you won’t be capable of driving yourself anywhere for 24 hours, and you’ll need to take the day off of work or school.
It’s time to stop letting your dental anxiety get in the way of your smile’s health. You can call our Bellflower practice at (323) 486-6579 to book an appointment. Together, our team can help you find the best solution to finally overcome your fear of the dentist.
