I’m Scared Of Going To The Dentist

Going to the dentist can be a frightening experience for many. When people think about all the procedures or simply the thought of going to the dentist, they start to feel very nervous and scared.

Hearing the word “extraction”, may make people start to feel very anxious at the thought of a drill operating around their teeth. Anxiety at the dentist is more common than you may think.

The point is that most people, at some point or another, has (or will) experience anxiety about going to the dentist. It’s unavoidable.

No one takes perfect care of their teeth during their lifetime, so going to the dentist is inevitable. In most cases, after a visit to the dentist and experiencing how painless and easy each procedure is, all the feat and anxiety goes away, and as the old saying goes, knowledge is power.

So, read on, arm yourself with knowledge, and let’s explore several common dental procedures, and what you can do to combat the anxiety that you may associate with them.

Why You Don’t Need To Be Scared

Training

The skills that are acquired in their training are also confirmed as part of their ongoing skills enhancement during their professional career. Dentistry is continuously developing with new equipment, materials, technology, and methods being developed to improve outcomes for patients.

There are many dentists who understand this, and they are committed to ensuring that they stay up to date with industry developments. These dentists fully appreciate how important it is to be able to provide clients with the best quality of care available, and by achieving the best results then this message will also be passed on to others as well. It is in the best interest of modern dentists to be up to date as reviews of their work can be easily obtained.

Equipment

The level of equipment and technology that is being used now is astonishing. The materials used in their manufacture are high quality. The technology associated with the procedures is advanced, and the dentists have a great deal of information available prior to even considering a procedure to ensure that they will be able to undertake the work, quickly and precisely.

How To Overcome Your Fear

There are some commonly utilised and very well-known methods of conquering or at least managing the fear response.

The first is a breathing exercise, designed to slow down the intake of breath associated with panic, lower the surge of adrenalin, and give you the feeling of control of your body. Simply breathe in for 7 seconds, then out for 11 seconds. This will help manage your symptoms.

This breathing exercise will help calm you down, allowing you to perform the following steps easier. The second this to do is to imagine the procedure while doing the above exercise. If you can do the breathing exercise while imagining the procedure, it will help your body become accustomed to it and any perceived threat from the procedure.

Analysing the fear for what it is can also take your mind of the fear itself. If you can think “What am I afraid of? The pain. Why am I afraid of it? The pain. Why am I afraid of the pain? Because my brain perceives pain as a threat” etc, then it will take your mind of feeling the fear and put it into an understandable context.

If these still aren’t working, then simply remove yourself from whatever situation is causing the anxiety, perform the 7/11 breathing method, and count down from a fear scale of 10 to 1, with 10 being the most afraid. Once you have counted down, imagine the procedure being performed with you in a calm, controlled state.

Call ProSmiles Complete Health Dentistry Today!

After having read through this article, if you have questions regarding anything about your procedure, you can feel free to call ProSmiles Complete Health Dentistry on (03) 8613 3416 or email us on info@prosmiles.com.au. We will more than happily answer any questions you may have regarding your treatment.