Having fear makes life difficult. If the fear results from your dental office visit, your overall health may suffer.
Whichever the cause of fear, you need to seek help. This is because avoiding oral and dental care may result in serious damage to your general oral health.
How Dental Fear Impacts Our Health
What do we do when something scares us? We avoid it at every cost. This is very true for us who are suffering from dental fear.
Approximately 15% of US residents avoid seeing a dentist because of fear. However, visiting a dentist, addressing issues, and getting preventive dental care are important for overall dental health.
Allowing your dental fear to hold you back from visiting a dentist may result in negative results. Some of these include the following:
- Gum recession
- Discolored and stained teeth
- Tooth loss
- Mouth pain
- Tooth decay and cavities
- Gum disease
- Cracked, chipped, and breaking teeth
Causes of Dental Fear
Dental fear stems from loss of control, fear of needles/pain, and negative experiences. Communicating your concerns to your Meridian dentist is important to manage your fear. Techniques such as sedation options, distractions, and deep breathing can greatly help. Therapy can also address anxiety issues.
Tips to Overcome Dental Fear
Do you want to overcome your dental fear? Well, you might not be aware of this, but more people have dental anxiety. Fortunately, some strategies can help you overcome this fear. These strategies include the following:
1. Stay Calm
Let your dentist know about your fears so they can suggest effective techniques to overcome your anxiety. Some of the techniques they may suggest may include these:
- Practicing muscle relaxation and breathing techniques
- Wearing headphones and listening to music throughout the procedure
- Holding de-stress items, such as squeezable balls, in the office
2. Don’t Allow Any Bad Experienced Discourage You
We all know that this is easier said than done, right? Fortunately, through mindfulness techniques, open communication, and practice, we can overcome our dental fears and feel at ease about our next visit.
3. Practice Good Dental and Oral Hygiene
They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. If your anxiety, fear, or stress is genuine, good oral and dental health can help.
We can keep our gums and teeth healthy by practicing good oral and dental health, like using mouthwash, brushing our teeth daily, and avoiding overly acidic/sugary foods/drinks. Plus, we won’t find it necessary to visit our dentists.
4. Consider Additional Medications
In some situations, dental experts provide laughing gas (nitrous oxide) to patients with dental fear to reduce their nervousness and relax. Dentists might also suggest sedation during a larger procedure to help ease our nerves and make the entire process go smoothly.
5. Visit a Therapist
Dental anxieties stem from something. Sometimes, identifying and working through the main cause will help resolve the situation.
That is where a therapist comes into play. Discussing your worries and fears with your therapy can be relieving and freeing. With a therapist’s help, you can resolve your fear over time.
In conclusion, dental fears affect both adults and children. However, they are manageable. All you need to do is talk to your dental expert and discuss several techniques that may help you feel more relaxed throughout the process.
