Looking for ways to address your dental anxiety? Or maybe a family member or friend you know experiences this all-too-common problem? Communication is key for dental patients who find it difficult to go to their dental appointments, as many dentists take the extra steps necessary to help their patients relax when in need of dental work.
Understanding what can cause patients to experience dental anxiety is beneficial, as some people do not know the reason behind their nervous feelings. According to WebMD, there are many reasons that some people have dental anxiety, with common ones including a fear of pain, injections, anesthetic side effects, and feelings of helplessness and embarrassment. It is possible for someone to develop anxiety due to experiencing one or more of these issues.
The list below includes three commonly used techniques that have been proven to be beneficial for dental patients who experience any level of anxiety when thinking about or going to a dental office.
All patients will benefit from taking proper care of their bodies, as doing so promotes an overall calming effect. Examples of self-care relaxation techniques include eating high-protein foods, avoiding sugary foods or drinks, and avoiding caffeine when possible or altogether. It is also a wise idea to schedule an appointment at a time when one feels less rushed. When people are running late for their dental appointment, they tend to feel even more anxious.
One can use many meditation techniques to help one relax when living with dental anxiety. Popular ones include focusing on one’s breath, requiring patients to breathe slowly and methodically to reduce their overall stress levels. Mindfulness techniques require patients to focus on relaxing the body. If any part of their body is tense, they can use their mind to focus on relaxing that particular part of their body.
Distractions tend to be a beneficial relaxation technique, as it helps take one’s mind off what is going on once they are in a dental office. The fact that those who experience dental anxiety claim that it is hard for them to get their mind off of anything else, but their particular fear makes incorporating one or more distraction techniques a great idea. One great example of distraction includes wearing headphones to listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks. Another distraction could include occupying one's hands by playing with a stress ball or fidget spinner.
Those needing dental anxiety assistance need to reach out to let a dental team know about their feelings of anxiety. This allows the entire team to help the patient, as no one wants to experience these types of feelings, especially if their anxiety prevents them from getting the necessary dental care they need for good oral health.
Request an appointment here: https://www.queensfamilydental.com or call Queens Family Dental at (718) 954-9425 for an appointment in our Flushing office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Dental Anxiety in Flushing, NY.
Being scared to visit a dentist can have serious effects on your health. This can be associated with certain triggers such as needles, drills, and the entire dental setting. Since regular dental check-ups are crucial, you can miss out on learning how to take the steps to make better choices for your teeth and oral…
There are many people who suffer from dental anxiety, and it often leads to many canceled dentist appointments, which ends up leading to poor oral health. Your oral health is directly related to your overall health, so neglecting it because you are nervous about going to the dentist will eventually lead to serious health issues.If…
Sterilization and disinfection procedures are critical for infection control processes at Queens Family Dental. These processes are done in accordance to recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Using the recommendations as a guide, the methods of disinfection and sterilization can be learned and understood, which is important, especially during an…
You are thinking of going to a dental office to get fluoride treatments, but you are not quite sure yet. You know that fluoride helps prevent cavities, but do you need a fluoride treatment? Find out more about fluoride treatments to determine if you should schedule one.Many people know that fluoride fights cavities, but few…
A wisdom tooth extraction is performed on the back molars, which are the last permanent teeth to erupt in the mouth. Many people do not have enough space on their jaws to accept the teeth without disrupting the position of the other teeth. This can cause many issues in the mouth.These issues necessitate the extraction…
If you have recently gotten braces from the family dentist, you will probably be aware of the hassles of cleaning them. The braces’ brackets are bonded to the tooth’s surface, limiting the reach of the toothbrush and making it harder to clean the teeth thoroughly. Nevertheless, you still need to keep the braces as it…