What Do You Know About Dental Anxiety?

 

Feel a nagging pain in your jaw or mouth but also feel a corresponding knot form in the pit of your stomach at the thought of heading to the dentist to get it checked out? You are not alone. Studies show that around 15 % of Americans suffer from some degree of anxiety, sometimes even rising to the level of a phobia around the thought of submitting to the ministrations of a dentist or dental professional. Unfortunately, succumbing to this fear can lead not only to a gnarly smile that is embarrassing and, perhaps, stinky, but also to a detrimental overall effect on your health. Here are a few tips on how to persevere and overcome your fear of the dentist's chair when next you are in need of a checkup, cleaning, or even a more involved procedure such as a filling or root canal.

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From simple embarrassment at the state of your teeth to paralyzing fear of the expected pain that might come from the dentist's drill, there are a plethora of reasons that people are afraid to go to the dentist. First and foremost, if you are scared, talk to your dentist about it. Chances are, he has a way to set your mind at ease. If you are embarrassed about your teeth, he can assure you that he's seen worse, and trust me, he has. Even if you do have the most jacked-up smile the dentist has ever seen, and you don't, the only way to fix it is to... you guessed it... GO TO THE DENTIST. If it's the pain that concerns you, your dentist can first assure you that it's usually not as bad as you expect. During dental procedures you are generally nice and numb, and post-procedure pain can usually be managed effectively with over the counter medications like ibuprofen. If you're having more involved work done, then your dentist can prescribe a more powerful pain reliever for the first few days post-procedure.

What about during the procedure? Won't it hurt when that drill is in my mouth, going at my teeth? That, my friend, is what Novocain is for. Your dentist has at his disposal powerful numbing medications to ensure that you don't feel any pain while he is working on your smile. Again, if you are particularly sensitive or have concerns about the pain, talk to your dentist before the procedure. Ask your dentist if you can close your eyes and/or wear headphones during the procedure. Not only will this help with any pain you might otherwise "psych yourself into" feeling during the procedure, but it can also help deal with any fear you may have of the instruments or needles themselves. If you have a fear of the needles used to administer the numbing medications, or are sensitive even to the initial pain of the numbing medication, again, TALK TO YOUR DENTIST, as other medications like nitrous oxide or numbing gels can be used to minimize even this discomfort from the get-go.

In short, there are as many reasons to fear the dentist as there are dental patients, but the only way to overcome your particular brand of dental anxiety is to talk to your dentist about it. Be up-front with him or her, and work with your dentist. Today's dental professionals have a wealth of tools at their disposal to help make sure your experience at the dentist is pain free and completed with minimal anxiety before, during, and after the procedure.

Article Source: EzineArticles