How to Overcome Fear With Dental Anxiety Management Techniques
Did you know that around 20% of people in the United States suffer from dental anxiety or fear? For some people, their dental anxiety is so severe that they might refuse to go to the dentist even if they are in need of dental care from a professional. As you can imagine, one’s dental health would suffer as a result.
Dental anxiety management can be difficult at first, but once you master a few important techniques, you will find that it will be much easier to relax at the dentist. Keep reading and learn more about what you can do to calm down when visiting the dentist.
Control Your Breathing
Learning how to control your breathing is one of the most prominent relaxation techniques out there. The art of breathing is actually very old and is part of various practices such as yoga and meditation. The goal is to control your breathing in such a way that you are able to forget about your fears and instead enter a state of relaxation.
How can changing the way you breathe accomplish such a feat, you might ask? Breathing has a lot to do with your heart rate. When you’re nervous, your heart rate is going to increase. In the same vein, your rate of breathing will also increase.
Some people who start to panic often start to hyperventilate which is when a person takes many quick, short breaths. When you hyperventilate, you aren’t getting enough oxygen which can make you feel short of breath and cause you to panic even more. This, of course, is a downward spiral, but there is a way out of it.
Deep breathing is the solution to learning how to control your breathing. By taking long, slow breaths instead of short, fast breaths, you will be able to get plenty of oxygen to your brain and body so you won’t feel like you can’t breathe even if you are panicking. Deep breathing is also an activity that you have to be conscious of and you need to make an effort to do it properly.
For that reason, much of your attention and energy will be focused on how to breathe rather than on what you are worried about. This is important if you have dentophobia because it will give you a chance to think about your breathing rather than the dental procedure at hand.
Once you start breathing deeply, you should soon feel calmer.
Opt For Sedation Dentistry
Dental sedation is an important aspect to consider if you have severe dental anxiety or dental fear. For some people, deep breathing techniques are not enough to calm their dental fears. If this is the case, you should talk to your dentist about your dental concerns.
A good Sparkle Dental dentist will understand your problem. Many dentists have various types of sedation available. While they are usually used to numb one’s pain during dental procedures, they can also be used to calm those who are suffering from dental anxiety.
The most popular form of dental sedation comes in the form of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. Most dentists offer this type of sedation because it is safe and it quickly wears off after the dental procedure.
Your dentist will provide you with a mask that will fit over your face and deliver you with a flow of nitrous oxide.
After inhaling the gas a few times, you will start to feel yourself become calmer and less nervous. You might even feel elated. This is normal because laughing gas is called laughing gas for a reason; it has the ability to toss away one’s anxiety and put one in a positive mood.
It will also numb your sensations so you won’t feel much discomfort during your dental procedure. You will still be awake while under the effects of nitrous oxide, although you may feel somewhat tired.
Most people don’t experience any side effects from nitrous oxide, although some normal side effects include dizziness and confusion.
Once the dental procedure is over, your dentist will provide you with pure oxygen to inhale. Oxygen will be able to remove any remaining nitrous oxide from your system. So, you will be able to drive yourself home from the dentist.
Distract Yourself
If you don’t like the idea of dental sedation, you can always try to distract yourself in various ways so you won’t think about your dental anxiety. Many people like to bring headphones with them. That way, when it’s time for the dental procedure, you can put on some music that calms you down and you won’t need to focus on the procedure itself.
Listening to an audiobook with your headphones is also a good idea since you will be focused on something that has nothing to do with the dentist. Depending on what dental office you go to, there may even be a TV to watch to take your mind off of the dental procedure.
If you don’t want to bring headphones, you can also bring an object to distract you. Stress balls are ideal because they are small and they won’t get in the way of the dental procedure. You will be able to squeeze the stress ball as much as you want during the dental procedure to keep yourself calm.
Everything You Need to Know About Dental Anxiety Management
Dental anxiety management can be difficult to tackle at first, but with the help of deep breathing techniques, distracting yourself, and dental sedation, your dental anxiety should no longer be a problem.
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