Do you have a fear of going to the dentist? Don't worry, because your fears are valid. Dental phobias are real and can affect people from going to the dentist for even a simple teeth cleaning. Here are some tips for getting over that fear of the dentist.

Talk To A Therapist

If you have a lot of fears in general and it is preventing you from doing things in your life, such as going to the dentist, consider talking to a therapist. You may have a much bigger overall problem with anxiety that you need help dealing with. This could include taking medication to ease your anxiety and start living your life your way again. While this fear may come out more when you go to the dentist, therapy can help deal with anxiety in general.

Tell Your Dentist

It is always worth telling your dentist when you have dental phobia. You would be surprised at how they are willing to accommodate you and your situation because it is more common than you think. For example, if the fear for you is hearing dental drills from other patients in the office, they may consider putting your cleaning as the first appointment of the day so that the office is empty and not much else is going on.

Consider Dental Sedation

There are dental sedation techniques that can definitely help put you at ease so that you can get through your appointment. For example, the dentist may recommend laughing gas or oral sedation to help get you through the appointment. If you have a dental surgery scheduled, such as extracting wisdom teeth, they can use a stronger form of dental sedation that can make sure that you are not awake for the procedure. 

Try Distractions

Some people want to zone out during their appointment so that they do not hear anything. They want to meditate and do their own thing during their appointment so that they don't have to think about it. Consider bringing something that can distract yourself, such as headphones so that you can listen to music or calm sounds during the entire appointment.

Ask For Good News

Another form of dental anxiety comes from the worry about what your dentist is finding when they do an exam and cleaning. It may help to ask the dentist to describe all of the good things that they are seeing during the examination. Chances are that your exam is going to go fine, so hearing a lot of good news about the things that are well with your mouth can help put you at ease. 

Contact a local dentist for more tips.

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