Dental anxiety

Dental anxiety is a real concern. There are many people who actually put off going to the dentist for regular check-ups, stemming from a fear of dentists. There are many reasons why people have dental anxiety such as:
• The fear of pain. The 2 main reasons here are from injections and the drill used in certain treatments.
• The examination.. There is a certain level of invasiveness about having to lay there, completely still, while the dentist goes about the examination and you have no control.
• Costs. Many just cannot afford to go to the dentist regularly, putting them in a position of anxiety about the bills.
• Embarrassment If you have not been keeping to check-ups at regular intervals and your teeth have gotten into an unhealthy state, then you can probably have dental anxiety about being given a stern talking to from the dentist about this.
• Historical experience You may have had a bad childhood experience

Tips on overcoming a fear of going to the dentist

A huge part of being scared of the dentist is not being comfortable with the check-up process. This can become a normalised part of life if dental visits start early. In fact, dentists do recommend for babies to be brought in right as their very first tooth begins to pop out. By beginning dental visits at this time, your child begins to build up a relationship with the dentist and the process. All future visits are likely to be less scary for people who become accustomed to the dentist at such an early age.
You need to admit that you are indeed scared of the dentist. Then seek out a dentist for nervous patients. At Family Dental Care, our dentists are trained in paediatric care. They bring the same level of compassion shown to kids to adults alike. They understand the fear and take the time to talk it through with patients, putting them at ease.
Being scared of the dentist may not be something only in the mind for many people. The dental visit transpires into physical discomfort, an accelerated heart rate for instance. This can be countered with the practice of relaxation techniques. Controlled breathing is a great way to relax the body and should be done before and during the dental consult.
As we mentioned, dental anxiety is heightened during the consult because you just have to sit there knowing and concentrating on the dentist prodding away in your mouth. Distractions are a way to counter this. Stress balls, music, or videos are a great help in taking your mind off the examination.
Plan a reward for yourself afterwards. This will allow you to have something to look forward to after the dentist appointment.
Cost is a factor in not visiting the dentist regularly. Taking out a small medical plan can aid in this. Basic dentistry is usually covered in this. With it, you can visit the dentist for preventative check-ups. Even without a dental plan, try and ensure to visit the dentist twice a year. These visits are much cheaper than if you would need more invasive tooth saving measures later on. Get an edge on dental problems before they advance into full blown decay or infection, at which point you would have to pay much more.
If all else fails, then sedation is your salvation. This is discussed below.

The cost of being scared of the dentist

While you may be scared of the dentist and found your solution in simply putting off your yearly dental visits, you are actually putting yourself in a much more precarious position. The reason dentists keep stressing onvisiting them twice a year is so that they can get a handle on any issues before they become a big problem to deal with. Seeing a dentist in time, will allow them to save a tooth from decay or infection. However, if you are scared of the dentist, then you will likely not be keeping to these visits. It costs you down the line, because now, you would have to spend much more money and time to deal with the grown problem. Also, if you are suffering with any sort of dental pain, a quicker visit to the dentist will bring about relief. Being scared of the dentist and keeping away is only going to keep you in pain and cost you down the line.

Sedation as an option at the dentist for nervous patients

An injected aesthetic is often needed in order for dentists to be able to painlessly perform dental treatments. A needle is injected into the jaw where the medicine goes to work in numbing the surrounding area. Tooth extractions and drilling can then take place a few minutes later, with no pain being felt by the patient. Although the pain will be blocked, patients are still aware. Conscious sedation is an option at Family Dental Care if it is a dentist for nervous patients that you are after. This is when an anaesthesiologist is present to sedate a patient. Patients will be awake but in a rather deep relaxed state. The medicines used are also pain blockers. Once patients have been administered with the sedation medicines, the dentist can then carry out all treatments needed. The patient is unaware of these taking place. Since you are not fully put to sleep, the recovery into consciousness is quicker. A big chunk of nervous patients are children. They are more likely to cringe and move around. Conscious sedation will allow for the dentist to work without this distraction. If you are in need of our dentist for nervous patients in this regard, then advance notice is required as the anaesthesiologist will have to be scheduled in.