We understand if you’re afraid of visiting the dentist, as many other people are, too! According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 12% of the population has such an extreme fear of dental work they can barely attend. Unfortunately, that’s likely to cause very severe oral health issues.
Thankfully, our team is here to help you! We know that dental care can seem scary (especially if it’s been a while). All dentists know they can be feared, which is why we’ve come up with several ways to assist our patients with anxiety surrounding dental work. These simple steps should help make your trip much easier.
Schedule an Early Visit
Dental anxiety has a way of building up as you go through your day — working, taking care of your kids, etc. — and becoming unbearable just before your visit. Well, why not skip all that suffering and schedule your visit early? Just let us know! We’ll get you into our office first thing in the morning Rather than giving yourself a whole day to fret over your appointment, just get it out of the way.
Talk With Us Before Your Cleaning
Often, people worry that dentists are either not aware of the pain they cause or don’t care. Nothing could be further from the truth! Our team of experts knows what dental treatment is like, and we’ll do what we can to minimize your fears. Just let us know, and we can talk.
Sometimes, just talking with your dental experts and letting them know about your anxieties is enough to help. Our team knows exactly what to say and how to say it; we’ve managed this problem many times before.
Bring a Family Member or Friend
When your dental anxiety gets overbearing, we can help you by letting you bring along a support member. Family, friend, partner, child: all are welcome to come with you! With someone you trust there during treatment, you may feel a little calmer. Make sure you choose someone who calms you down (rather than worsens your anxiety) to get the best results.!
Discuss the Dental Process in Depth
The old saying states that ignorance is bliss, but not everyone agrees with this sentiment. Many people are afraid of dentists because they don’t understand the available treatments. In other words, ignorance is a severe disadvantage and something that makes their lives far more miserable; how is that good?
With our help, you can learn more about how dental treatment works. What kind of medications do we use? How do we manage pain? Why are we doing a particular treatment? Knowing more about your dental treatment and making decisions with us may help you feel more in control.
Provide Some Calming Support
Before visiting a dentist, research what types of calming agents, like sedation medications, they use. We have several available for you: just let us know! Even if we don’t put you all the way to sleep, calming yourself in this way can soothe your nerves and mitigate serious emotional issues.
Before we choose a sedative, we’ll make sure you’re not allergic to it. Schedule an allergy test with your physician if you’re not sure. With multiple options available, we should have something that works for you; we’ll use it to make sure you’re not suffering during your treatment with us.
Create a Stress Communication System
Trying to talk with dentists during treatment mostly results in mumbles and confusion, so how can you let them know if you’re anxious? Our dentists suggest a hand-based communication system that quickly alerts them. Hold one of your hands outside the cape as they work on your teeth.
For example, you keep your hand open if you’re not stressed and close it tightly into a fist when you feel pain or anxiety: the choice is up to you. Just make sure you let us know what each hand gesture means to get great results. We’ll do whatever we can to help you!
Provide a Calming Space for Meditation
Even if we don’t necessarily practice meditation ourselves, we know that many of our patients do! If you need it to calm down before your visit, just let us know. We can at least help you through this process by providing a calm and quiet place where you can relax before your big dental appointment.
Focus your meditation on soothing ideas. Try to picture yourself in a calming place, such as a beach or even your home. During treatment, close your eyes and keep that image in mind as we work. Breathe deeply and evenly, and you can cope with your anxiety with relative ease.
Provide Calming Music and TV Options
Do you know why airports and elevators have such soothing and even banal music? People fear both elevators and planes, and this music calms them. Well, why not bring along some earbuds and sync your phone to a calming music station while we work? We have some suggested stations.
Ambient music, binaural beats, and even Gregorian chants all help with anxiety and stress. Choose an option based on your taste: not everyone likes chants, after all. You might even like upbeat music – it’s up to you. We also have TVs for our patients to watch if putting on your comfort TV show or movie will help calm you during a procedure.
Refer You When Necessary
We understand when a particular procedure or next step is out of our scope. This is why specialized dentists exist. From jaw doctors to oral surgeons, there are a multitude of trained professionals who may understand your particular dental issue better than we can. If that’s the case, we will provide you with a referral and help you every step of the way. When you get used to working with our team, the thought of seeing another dental specialist may seem overwhelming and terrifying. However, we only refer our patients to the best specialists in our area. We ensure you will have an excellent experience.
Keep in mind that we also offer orthodontic services, such as braces and Invisalign. Fortunately, when you choose us from the start, we will ensure you have an anxiety-free experience for both your general dentistry and orthodontic needs.
Combat Old Cliches
If you’ve heard of 100 different dental cliches, we have to know at least 1,000! Our team has basically fielded them all and can help you understand more about your treatment. By fighting through these misconceptions, we make your appointments better.
Just ask us anything! We’re an open book and more than happy to talk with you. Call us up before your visit to discuss your concerns. Our operators will talk about your options, explain your appointment experience, and minimize your anxiety. It’s the least we can do for you.
By working with our dentist and carefully working through your concerns, you can get through this experience with minimal suffering. It’s something that we’ve helped — hundreds, if not more — patients manage over the years, including people who have skipped out on dental care for a decade or more. With our help, you can fight your oral health issues and live a happier and healthier life. Get in touch with our team at Bright Side Dental today to set up your appointment.