You’re not alone in your fear of the dentist. It’s estimated that approximately 15 percent of American adults have some degree of dental phobia. So how do you go about getting the professional oral care you need without feeling uneasy or anxious?

_

_

Here are five ways to manage your dental phobia:

Identify your fear

Dental anxiety encompasses everything from sitting in the waiting room to hearing a drill. Whatever your fear may be, it’s important to identify it sooner rather than later. Once you know exactly what bothers you most, you and your dentist can start working toward a solution.

Choose the right dentist

Think back to what triggered your dental phobia in the first place. Perhaps it was a cavity filling gone wrong as a kid or something more recently such as a tooth extraction. As you begin taking steps to manage this fear, be sure to choose a dentist who listens to your concerns and cares about you as a patient.

Should you end up choosing the wrong dentist, your discomfort is only going to increase. So take some time researching local dentists and seeing what patients are saying about their experience. Once you find a dentist that treats such fear with sensitivity and understanding, this process becomes much easier.

Take someone with you

Here at New Smile Dentures And Implants, we have some patients that find it comforting to have someone with them at their appointment. It could be a friend, family member, neighbor, or coworker. If their presence helps alleviate your dental phobia, then, by all means, bring them with you.

Consider mindfulness, meditation, and breathing techniques

For some, overcoming dental fears and anxieties starts long before the appointment. We see patients regularly that have success with mindfulness, meditation, and breathing techniques. These are safe, effective ways to reduce your overall anxiety.

Ask for sedation

We’re going to focus on sedation dentistry for the remainder of this post. But first, let’s go back in time for a moment. Until the last handful of years, dental practices didn’t really have an answer for uneasy patients. If you needed an extensive procedure done but absolutely hated sitting in the dentist’s chair, you were pretty much out of luck.

Things have changed for the better thanks, in part, to technological advancements. Today, sedation dentistry allows patients to relax and be comfortable during procedures. While some patients might only need mild sedation to numb the pain, others prefer to be put under completely.

There’s no question that sedation dentistry is becoming a patient’s best friend. Gone are the days when you would dread getting a phone call from the dentist office reminding you of an upcoming appointment. Now, visiting the dentist can come with no pain or anxiety.

Choose Our Sedation Dentistry Options In Denver

At New Smile Dentures And Implants, patient comfort is our No. 1 priority. When you step into our office, we want you to feel relaxed and at ease. That’s why we invest so heavily in sedation dentistry techniques.

Here’s the thing: Sedation is great for those with significant dental phobia. But this isn’t the only kind of patient that can benefit from sedation. More and more, our cosmetic dentist is using sedation techniques for patients who struggle to sit still, have a low pain threshold, or have an overactive gag reflex.

Do you have a child whose worst nightmare is going to the dentist? Well, your son or daughter may be a candidate for sedation as well. Rest assured that our sedation techniques are completely safe for your little one should you be interested.

Now that you have a general understanding of sleep dentistry, what’s the next step? Our dentist recommends scheduling an appointment, especially if you can’t remember the last time you had your teeth cleaned. At New Smile Dentures And Implants, we handle dental phobia with compassion and sensitivity.

Our staff will communicate with you prior to your first cleaning/procedure and determine which sedation technique makes the most sense. We’re confident that once you try sedation dentistry, going back to the dentist will become so much easier.

Ready to finally tackle your dental phobia for good and achieve optimal oral health? Schedule your appointment today.