How To Get Over Dental Anxiety? Ways To Overcome The Dental Fears

If you regularly endure sleepless nights around the time of dental appointments, you’re not alone. Dental anxiety is real, and it affects 13% to 24% of people around the globe. While most standard dental procedures are relatively straightforward, a dentist’s surgery can be daunting, especially for fans of the Little Shop of Horrors.  

While dental anxiety is a legitimate issue, you can overcome it. Whether you feel embarrassed about your oral health or a previous experience at the dentist causes uneasiness, it’s important to learn how to get over dental anxiety to ensure you maintain your oral health. 

Dental procedures are a key aspect of your overall wellbeing, so you can’t let dental anxiety keep you from visiting the dentist.  

Talk to Your Dentist About Dental Anxiety

The dentist’s chair can be an intimidating place. At Our Dental Care, we introduce ourselves to patients at the beginning of the appointment, making sure they feel welcome and comfortable. 

We encourage patients to communicate any fears or anxieties before we begin the check-up or a dental procedure. As experienced professionals, we can advise you on anxiety-reducing techniques or discuss IV sedation dentistry and happy gas to help you feel more relaxed. 

Understanding the dental procedure and talking to your dentist about it often puts you at ease, alleviating anxiety. 

How to Get Over Dental Anxiety? 

If you deal with anxiety before or during dental procedures, implement these methods of soothing your mind or talk to your dentist about IV sedation dentistry options. 

  • Listen to calming music

Familiar and calming music helps focus your mind and prevent intrusive thoughts. Bring your earphones to the dental practice and relax while listening to music, a podcast, or other familiar media content. Soothing audio aids can lower your blood pressure, making the appointment more tolerable. 

Ask your dentist about playing music throughout the visit, and we will try to accommodate you where possible. Don’t worry; we won’t judge your taste in music!

  • Sedation dentistry 

Happy gas is a safe and effective sedation method that helps alleviate severe dental anxiety. At Our Dental Care, we administer happy gas using state-of-the-art dental technology. 

We monitor gas levels closely and can easily reverse the effects at a moment’s notice if needed. Happy gas is one of the safest dental sedation methods compared to anti-anxiety pills or IV sedation dentistry.

Although IV sedation dentistry reduces anxiety in nervous patients, the effects can leave you feeling tired and groggy following your procedure. Happy gas wears off approximately 20 minutes after being administered, giving patients a more controllable experience than IV sedation dentistry

  • Breathing exercises

sedation treatment dental fears drummoyneAnxiety often causes shallow breathing, which can elevate symptoms of fear, such as muscle tension, dizziness, increased heart rate, and other physical sensations.

Deep breathing exercises help steady your heart rate, signaling to the brain that you are calm and relaxed, relieving anxiety. It is a form of meditation that can help tremendously with dental anxiety

There are several breathing techniques to choose from. Most of them involve slow inhalation through the nose, holding your breath, and exhaling slowly. 

Choose Dental Care You Trust 

To alleviate your anxiety surrounding dental procedures, stick with a dentist you can trust. At Our Dental Care, we’ve been putting smiles on our patients’ faces for almost a decade. If you experience worry or fear surrounding your visit for any reason, we want to help you learn how to get over dental anxiety

We will do everything we can to make all dental procedures as stress-free and pleasant as possible. Talk to your dentist about ways to reduce anxiety with happy gas or natural methods.

Get in touch with Our Dental Care, whether you need a regular check-up, dental fillings, or a cosmetic procedure such as dental veneers or dental crowns. Book a consultation using our convenient scheduling platform, or give us a call today at (02) 9181 3668.

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