3 Tips For Managing Anxiety During Dentist Visits

Do you hate going to the dentist? Does the mere thought of getting a dental exam fill you with dread? If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Many people can't stand the thought of going to the dentist, sometimes even having a real phobia of having any dental work performed, even just a basic exam. But although you may be under the impression that there is nothing you can do about your feelings, this isn't necessarily true. While you might still have some trepidations, there are definitely things that you can do to help alleviate the anxiety. Some things that may help include the following. 

Discussion visit: Before you set up an appointment for a full exam with X-rays or a possible cleaning, set up an appointment where you do nothing but go over various topics with your dentist. A good dentist will be more than willing to discuss your fears and things that you want or do not want to have happen during your visit. For instance, some people may be so upset by the sound of a dental drill that they'd rather have a damaged tooth extracted instead. Your dentist should be willing to discuss various alternative treatment options, depending on your particular fears.

Listen to music: Listening to music with a pair of noise-canceling headphones can help immensely to distract you from whatever it is that your dentist is doing in your mouth. In addition, since your anxiety may stem from past poor experiences when you had pain while another dentist worked on your teeth, you may be interested to know that listening to music can also provide pain relief. If your dentist needs to ask you a question at some point, the two of you can arrange some sort of signal beforehand so that you both know exactly what's going on.

Reward yourself: If you've had bad experiences before with a different dentist, it's understandable that you'd be wary about visiting a new one. You have likely started to subconsciously associate dental office visits with something bad, even if you're having nothing more invasive done than getting new X-rays made. In order to break that association, start rewarding yourself after each dental visit. This can include things like going to a favorite restaurant, curling up with a book that you've been meaning to read, or binge-watching one of your favorite shows. With enough positive reinforcement, you should start to subconsciously associate dental visits with something good, or at least neutral.

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