*How to Overcome your Fear of Dentists

Image from Refinery 29 via Pinterest 

So many people have an irrational fear of going to the dentist that it seriously affects their anxiety levels and mental health. Apart from affecting the patient negatively, the dental practice also suffers because quite often a patient will cancel their appointment the day before, or not even turn up for their appointment out of fear. This means that valuable dental slots are going empty that the surgery could have used for emergency dental appointments to help someone in urgent need. No matter if you are afraid of walking into the practice, or it is an issue with the dental tools or equipment being used, there are steps you can take to help you overcome your fear of going to the dentist. Let's take a look at some things you can do to ease your anxiety and build up your confidence.

Why do you fear the dentist?

Working out the exact cause or trigger for your dental phobia can be very useful to you. Is it a clash of personalities where you really don't like your dentist as a person? Do you consider him or her to have a bad bedside manner (or bad dental chair-side manner) where you don't think they are very gentle or careful with your dental procedures? Is it the dental tools and instruments that are used in the dental surgery that upset you? Are you scared of needles and worry about having an injection in your gums? Try to pinpoint the exact thing that worries you most and then you will be able to take steps to address your fears and calm your mind enough to get through an appointment.

A lot of anxieties about dental appointments arise from bad experiences as a child. Having a tooth out or a filling done at a young age can often leave a lasting negative impression on your mind. In truth, as an adult having the same treatment over again is not nearly as scary as it seemed as a child. These issues can be talked over with you dentist directly. Many dentists these days are very understanding and undergo special training to deal with anxious patients. So by letting your dentist know your fears, they can change their procedures to better help ease your fears.

If it's dental tools that scare you, then your dentist will know to keep these well hidden out of sight while you are entering the surgery. Many treatment rooms are designed and decorated specifically to help deal with nervous patients. They may include a sofa, a TV and radio, as well as decorated to look comfortable and inviting – just like a typical front room in a home environment.

Fear of losing control

A lot of anxious patients will avoid going to the dentist because they are put into a situation that they have no control over. Often the thought of having a complete stranger's fingers in your mouth while you cannot talk can be a terrifying idea. According to psychologists, this is quite a normal human response where we will naturally want to protect our open airways from attack. Sometimes a patient can hold such strong fears of going to the dentist that they will purposefully choose to eat soft foods to avoid damaging their teeth. This way they believe they can avoid every having to attend a dentist for any repair work, or to fix a broken tooth.

A lot of these anxieties can be overcome by having a period of adjustment where you get to know your dentist and your dental team well in advance of having any treatment. This can involve booking a session where you get shown around the practice and introduced to the staff. Having a chat and a cup of tea or coffee with the people that are there to take care of you can build a level of trust that can greatly help you get over a lot of your 'control' issues. Booking an extra-long session for your treatments will also help. This can allow you to talk to your dentist and relax before any treatments take place.

Are you scared of the dentist? Do you have any tips to overcome that fear? 

*This is a sponsored post
*Image from Pinterest