Dental phobia affects about 1 in 7 Australians, making it among the most common anxiety disorders in the country.
Dental anxiety can prevent you from getting the preventative care and treatment you need to keep your teeth and gums healthy. If you are wondering about how to get over dental anxiety, talk to your dentist at Available Dental Care to find out which treatment options can help minimise your dental anxiety.
How to Get Over Your Dental Anxiety?
Dental anxiety is one of the most common reasons people avoid going to the dentist. Using the following tips can ease dental anxiety and can make future appointments less stressful. You can also achieve better dental results when you are relaxed during dental procedures.
Open Communication With Your Dentist
Talk to your dentist about your concerns and help you to get over dental anxiety if you feel anxious before the dental procedures, including regular dental checkups.
Your dentist can educate you on what will happen during the dental procedures, so you are fully aware of all the steps involved beforehand. This can help lessen some of the fear and anxiety of not knowing what will happen in the procedure.
They might suggest anxiety management methods such as listening to calming music on your headphones to help calm your nerves. Your dentist can also offer dental options, including IV sedation dentistry, to help you relax and receive your dental treatment with ease.
Meditation and Deep Breathing
You could also do deep breathing exercises. Deep abdominal breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, triggering your relaxation response.
While in the dentist’s chair, place your hands on either side of your navel, breathe in through your nose, inflating your belly like a balloon. Purse your lips, and use your stomach muscles to push the air out of your lungs. Repeat this several times.
Sedation Dentistry
Sedation dentistry has become one of the most popular options for those with dental anxiety. At Available Dental Care, we offer two kinds of sedation dentistry to ensure our patients feel safe and comfortable while receiving their dental treatment:
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Nitrous Oxide
The dentist puts a small mask over your nose, allowing you to inhale nitrous oxide and oxygen. They work together to make you feel comfortable and peaceful throughout the treatment.
You are fully conscious throughout the procedure, so you can still respond to questions and instructions from your dentist, but you are in a deep state of relaxation. After the mask has been removed, the sedative effects disappear, and you may feel normal again.
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IV Sedation Dentistry
During IV sedation dentistry, also referred to as twilight dentistry, your dentist administers a sedative into your veins, which allows you to relax faster. You can still be woken up from its sedative effects even when you’re at the edge of consciousness.
During the procedure, the dentist can adjust the sedative dosage using IV sedation dentistry. Combined with a local anaesthetic, this treatment relieves dental anxiety while enabling your dentist to work quickly and efficiently.
Your dentist will closely monitor your blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels when you elect IV sedation dentistry. It can take up to an hour for the effects of the IV sedation to wear off, so you will be asked to bring someone with you to help with your safe return home.
IV sedation dentistry can help you overcome your dental anxiety by helping to reframe your dental visits as pleasant experiences as you won’t have any memory of your dental procedures. This can make future dental visits easier as you can feel calm about the procedure without worrying about it.
Learn More and Get Help Over Your Dental Anxiety
Your dentist can help you choose the dental option that reduces dental anxiety best for you, so you don’t feel anxious during any dental treatment. Sedation dentistry is an option your dentist may consider after reviewing your medical history.
For our patients who are concerned about paying for their dental procedures, we offer a variety of payment methods, such as HICAPS, EFTPOS, Denticare, and all major credit cards. You can also arrange payment plans and interest-free financing.
Available Dental Care offers sedation dentistry for patients interested in easing their dental anxiety. Contact us on (02) 4062 8763 for more information on how sedation dentistry can help you during your procedure.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.