Are you scared of going to the dentist due to the painful procedures and sharp instruments? Or, do you suffer from anxiety related to dental consultation or treatment methods? If yes, then here’s an alternative for you. By choosing the right methods, you can overcome every fear related to dental checkups. But, the key to a successful dental consultation lies in proper communication and faith in your dentist. You must lookout for a trust-worthy dentist with years of experience. Also, certain medications can help relieve the anxiety within seconds.
Here’s what you can do to handle the adrenaline rush and cope well with your dental treatments.
Communication Greatly Relieves Stress
If you keep refraining from dental checkups due to fears and anxiety issues, then you might end up in big trouble. Ignoring dental problems can potentially deteriorate your condition in the long run. You might end up with complete tooth decay or in worst cases, conditions like oral cancer. To prevent such diseases, the key to good dental treatment lies in communication. You must talk to your dentist about your anxiety issues. Also, have faith in your dental specialist and ask him for an alternative to painful dental procedures.
Share Every Little Fear & Trouble
Sharing your symptoms with the doctor is something that every patient does. But, if you’re over-sensitive, there’s more to discuss with the expert. Along with narrating the symptoms, you must share your fears related to dental treatment. Whether it’s the painful procedure that haunts you or the anxiety that kicks in, you must talk everything out. That way, your dentist can find out the right treatment that’s suitable for your mental troubles. Don’t sit back home with that painful tooth. Head out and discuss your fears to get the best dental treatment experience.
Kick More Oxygen In During Treatment
When you feel stressed or anxious, you are likely to hold your breath. It causes the oxygen levels in your body to decrease and leads to even more anxiety. While getting dental treatment, you must keep breathing. The key is to let more oxygen reach your lungs and relieve stress. Along with acting as a stress buster, higher oxygen levels reduce any anxiety that might creep up in the future. Just like meditation, kicking more oxygen inside your body makes you feel relaxed within seconds. That way, you can overcome the fight and flight response during dental consultations.
Music & Time Can Have An Impact
It’s about time that you let the music take care of your anxieties. Before reaching your dentist’s office, make sure to listen to your favorite tunes. It can potentially reduce stress and limit the adrenaline rush. You can also carry your iPod to the dentist’s cabin if he allows doing so. Along with music, even the time of appointment can significantly influence your mental symptoms. Analyze the best time for your dental treatment. You can do this by selecting the time when you’re not under pressure or in a hurry. Typical days for such crucial procedures are Saturdays or Sundays.
Sedation Dentistry For The Anxious Patients
If none of the ways mentioned above seem to work for you, then the last resort is sedation dentistry. With the advent of dental sedation, even the children, as well as mentally ill patients, can undergo dental procedures smoothly. It makes use of the potent sedatives to counter any anxious thoughts or painful procedures. Also, the checkup takes lesser time with the right dose of anesthesia.
Just ask yourself as to which one is the best sedation dentistry near me? You can take some suggestions from your friends or relatives. Here’s how sedation dentistry kicks off even a bit of anxiety in patients.
1. Numb The Mouth With Topical Applications
One of the most common methods of sedation is the use of topical anesthetics. It is a straightforward yet effective method to numb the oral cavity. All the dentist has to do is apply the anesthetic over your teeth, gums, and entire oral cavity. Within a few minutes, you can feel the effect of such sedation. Not only will this make the procedure painless, but also get rid of all the anxiety that accompanies. Usually, the dentist uses anesthetics like lidocaine for reducing any sensations.
2. Electronic Anaesthesia Over The Injectables
If you’re scared of the injections, then electronic anesthesia can provide optimum relief. This is a specialized form of sedation that involves the use of adhesive pads. These pads are usually placed on your face and used to deliver electrical impulses. Such impulses can greatly reduce the sensations and make the process a painless one. For certain procedures, cranial electrotherapy is the preferred mode of anesthesia. In this, the impulses reach the brain directly causing the patient to feel relaxed. What’s even better is that the patient can control the level of impulses according to the pain felt.
3. IV Sedation For The Over-Sensitive Patients
Here’s the right method of sedation for the extremely anxious patients who just can’t set foot on the chair. Intravenous sedation is an effective mode of anesthesia and works within seconds. It can reduce any sensation and greatly reduce the pain during dental procedures. Experts analyze the level of anxiety and choose IV sedation based on the same. Also, the patient might feel drowsy even after the procedure. This is because the effect of sedation lasts for half an hour or even more. Tackle the nervousness and get all your dental needs ticked off at one go with IV sedation.
Bottom Line
Keeping your dental health in check is something that you shouldn’t ignore. Research suggests that dental anomaly deteriorates and takes hazardous turns in a short interval of time. If you’re scared of the dental procedures, you must look out for the right solution. From proper communication to the use of adequate sedation, there are innumerable ways to tackle the same. All you need to do is search for the right way.
