What to Do If You’re Scared of the Dentist

How People Become Scared of the Dentist

Many people don’t like to go to the dentist today due to fears and bad experiences they’ve experienced previously. When a person needs excessive dental work when they’re young due to medical reasons or genetics, when a person cannot get numbed completely before dental work is performed (meaning they are in extreme pain many times at the dentist), or when a person has a traumatizing experience at the dentist, they can become scared to go to the dentist, and so they will avoid seeing one for their oral health needs. These experiences, though valid, can cause a person to end up with poor dental health, which can make them both miserable and unhealthy and can cause them to need extra surgeries and other such work to be performed.

When someone is scared to see the dentist, it will mean eventual dental issues and discomforts, which can make life difficult to live with. For these people, it’s important to not only find a dentist who can be gentle and caring but one that is also understanding. Many dentists are more than willing to work with their patients to help them feel better at the dentist, and there are also many steps a patient can take to ease their worries as well to help make their experience at the dentist better.  

How to Overcome Dental Anxiety

While being scared of the dentist is not uncommon, it’s something that can be managed. Some things that you can do to help your fears include:

Meeting with the dentist before becoming a patient: Often, meeting with the dentist before you become a patient can help you manage your fears. When your dentist knows what your fears are, they can help to educate and inform you to help ease your fears. The dentist will also know how to treat you as a patient since they know your fears and worries, so they can help to make your experience easier since they know about your hesitations.

Having the dentist describe everything they are doing: One thing people fear is not knowing what the dentist is going to do next. By having your dentist describe what they’re about to do and what you might experience can help you prepare and anticipate what will happen. By knowing these things, it can help you relax since you know what is happening and you can ask questions you may have to know exactly what is coming next.

Perform calming techniques: If you find yourself becoming anxious, do some calming practices like deep breathing or grounding techniques to help to calm you down. Your dentist can even join you to help you calm down as well. These techniques can help you slow your thoughts, slow your heartbeat, and keep your worries at a manageable level, which can help make your experience better at the dentist.

California Dentist Here to Quell Your Fears

When you go to the dentist, you want to have a pleasant experience; one filled with ease, compassion, and peace. At the Del Mar, CA dental office of Curtis L. Chan, DDS, we are ready to work with you to help make your experience in our office the best it can be. Call us today in our San Diego, CA office to set up a consultation or appointment at (858) 481-9090.