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How to Beat Dental Fear

December 10, 2019

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 4:20 pm
Woman covering her mouth in dental chair

Dental anxiety exists and is more common than you think. About 20% of Americans have some form of it.

Why is the fear of the dentist in Alhambra one of the most common and some people experience it to the degree that they avoid going to the dentist at all cost?

The reasons are many and determining them allows us to help in most cases of anxiety.

Some people: anticipate pain, usually due to a previous dental experience. Others worry if procedure is safe from possible complications. That is commonly due to the fact that patients are not clear about their problems and the nature of the treatment they need.

As a result, these patients ignore minor dental pain that are easily treatable like gum bleeding, beginning infections, and small cavities for many years until they wake up one day with an abscess or in a lot of pain.

It is fact that people with dental fear are at higher risk of tooth loss. Here are some practical tips to help you tackle your dental fear:

  1. Talk to your dentist and try to identify your fears.  Are you afraid of the pain or fear the needle, or you simply are not sure how safe this procedure is? Expressing your concerns will help your dentist adapt the treatment to your needs. Warming up the anesthetic and massaging the area before delivering the anesthetic is a great painless numbing technique for example.
  2. Let your dental team explain what to expect on your visit, they can even show you the tools they will use. Don’t hesitate to tell the staff if something makes you tense.
  3. Don’t forget to breath: focus on your breathing: deep, slow, regular breaths. When people are nervous they tend to hold their breath, or breath fast and shallow.  
  4. Listen to some tunes. If the sound of the drill bothers you, bring along your favorite music or watch a movie if available in your office. Any distraction is welcome.
  5. Experiment with different chair positions. You may find that a slightly elevated position for your head makes you feel more in control and helps dramatically to lower the anxiety.
  6. Use hand signals. Discuss with your dentist a hand signal that you can use to communicate that you feel uncomfortable. All my patients know that they can lift up their left hand any time they need me to stop. That again gives them a little more control.
  7. Get recommendations. If you’re in search of a dentist, ask a trustworthy friend or relative for recommendations. The least you can do is inform yourself about the office through the dentist’s website and online reviews.
  8. Visit your dentist at least twice a year: Find time for your routine checkups. These types of visits typically don’t involve any pain and help you build a relationship and trust in your dental office. The more familiar you get, the less afraid you will feel. Also, that will help you avoid serious dental problems. When the emergency arises, the procedure is usually more uncomfortable, the area is tender, and to top it off, the anesthetic in the swollen tissue may not work 100%. That maintains an endless cycle of anxiety and pain.


Along with these approaches, there are also pharmacological approaches. The use of sedation or general anesthesia is the last resort when searching to help patients with anxiety. There are available prescription medications for sedatives like Valium to make procedures less stressful. These medications help patients to feel calmer and relaxed while still completely conscious and able to communicate during the procedure.

Most importantly, remember that the dental field is changing every day to deliver more comfortable and more efficient care.