Dental anxiety is a serious problem. Studies have shown that people who suffer from dental anxiety have worse oral health. I’ll explain the 5 most effective tips for beating dental anxiety and preventing dental anxiety in children.

1. Do not wait until you are in extreme pain to visit the dentist.
Only visiting the dentist when you are in extreme pain is the worst thing you can do if you are afraid of the dentist. Once a tooth becomes very painful you are likely going to require a root canal or an extraction. Root canals and extractions are unpleasant and will only serve to reinforce your dental fear. You should visit you dentist regularly every 6 months, and at the first sign of any tooth discomfort.

2. Find the right dentist
It is important to find a caring dentist who is able to put you at ease. Ask friends and family members if they can recommend a good caring dentist. Before you book an appointment with your dentist make sure to check the testimonials.

Food For Thought: Don’t keep your search limited to a certain channel, for example – Yelp Reviews. Make sure to consider other major platforms like Google Reviews, too.

3. Openly discuss your dental anxiety with your dentist
Tell you dentist that you have dental anxiety and explain what it is that you are scared of.

4. Consider medications and general anesthesia
If you suffer from severe dental anxiety, discuss the option of administering sedation like diazepam, or nitrous oxide. Anxiolytics like valium can acutely help anxious patients cope up with their dental treatment. Many dental practices offer NO₂, which can help patients feel relaxes during the procedure.

Dentists can do most dental procedures under general anesthesia, but it is a last resort. Your dentist will help you know what will suit your needs the best.

5. Have good oral hygiene
You should be brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and floss once a day. Having healthy teeth and gums is the best way to avoid the dentists drill.

How to prevent dental anxiety in children

If you are a parent who is afraid of the dentist it is very important not to let any of that fear pass onto your children. Children are perceptive and impressionable, if they see that a parent is afraid of the dentist they will naturally become afraid of the dentist too. Do not let your children know about your fear of the dentist.

Here are some tips to ensure children to not develop dental anxiety.

1. Talk about dental visits in a positive way.
2. If you are scared of the dentist schedule your appointments on a different day than your children’s appointments.
3. It is never too young to start bringing your child to the dentist for regular visits. Children under the age of 2 should simply experience time in the dental chair. From the age of 2 children should start having proper checkups and from the age of 4, getting cleans.
4. Always give plenty of positive reinforcement and praise for good behavior at the dentist.

Proper care, treatment and restorations are necessary and critical to preventing the decay from becoming worse. Call +1 708-794-9526 your own Pediatric Dentistry today to schedule your appointment with our team.