How To Overcome Dental Anxiety – Our Top Tips
About 15% of Americans are afraid of going to the dentist. If it’s severe enough that patients refuse to go to the dentist altogether, dental anxiety can lead to poor oral health. Austin, TX dentist, Cynthia L Graves, DDS, won’t let anxiety get in the way of your oral care. With a gentle, compassionate approach, and this handy how-to guide, we can help you find ways to overcome your dental anxiety.
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Recognize Your Fear – And Don’t Be Ashamed
The first thing you need to do is recognize your fear of the dentist. Being afraid of the dentist is not shameful, and it is not embarrassing. All it means is that you need specialized treatment. And most dentists are more than happy to accommodate patients who have dental anxiety.
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Find The Right Dentist
Choose a dentist who specializes in treating patients with dental anxieties. Feel free to interview the dentists, discuss your fears, and ask how they might be overcome. Dr. Graves, for example, is a specialist in sedation dentistry in Austin. She focuses on an educational approach for treating patients who suffer from moderate-to-severe dental anxiety, and prioritizes patient comfort above all.
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Communicate Your Fears Effectively
Different people have different anxieties about the dentist.
Some have aural triggers, so the sounds of drills make them uncomfortable. Some have a low pain tolerance and feel discomfort at a higher level in sensitive parts of the body, such as the mouth. For others, it’s an unnerving loss of control, or the fear is rooted in a bad experience.
The point is to communicate your specific fears and anxieties to your dentist. This way, they can devise a treatment plan to accommodate them.
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Bring A Companion With You To The Dentist
Having someone come with you to the dentist’s office is often a great way to overcome your anxiety. If you bring a loved one with you, they can be a source of comfort and stability during treatment, and keep you company throughout the procedure.
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Try To Distract Yourself
See if your dentist will let you listen to music, play with a stress ball, or even play games or watch videos on your phone. Distracting yourself can help you overcome your anxieties, because you won’t be paying as much attention to what your dentist is doing.
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Consider Sedation Dentistry
Sometimes the listed tips won’t work. But there’s a way to eliminate your anxieties during treatment. Sedation comes in a variety of forms and a range of levels, depending on the severity of your anxiety and the type of treatment you’re receiving.
Sedation dentistry at the office of Cynthia L Graves, DDS is easy. In fact, Dr. Graves offers nitrous sedation to all patients free of charge. Other forms of sedation include oral sedation, which is a pill-based sedative, and IV sedation, which is administered intravenously.
Patients who undergo sedation dentistry will feel relaxed and at ease during treatment. Some might fall asleep or not recall the procedure at all. This makes sedation dentistry one of the best solutions for dental anxiety.
Come To The Office Of Cynthia Graves, DDS For Austin Sedation Dentistry!
Whether you have severe dental anxiety and require sedation, or simply have moderate anxiety and are looking for a caring dentist dedicated to patient comfort, Dr. Cynthia Graves is the right choice.
At our practice, we pride ourselves on being able to treat any patient with dental anxiety. So don’t let your fear of the dentist stop you from getting the oral care you need. Contact our team for an appointment at (512) 549-4689, or visit us in person at 10418 Lake Creek Pkwy, Austin, TX 78750.