What do heights, small spaces, public speaking and visiting the dentist all have in common? The answer is that these are all common fears. If you have a dental phobia, you are certainly not alone. In fact, statistics show that approximately 15% of Americans suffer from dental anxiety to some degree. In some cases, the fear can simply cause anxiety and discomfort manifesting in symptoms such as an elevated heart rate and sweaty palms. In others, it can cause panic attacks and debilitating fear. Dental phobia can occur for a number of reasons but for many people, fear of the dentist begins with a painful childhood experience. For this reason, it is important for children to have a positive experience on their first visit to the dentist and throughout their childhood.
If your fear of the dentist is mild to moderate, you can employ coping strategies such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, listening to music and talking through your fears to get you through your dental experience. However, if your dental phobia is severe and makes it difficult for you to receive the dental care that you need to maintain healthy teeth and gums, you may want to talk with your dentist about Sedation Dentistry.
Sedation dentistry involves the use of either inhaled, oral or intravenous sedative medications. These medications can be used to ease your dental phobia and anxieties make your experience at the dentist more tolerable and even enjoyable. With today’s advanced dental techniques and technology as well as the various options for Sedation Dentistry, there is no need for you to fear going to the dentist. If you have been putting off needed dental work or a dental cleaning and checkup due to a dental phobia, talk to your dentist about Sedation Dentistry today.
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