Overcome your fear of the dentist with these techniques that really work and that anyone can do.

He dentist He is one of the most dangerous healthcare professionals. There’s really no shortage of reasons. With this arsenal of tools that look like little torture devices and the undeniably painful moves they perform, it’s no wonder we show up at their office a little tense. It’s logical. But it’s true that there are people who suffer from excessive fear of the dentistwhich can even be dangerous, especially if it causes them to avoid recommended checks.

Additionally, it has been proven that anxiety caused by fear of the dentist can make us feel the need to more anesthesia than usual. This leads to more punctures, more pain and nervousness. It’s a vicious circle.

To prevent you from falling into this vicious circle, we will give you some tips on how to overcome fear of the dentist or at least deal with it. Yours may not be as intense, but we all get a little nervous, so it doesn’t hurt to take a few things into account. adviсe.

Talk to your dentist

If we are afraid of the dentist, the first step is to talk to the professional who will be treating us. We shouldn’t be ashamed; because, as we have already seen, this is a fairly common fear. They are very used to this. In fact, there are even dentists who specialize in treating patients with such fears. Sometimes they are offered other types of anesthesia or sedatives. In addition, they took courses to learn how to treat e.g. panic attack

But in reality, we can talk to any dentist about our concerns. For example, you can agree on gesture with which you will have to stop the procedure until we calm down again. We may also ask you to leave us. listen to musiceither directly during the consultation or via headphones. It helps us take our minds off our worries. If you talk to your dentist about this and they don’t respond with understanding, it’s best to look elsewhere.

Weighted blankets for dental fear

Weighted blankets are often used for healing attacks of panic or anxiety. Weighted blankets, as the name suggests, are very heavy, weighing approximately 10% of our body weight.

They began to be used many years ago to cope with anxiety because, as the University of Pennsylvania explained, the weight they place on our bodies activates the resting mode of our autonomic nervous system. This is the component that is responsible for activate the fight or flight system this is alarming. Our brain perceives a threat, real or not, and prepares us to confront it through actions such as increased heart rate and breathing, muscle tension that prepares us for attack, and even suppression of seemingly unnecessary functions such as digestion. When we feel anxious, among other symptoms we have: palpitations, muscle cramps, or stomach problems. Everything makes sense.

On the other hand, when our autonomic nervous system perceives the weight of blankets, it assumes that we are safe and that no need to be on guard. Therefore it begins that rest mode this is so necessary if we are in a state of panic attack due to fear of the dentist.

If this is your case, using these blankets while working as a dentist can make a difference. He may suggest this to you himself if he is a specialized dentist; but if not, ask if you can bring your own weighted blanket.

Meditation and muscle relaxation

If we are afraid of the dentist, it can be very interesting to meditate while he works on our smile. It is important to note that meditation It cannot cure depression or anxiety disorder. However, there is some research that suggests it may help us. distract our attention what makes us anxious. For example, using methods such as attentiveness We can focus on stimuli such as a ray of sunlight coming through a window, music playing in the office, or the smell of the dentist’s perfume, rather than the sound of his gadgets or the pressure they cause in our mouth.

In any case, if we do not know or do not want to perform these types of techniques or directly feel that they are not suitable for us, we can resort to other procedures such as progressive muscle relaxation. This consists of deliberately squeezing for a few seconds and then relaxing every muscle in our body. While lying on the dentist’s table, we may not be able to focus on all the muscles, but we can clench our fists and then relax them and do the same with the rest of the arm, leg, or even toes. It helps us become aware of the tension we feel and therefore release it.

Effect on anesthesia if you are afraid of the dentist

Some people who are afraid of the dentist feel that they require more anesthesia than usual, even compared to procedures performed by other professionals. Sometimes it can be absolutely subjective perception. In fact, the opposite is normal: anesthesia helps control some of the anxiety. However, it may happen that anxiety leads us to tremble or move almost imperceptiblybut enough so that the anesthesia injection is not placed in exactly the right place. If this happens, you will have to place another one to numb the corresponding area.

It may therefore be advisable that in addition to everything we have seen, before the intervention we speak with our doctor so that he can prescribe anxiolytic. This will help us cope with everything more calmly and, most importantly, so that no trembling betrays us while we are being anesthetized.

Remember that it is advisable to do at least one oral examination per year. Don’t let your fear of the dentist make you avoid it.