what can you do if someone is extremely anxious about dental treatment

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• Tell your dentist about your anxiety. When you book your appointment, tell the receptionist you’re nervous about dental visits. ...
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Sometimes knowing what is going to happen alleviates any fears of the unknown.
• Agree on a signal. Let your dentist know by raising your hand if you need to take a break during an exam.
• If you experience pain even with a local anesthetic, tell your dentist. Some patients get embarrassed about their pain tolerance or don’t want to interrupt a dentist during a procedure. ...

How do I cope with dental anxiety?

The key to coping with dental anxiety is to discuss your fears with your dentist. Once your dentist knows what your fears are, he or she will be better able to work with you to determine the best ways to make you less anxious and more comfortable.

How to deal with fear of the dentist?

The dentist must have a calm, uninterrupted conversation with the patient and try to identify which of the dental situations gives rise to fear and anxiety. Asking a few open-ended questions can help to guide the conversation in the right direction.

What triggers an anxious dental practice?

Anxiety can be triggered by even the most innocuous situations, such as the encounter with the receptionist while scheduling their appointments or clinic ambience, and thus it is essential that every aspect of the dental practice be appropriate.

How can I help a patient with dental anxiety?

7 Ways You Can Help Your Patients Deal with Dental AnxietyProvide Ways to Assess Dental Fear. ... Offer Pre-Treatment Sessions Whenever Possible. ... Create Good Distractions. ... Develop Trust Through Good Communication. ... Assert Professionalism. ... Create a Professional Atmosphere. ... Wear the Right Uniforms.

How do I deal with severe fear of the dentist?

Tips to stay calmSee the dentist at a less busy time of day, such as the morning hours. ... Bring noise-canceling headphones or ear buds with music to help you relax.Ask a friend or a loved one to accompany you during your appointment.Practice deep breathing and other meditation techniques to calm your nerves.

Why is dental anxiety so common?

The research evidence suggests that the causes of dental fear, dental anxiety or dental phobia are related to exogenous factors such as direct learning from traumatic experiences, vicarious learning through significant others and the media, and endogenous factors such as inheritance and personality traits.

Is dental anxiety common?

Dental anxiety is incredibly common and can affect anyone. The term is generally used to describe feelings of unease, fear, or stress before or during a dental appointment.

Choosing A Dentist

If you have dental anxiety, it’s vital to choose a dentist who will listen and acknowledge your fears. If they can’t be empathetic when you’re talking to them, it’s likely they won’t be during treatment either.

Overcoming Dental Fears and Anxieties

Identify your fear. Once you know exactly what you’re fearful about, you can start working towards a solution.

Learn Ways to Calm Nerves Before a Dentist Visit

Many patients have a fear of the dentist and are looking for ways to calm down before coming in for an appointment. I know my colleagues and teams take pride in making our patients feel comfortable before, during, and after a routine cleaning or more involved procedure.

Dental Anxiety Treatment Options

We recognize that fear of the dentist and dental anxiety is very real. In extreme cases of dental anxiety, Dental Associates offers a few forms of sedation dentistry at different locations, and your dentist can help determine if sedation dentistry is the right choice for you.

Meet Dr. Chris Park

Dr. Park is a general dentist at Dental Associates' Downtown Milwaukee clinic. Get to know Dr. Park by visiting his profile page on DentalAssociates.com.

1. Interiors

In my office I prefer light pastel colors that have a calming effect and furniture that is comfortable with no sharp edges especially in the waiting room, where there is also preferably some soft music playing that creates a peaceful mood.

2. Team approach

Everything is important: From the moment a patient calls, he or she needs to hear a friendly voice on the phone; when he or she walks in to the clinic there has to be a friendly face at the front desk; the dental assistant who brings the patient into the surgery needs to be kind and pleasant when preparing the patient for a procedure.

3.The doctor

And now for the doctor: if all the previous steps have been taken correctly, we already have a patient who is less anxious than when entering our office.

4. Local anesthesia

I always ask my patients if they want an anesthetic, for any treatment. If I’m sure that the procedure will be painful, I insist on giving them anesthesia, but most other times I let them choose, because some are intimidated by a needle, and others ask for an injection even for almost painless procedures because it gives them a sense of security.

5. Medication

In my 20+ years of practice I have very rarely, if ever, prescribed medicine to anxious patients. If I give them medication before treatment it is usually a benzodiazepine kind of medicine, usually 5 mg diazepam that I prescribe to be taken approx. 1/2 hour before the procedure.

2. Control

This brings me on to another question: “Who should be in control at the practice, you or the dentist?”. The simple answer is you. This is your body and you have rights over it. A dentist should only do things with your consent – don’t be afraid to ask for breaks in treatment to allow you to ‘gather yourself’.

3. A gentle pace

The mouth is a very intimate area and you may have a sense of vulnerability when you open it for a dentist to check or treat things. The right dentist will understand this and go at a gentle pace for you.

4. Explanations

Some patients like explanations so they can understand and process what the dentist will be doing to help them, whilst getting the treatment they need. This can be done carefully by a dentist (without being too technical) in a gentle step by step manner.

7. A question of trust

Any good relationship is built on trust and this probably won’t happen straight away, especially if you’ve had bad experiences in the past. But trust can develop during treatment – above all else, there is one question to ask yourself: “Do I feel my dentist is acting in my best interests?” If the answer is ‘Yes’, then that is a big plus.

8. Baby steps

Another point to think about is if you’re not in pain when you attend, begin with something simple as a treatment and work up to more complicated stuff. Not running before you can walk is the way to go, if possible.

9. Comfortable numbing

It would be helpful to find a dentist who keeps up to date with current and latest numbing techniques to keep you as comfortable as possible.

10. Time

Your teeth are important so you should consider investing in them. Healthy teeth aren’t painful, they look good and help you speak and chew your food effectively.

Exploring Generalized Anxiety

A caregiver does what is required for those in need, regardless of how they ended up in the position of needing care. Understanding dental phobia begins by breaking down some of the causational factors of generalized anxiety, such as the situations mentioned above, and the effects it can have on a person’s day-to-day functioning.

Implications of Dental Fears

Preventive dental treatment is necessary for early intervention of diseases such as tooth decay, periodontitis, cancer, and nutritional deficiencies. 2 The identification of dental diseases results in greater health outcomes and reduced likelihood of having to save orofacial and dental structures. 3