Because of this, you have to find a way to calm your fears and face them in order to maintain that healthy and beautiful smile throughout your life. There are various ways that you can go about facing your fears and calming your anxiety about dentists, seven of the ways being listed below: 

One of the best things that you can do to ease your fears and anxieties surrounding the dentist is to talk to your dentist about it. If you are open with your dentist and tell them about the fears and apprehensions you have that are holding you back, they can work with you to find a solution that works for both of you. Whether that means they will use certain medications or simply walk you through the process, letting your dentist know beforehand is always a good idea. 

While scheduling your appointments strategically does not seem like it would ease your anxieties, it can actually help in a variety of ways. For example, if you plan your appointment on a day that you have a lot of other stuff to do and get around to, that can cause more anxiety than is necessary. Instead, if you plan your appointment on a day that is free and you can go and relax afterwards, this can lift a great deal of worry and stress off of your chest. That way, you can focus solely on your appointment and being in the right mindset for that. 

If you feel that you are panicking before your appointment, it is important to take a moment to calm yourself down so that you don’t go into the appointment with a back mindset from the start. To do so, you can practice taking a minute to stop and take deep breaths. Taking these deep breaths will allow you to step back from your worries for a moment and simply focus on what is at hand at the moment. 

While foods and drinks that are high in sugar and/or acidity level aren’t good at any time, you want to be sure that you pay special close attention to what you are eating and drinking surrounding your appointment. Aside from these drink and food choices being back for your teeth, they can also increase your anxiety, especially if you are intaking a lot of sugar or caffeine. These elements can make you even more jittery and anxious than you were prior. 

If you keep making appointments then skipping them, you are just dragging out the inevitable. Rather than making appointments and never going to them, follow the other tips and tricks given to you and face your fears head on. It has been shown, actually, that prolonging your appointment date only adds more anxiety to your list because you are constantly avoiding your fear rather than working through it. On top of that, your teeth and oral health will never improve if you continue to skip those crucial appointments. 

Once you have spoken to your dentist about your fears, you can ask them to walk you through the process beforehand and as they work so that you are always in the ‘know’ about what is happening in your mouth. A lot of dental anxieties come from the unknowing as well as the loud noises and machines. By having your dentist tell you what he is doing when he is doing it, your mind can be put at ease a little bit because those loud sounds wont sound as scary anymore. 

While most dental offices opt for using a shot to numb the area that they are going to work in, there are many people that prefer to use the numbing or funny gas known as nitrous oxide. This is especially true if you are afraid of needles. Because pf this, if you are someone that suffers from dental anxiety, you can ask to be numbed by funny gas so that you truly won’t feel anything that is happening, not even the shot that is put in your gums. Rather, you will just feel like you are floating through your appointment which is nice for those who don’t like the dentist in the first place. 

Overall, if you are afraid of the dentist or have anxieties when going to a dental office, you are not alone. There are many people that suffer from the same fears and anxieties. With this being said, however, taking care of your oral health is crucial, so it is important that you find a way to work through your fears and find a spot that is comfortable for you.

There are many ways that you can find more comfort in going to the dentist as shown above. The first step of all of them, however, is to follow through with an appointment and have an open communication with your dentist. Once they are in the know about how you feel towards dental appointments, they can work to make you feel safer and more comfortable in order to get the care you need. 

Simply follow the steps above, and your smile will look bright, white, and gleaming in no time. It is time that you shook off those fears and put yourself and your health first. While it may seem scary and intimidating at first, with practice and the right methods, you will begin to feel much more at ease with the idea of a dental appointment and dentists in general. They aren’t so scary after all!