Reduce Dental Anxiety: Tips for Nervous Patients, NSW
Dental anxiety, or dental phobia, is best described as an intense fear or anxiety associated with dental clinics and procedures. Severe dental fear often leads to patients avoiding all visits to the dentist, resulting in a deterioration of their oral health. Research indicated that anxiety disorders, PTSD and a history of trauma can cause a person to respond to dental clinics with irrational fear. In this blog, Northern Beaches Dental offers tips on how to reduce dental fear and experience oral ease, so that you can get the oral care you need.
Symptoms of Dental Anxiety
Common symptoms of dental anxiety include:
● Sweating due to nervousness
● Elevated heartbeat or heart palpitations
● low blood pressure, feeling faint
● Signs of physical distress over dental appointments
● Withdrawal or aggression to cover up anxiety
How Dental Phobia Affects Oral Health
Dental phobia does more than cause feelings of panic and distress. Many people who live with dental anxiety routinely miss dental checkups and other procedures out of fear. This often results in otherwise treatable dental conditions becoming serious, requiring invasive dental intervention that only increases the patient’s stress levels.
The Importance of Dental Visits
At Northern Beaches Dental, we believe that everyone can avoid stressful dental procedures by learning more about our preventive dentistry services. Through painless dental checkups, routine X-rays of the jaw and professional teeth cleaning services, our dental team can monitor your oral health and treat early signs of tooth decay and gum disease.
Regular dental checkups also give patients and dentists the opportunity to communicate, personalise dental care and make adjustments to home oral care routines to prevent further visits to the dentist.
How to Manage Dental Anxiety for Oral Ease
Northern Beaches Dental recommends speaking openly with our team of dentists about the nature of your dental anxiety. Here are a few useful tips on how to manage dental phobia:
● Deep breathing techniques and meditation to reduce stress and calm the mind
● Distractions such as listening to your favourite music
● Guided imagery to help feel more present and mindful
● Communicating with your dentist to agree on a signal the stop the treatment if the anxiety is too much to handle
● Muscle relaxation techniques
● Targeted sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy have demonstrated tremendous results for certain patients.
Sedation Dentistry
Northern Beaches Dental specialises in safe and effective sedation dentistry using sedatives that greatly reduce anxiety and allow dentists to perform complex procedures without causing the patient any discomfort.
Sleep Dentistry Services for Dental Anxiety in NSW
Are you compromising your oral health out of fear of visiting the dentist? Contact Northern Beaches Dental in NSW today to find out how our experienced team of dentists works closely with you to understand and accommodate your needs. Whether you’re looking for techniques to alleviate anxiety or information on sleep dentistry, we are by your side.