Having dental work performed for proper teeth and gum care can be traumatizing to many. If you are among those who fear visiting a dentist cary nc, you probably look for any reason to avoid getting into that chair.
Here is why that’s not a good idea. Waiting to visit the dentist until you absolutely must due to pain, infection, or some other kind of dental emergency isn’t just painful or unhealthy, but it can make whatever dental issue you have much worse than it would have been had you seen a dentist earlier.
In the end, the reason you were avoiding the dentist in the first place has come true, you are facing a potentially painful and complicated dental intervention that might have been avoided entirely with normal, routine check-ups.
Why People Avoid the Dentist
Ask just about anyone and the main reason they don’t want to see the dentist is because they are afraid of the pain that may be involved. No one wants to experience the kind of sharp discomfort that comes with probing and poking at the teeth and gums. The pain can get quite unbearable and, if the condition is particularly bad, the visit can be quite an agonizing endeavor.
There is also the matter of blood loss. Dentist’s tools are sharp and sensitive gums can bleed easily. Needles are also a significant common fear and when they are aimed at the highly delicate tissues in the inside of your mouth, those fears can be all but debilitating. For some patients, becoming numb to this pain and discomfort requires the use of more needles or “laughing gas”, which has dizzying side effects that might make a patient feel nauseous.
But these worries and concerns should not preclude you from getting the dental work that you absolutely need and in order to get past that hurdle of coming to the office, you need to first manage your fear. Fortunately, we have some suggestions you should consider for making your next visit to the dentist a stress-free affair.
Good Communication
We all fear the unknown. When we are uncertain about something, we tend to be more afraid of that thing. It’s the same with going to the dentist, many patients are fearing something that may or may not even happen. The anxiety levels for going to the dental office can get pretty high for anyone who is unsure of what they are about to face.
That’s why it’s a great idea to address these anxieties and fears with your dentist ahead of your appointment. Any good dentist will be happy to take the time to discuss your fears in order to make your dental visit a more positive and effective experience.
You and your dentist can come to some kind of arrangement or system where you can let your dentist and the technicians know when you have reached your threshold for discomfort or you need to take a brief break. Don’t be concerned about requesting this kind of consideration, your dentist should be more than happy to accommodate your request.
Explaining Every Step
A good dentist will explain what he or she is about to do at every stage of your cleaning or treatment. This may also include walking you through the process you are about to undergo as well as introducing you to each of the tools that will be used in your mouth. He or she might include the picks, the scrapers, and of course, the drill. That whizzing sound is enough to trigger anyone’s fears in a dentist chair.
If the dentist can provide you with a fair warning before he or she takes any invasive action in your mouth, this can better prepare you for what’s to come in each phase of the work.
Patient Distractions
With the proliferation of more personal devices and technological advancements, more dentist’s offices are being equipped with methods through which a patient can shift his or her focus from what is happening in their mouth to a watching a movie or listening to music. These can both be extremely effective at keeping you calm when it’s time for a routine cleaning.
Routine Check-Ups
Another reason why patients are afraid of the dentist is because they go so rarely. A great way to overcome your fears is by meeting them head on. Better yet, when you visit the dentist regularly, the fears of what may or may not happen, start to fall away because consistent routine breeds familiarity.
Eleena Timmons 
Roman Cyrus