Does the thought of sitting in the dentist’s chair fill you with anxiety? You aren’t alone. About 36% of the population suffers from dental anxiety.
Avoiding the dentist isn’t a good idea, though. Without regular cleanings, you’re more vulnerable to cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease. And, if you have tooth pain or noticeable problems, avoiding the dentist only makes problems worse.
Regardless of why you have dental anxiety, it is a complex problem without an easy solution.
Here at Full Circle Dental Care in Del City, Oklahoma, we want to help you find comfort in the dental chair. Here are some tips to ease dental anxiety from expert dentist Samuel Sigmon, DDS, and his team to help you feel calmer and more peaceful at your dental visits.
Let us know about your dental anxiety; don’t just ghost our calls. We want to know how we can help you and avoid repeating past experiences that contributed to your fears. Let us know what bothers you about being at the dentist, so we can offer solutions, like sunglasses to block bright lights, a stress ball for squeezing, a movie for distraction, or headphones to cancel out noise, to keep you calmer.
We will do our best to walk you through your visit step-by-step. We’ll let you know what to expect and when you might feel a slight discomfort so you can prepare. This way you feel completely in control the whole time.
Our goal is to make you feel empowered so you can speak up if something makes you feel uncomfortable or you just need a break. Sometimes an oral anesthetic wears off or doesn’t work effectively on you -- let us know immediately, so we can find a solution. Don’t suffer in pain and feed your fears.
We want to help you feel more comfortable at visits. We offer traditional local anesthesia when you’re having dental work done so that you don’t feel anything.
If local anesthesia isn’t enough, ask our team about oral sedation. This method uses a prescription medication that you take about an hour before you come to our visit. You will feel groggy and less agitated as a result, making your visit feel less scary.
Intravenous (IV) sedation is also an option. This type of sedation is delivered through a needle into a vein and works quickly to put you in a dream-like state. You’re alert enough to answer questions, but most people don’t remember anything about their visit.
If you have a lot of dental work that’s needed, consider breaking it up into more than one visit. This way, you spend just a short time in the dental chair each time and have less time to feel trapped and anxious.
Please don’t delay important preventive dental care and treatments due to dental anxiety. We will work with you to make your visit as comfortable and pleasant as possible. Contact Full Circle Dental Care by phone, or schedule a consultation through our online booking system.
