7 Tips of Overcoming Fears of Dentists

7 Tips of Overcoming Fears of Dentists:

Many people fear dentists, and for many different reasons. Here at Ramona Dental of Chino we are here to try to make your stay comfortable as possible as not going to get the dental work you need don’t now can result in a lot of extra pain both physically and financially in the future. The following are 7 tips that can help you with overcoming dental fears:

1. Manage Your Own Pain: Acknowledge that you have a right to not feel any pain after the initial Novocain shot. If you metabolize the Novocain shots rapidly tell your dentist that you are feeling anything. They can reapply more Novocain. Remember tell your doctor if you are feeling uncomfortable. Any dentist who is worthy of being a dentist is not comfortable if the patient is uncomfortable.
2. Close Your Eyes: The dentist is doing the work it’s not like you need to see anything even coming or happening. Close your eyes and relax. Breath deep. If you don’t see it coming then it can’t allow you to build up the anticipation that makes it so bad that you don’t let it happen.
3. Pay Attention to Your Body: If your entire body is clenched and tense, focus on starting at the top or bottom and moving the tension throughout your body specifically. Start at the head and clench the muscles as you move down your body. Focusing on your body will take your attention off of the incoming, pending shot or injection you are fearing.
4. Wear Headphones: Listening to music can help provide a distraction of the upcoming dental work. It can also drown out sounds of the dentist preparing things that you fear like the injection. Listening to music also helps people stay calmer and you won’t even expect the upcoming injection. Ask your doctor to squeeze your hand if they need anything so you can drown out the room while all the excitement is happening.
5. Find an Escape: ask your dentist to bring a picture or poster of your most soothing place if there is not one hanging on the wall already. Bring a poster or wall decoration you want to stare at while your procedure is done. Sticky tack will suffice to keep the piece on the wall so you don’t have to put a hole in the wall permanently. Stare at that and drift off into a better place while the dentist does their job.
6. Care for Yourself: When you go home follow the dentists’ instructions to keep the pain minimal.  Apply ice frequently as recommended to keep swelling down. Take pain medicine to help keep the pain from becoming too much. Follow a soft food or liquid diet if the dentist recommends it till you are no longer in pain and can eat normal foods.
7. Let Yourself Relax: For major dental work don’t feel you have to return to work the same day. Feel free to go home, relax, watch a movie, read a magazine, and just let yourself recover. Also, don’t eat foods that will irritate the work that was done.

 This should help make your dental experiences a little more positive than they have been in the past.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about us visit us here or call us 909-465-1016. The Ramona Dentistry Team “Where Family Comes First”