Having a good family dentist that you can go and see in order to maintain your family’s healthy smiles is important. There are so many advances in technology when it comes to fake teeth; cosmetic dentists have become quite popular. However, even the oral surgery and procedures that you can get done are incredible, even the latest technology in sedation dentistry sometimes isn’t enough to calm a person. For some reason, dentists are a scary place to go for a lot of people. Even so, visiting your dentist is incredibly important in order to keep your mouth in healthy condition. Dentists not only give you a deep cleaning twice a year but they can check for oncoming problems so that preventative measures can be taken in order to stop the problem from becoming very serious. Here are a few ways that you can stop feeling so afraid of the dentist.
Sedation Dentistry
Having already mentioned it, it’s a good place to start. Sedation dentistry is a practice used to help patients to remain calm and relaxed during their dentist visits. IT’s a medication that they are offered that keeps them awake and fairly alert but relaxed and at ease the whole time. There are varying degrees of sedation that are used from mineral to moderate and deep. You can either inhale it, take it orally like a pill or through an IV. Most dentists have the ability to administer sedation in the form of nitrous oxide or pills. However, you may have to ask for it because some dentists will not freely offer it. This is because it is very much like anesthesia and has been known to have the same kinds of side effects and risks associated with it.
Proper Home Care
One of the best ways to avoid pain at the dentist and therefore, eliminate any fear, is to have a good at home regime. If you properly brush and floss your teeth every day, then you will have no need to be afraid of the dentist. He or she will likely look in your mouth, give your teeth a quick deep clean and you’ll be on your way. Unless you have a genetic condition, brushing and flossing your teeth will ensure that your oral health is good enough to not have to do any major work. Talk to your dentist about how to best take care of your teeth at home. They will have good recommendations regarding what kind of toothpaste and toothbrush that you should be using.
Waterlase
This is a new technology that is becoming more and more common as people are starting to find out about it. The dentist uses laser energy and water spray in order to do almost all procedures. This includes root canals and captivity prep. The nice thing about Waterlase is that there is not shaking, vibrations or pressure in your mouth to worry you. Sometimes there isn’t actually any pain but all that noise and pressure can cause patients to think that they are in pain and that will equate out to feeling it. The mind is a powerful thing.
Lidocaine
Then there is good ol’ Lidocaine and Novocaine. If you really don’t want to feel anything at all when the dentist is working on your mouth, you can request that these topical gels be applied or the medication injected before he gets started. Of course, if you don’t want your mouth worked on at all, you probably don’t want a giant needle to be stuck into your gums! There are other numbing creams and gels that can be used. Don’t try and do this yourself before you get to the dentist office because you could end up numbing your tongue which can be dangerous. If you tongue is numb, you will have a hard time keeping it in place and could actually end up choking on it.
Look Ahead
Think about the good you are doing for your body. Emotions follow actions so if you determine in your mind that you’re not going to be afraid and you’re going to get your procedure done, you may find that you feel completely fine. Sedation dentistry, Waterlase and numbing creams are a great option but there’s nothing better than the power of positive thinking.
