By 
It is very common for people to be afraid of the dentist. There is something vulnerable about laying back in a seat and allowing a stranger to stick sharp metal objects in your mouth. However, this fear shouldn’t stop you from going to the dentist. Your oral health is as important as other parts of your health, after all. So how do you find a Geha dentist that you don’t have to be afraid of? Let’s take a look at five key tips to help you overcome your fear.
- Identify a Dentist You Like
First of all, you have to identify a clinic that you want to go to. Speak to people you know and trust and ask them what their recommendations are. You may know somebody who is also nervous of going to the dentist, and they could have great recommendations. Some dentists are simply better than others at alleviating people’s fears and more empathic to the fact that people don’t like to come visit them.
- Speak to a Dentist First
Good dentists always offer a free initial consultation and you need to take advantage of this. This will give you an opportunity to introduce yourself and to get to know them, which should also set your fears at ease to some degree. If nothing else, when you do go for your checkup or procedure, you won’t feel as if a total stranger is working on your mouth.
- Bring a Friend
If you do have a fear of the dentist, you could bring someone with you for reassurance. If this is something you would prefer, you do need to check whether the dentist allows this. Most of the time, it is no problem to have someone there, unless there is a more significant procedure to be completed. This is because of hygiene reasons and fear of contamination. However, there are dentists that will allow others to be present so long as they are scrubbed and gowned.
- Complete Some Breathing Exercises and Learn Relaxation Techniques
When you are nervous, your entire body stiffens up. Doing so immediately means that you are more likely to experience pain during the procedure itself. Hence, learning relaxation techniques, and particularly through nasal breathing exercises, is a very good way to help you calm down and make sure that you don’t get as tense. It literally is as easy as breathing calmly but deeply, staving off the hyperventilation.
- Engage in Proper Oral Hygiene
Last but not least, make sure you engage in proper oral hygiene. Doing so will make sure that you only have to go for your bi-annual checkups, rather than actually having to have complex procedures completed. If you have the opportunity to have checkups regularly in this way, you will also become more at ease with the dentist as a whole.
A final thing to remember is that it is ok to be afraid of the dentist. While it is an irrational fear, it is one that many people suffer from. You can overcome it.
