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One of the most feared visits among the entire population is usually that of the dentist: people who have had previous bad experiences when they have seen dental health professionals keep them as a precious memory in their memory, and they come out every time they have to go back to consultation.
Visits to the dentist can be annoying: no one likes to spend half an hour with their mouth open and with another person watching or working on it. The truth is that they are not usually painful, much less nowadays with all the means that we have to be treated and to make the visit something unpleasant but painless. However, many of us are still terrified at the mere idea of making an appointment, how can we relax before entering the consultation?
Convince yourself: the dentist is there to help you
The first thing we have to convince ourselves of is that the dentist is not an evil being whose job it is to make us suffer. Like any other healthcare provider, he is a healthcare professional and his job is to help us feel better. One of the most useful things we can do to lose our fear of the dentist, especially if we do not know him, is to go see how he works. If you speak previously with him and the patient he is with and explain your situation to them, they are sure to be understanding and can help you.
Seeing how he behaves with other patients, how he addresses them, and how he performs his work will help us gain confidence in our doctor. Remember: he or she is there to help you, you just have to trust that they will be good professionals in their work and they will do what is best for you.
Relax before arriving for consultation
Arriving nervously at the dentist’s office, especially when we are going to expose ourselves to a delicate intervention such as an extraction or a root canal, is sometimes unavoidable. That is why it is important to know what the procedure we are going to undergo consists of: knowing how and why a root canal is performed will make us feel more relaxed when entering the consultation. You can request this information in advance from your dentist, who will inform you of how the process will be carried out. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – they are there to inform you and to help you.
You can also use some relaxation methods to control the anxiety that this situation can cause us. Controlling your breathing and taking it at a leisurely pace, feeling how the air enters your body through the nostrils and how it travels inside you to the lungs and then be gently expelled through the mouth is a good trick that helps us to be more aware of our own body and to have greater control.
If necessary, go to the consultation with someone: going with your partner, with a friend or with your parents will distract you and make you feel more secure. If you find yourself in the need to take relaxers, always consult your dentist first (to know that it will not interfere in the process) and your doctor (to be sure that you can take them safely). Natural relaxants such as linden, passionflower, or valerian infusions can also be a good help.
Music calms the beast
One of the recommendations that dentists usually make to patients who see very nervous is that they wear headphones to listen to music during the intervention. Some of the instruments used by dentists, such as the turbine, make a noise that can be disturbing and annoying, even though it is perfectly safe: music will prevent us from hearing those unpleasant noises and at the same time it can help to keep us relaxed and have the feeling that time passes faster.
Ask your dentist without fear if he cares if you use the helmets: it is a very useful resource and it gives very good results. As for the repertoire, you can choose a playlist of relaxing music, nature sounds or one with your favorite songs, which reminds you of good times and can evade you from the situation.
For more information contact Unicare Dental Center
