Any manner of invasive dental or orthodontic treatment can be a bit stressful at first. At Raleigh Orthodontics, we don’t want this fear to get in the way of your health. Let’s review some tips to help with dental anxiety at the orthodontist, which you can use moving forward in your journey with us.
Experiencing Dental Anxiety
Dental anxiety can affect patients at any age; it’s not just present in children, which can be a harmful stereotype. Plenty of adolescents or adults deal with it, too! Having an understanding of where this fear comes from can be a good first step in treating it:
- Sensory Factors: Unfamiliar sights, smells, and tastes might cause some distress, particularly for our youngest patients. These sensory experiences can be enhanced even more by stress.
- Fear of the Unknown: The bottom line for many patients is that they don’t know what to expect from their visit going in. Communication with our experienced team and our doctors can be the greatest tool in helping calm your anxiety. We will expand more upon this later on.
- Pain and Discomfort: Being worried about pain at a doctor’s office is a natural human experience, especially when someone is messing around in your mouth with tools! We make sure that your treatments with us are as painless and easy as we can make them, but we also understand that even the use of needles can be a common issue for a lot of people.
With some of the causes of dental anxiety in mind, these are some of the potentially adverse effects of it:
- Delayed consequences appear quietly over time; maintaining optimal oral health can be challenging for some when they get braces, so it’s important to constantly fight decay.
- Avoidance of dental care often means considerable problems down the road. Preventive and interceptive treatment in our youngest patients can be especially important to prevent problems as adolescents and adults.
- Poor oral hygiene habits can also develop without professional guidance and routine cleanings.
An Orthodontist’s Role
Orthodontists like our own Dr. Grossman are experts in their field. They use strategies to create a calming office environment and are trained to help even the most anxious patients. Retaining trust in your provider is important, which is easy to do at any of our four amazing offices!
Helping Your Dental Anxiety
A lot of advice is out there, but we’ll keep it short and simple with three major points!
- Communication
Speaking up about any fear or discomfort you are feeling with Dr. Grossman is critical when you’re in his chair. We want to be sensitive to your individual needs and concerns—but the only way we know to help is if you tell us. This communication might be uncomfortable at the moment, but it’s vital to make your procedure as easy as possible.
If you physically aren’t able to speak due to the position you’re in, we can establish communication by raising a hand, for example. But communication is a two-way street; part of our duty is to thoroughly explain what’s going on. If you want to know what’s happening every step of the way, we’ll be sure to debrief you before or during your treatment.
- Sedation Dentistry + Distraction
Tools like nitrous oxide help you tolerate more severe cases of anxiety. This is also called laughing gas and is a reliable sedative that causes a state of mild euphoria and calms nerves.
Utilizing in-ear headphones to listen to music is a helpful form of distraction for lots of patients. While it muffles noise during treatment, tapping on the patient’s arm can still allow us to touch base when necessary. We might also take a break at certain stages of longer procedures to give you a break.
- Mental Techniques
Mindfulness techniques can be utilized in stressful scenarios in many aspects of your life, including your appointments with us. Deep, measured breathing often helps with anxiety levels and promotes a feeling of relaxation in the midst of panic. For orthodontic appliances like braces, check-ins and adjustments mean routine visits with Dr. Grossman. This slow exposure to our practice can reinforce positive thoughts and confidence in our care. If you find that your everyday life is being considerably impaired by dental anxiety, counseling is an excellent, bespoke strategy for tackling helpful practices.
Treatment You Can Trust
Dental anxiety is a condition that shouldn’t be delegitimized for anybody. Our team takes it seriously and is committed to making sure yours is treated respectfully and effectively. Any of our offices in Raleigh, Creedmoor, Louisburg, or Wakefield can be reached at 919-585-4157. We hope to hear from you soon!