For most people, a visit to the dentist is just part of life. Yet, there are those who have had a painful experience in the past, likely as a child, and they now have a fear of dental treatment. Modern dentistry has come a long way since the early days of treatment without anesthetic, and with that in mind, here are a few tips if you are at all concerned about pain when visiting your dentist soon.
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- Choosing the Right Dentist – There are highly recommended dentists in Sydney CBD who fully understand this fear. These dentists are always happy to spend some time discussing the treatment if a patient is at all apprehensive. If the dentist can calm you by assuring the treatment will be pain-free, this goes a long way toward making you feel comfortable.
- Fear of Needles – Many people have developed a fear of needles, which may have been the result of an unpleasant childhood vaccination experience. If you mention this to your dentist, he or she would use some numbing gel, which removes that nasty sting when the syringe is inserted into the gum. Once the dentist knows you find it unpleasant to have an injection, he or she will take precautions to ensure you feel nothing.
- Fear of the Drill – Admittedly, the screeching sound of the drill can be very off-putting, and if you are worried that you might feel something while the drilling is happening, tell your dentist, who would test the nerve reaction prior to starting the treatment. This ensures that the treatment area is 100% numb and that you will not feel a thing, apart from a little vibration. You could wear some headphones and listen to your favorite music during the treatment, which may help.
- Learning to Relax – If you are tense at this time, it will make the experience more stressful, so do try to relax and take deep breaths. You could spend a few minutes per day sitting somewhere quiet and practice calming techniques, which is a much better alternative to gritting your teeth and clenching your muscles.
- Discussing Anaesthetic – There’s no reason why you can’t discuss pain relief with the dentist, as they have several options available. By talking about your fear with the dentist, you will find it is not as stressful. If the dentist administers a novocaine injection, they will wait a suitable amount of time before proceeding and will always test the affected gum area to see if you have any feeling.
People who do have a fear of dental treatment often put off check-ups, which means any oral issues will not be revealed. Rather than doing that, you are advised to take the above advice, which should go a long way to making you feel more comfortable about dental treatment. Try to put painful memories behind you and by choosing an understanding dentist, he or she will put you completely at ease before the treatment begins.
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This article is published in partnership with Mediabuzzer.
