Combat Dental Anxiety in Newport Beach
Dental anxiety is a common struggle for many. Regrettably, it can be an obstacle to necessary dental treatment. Thankfully, sedation dentistry can help combat dental anxiety to allow for dental treatment to take place.
What Causes Dental Anxiety?
Some anxiety may also stem from embarrassment due to poor oral health, and this embarrassment is often cyclical, keeping the patient away even longer.
Dental anxiety can be an extension of general anxiety disorders and phobias. People with this general anxiety disorder prepare for the worst in situations and can be overly worried about any number of things. It’s often difficult to control the worry. Needle phobias are not uncommon, and for someone with a needle phobia, coming to the dentist is a nightmare.
Unfortunately, some people may have been traumatized as a child or an adult with one or multiple bad experiences in the dental chair due to poor clinician to patient communication or techniques. It’s also possible to have a negative memory of coming to the dentist for those that have experienced head or dental trauma – from a car accident, for example. Abuse survivors may also be anxious in the dental chair.
How Do We Address Dental Anxiety?
The most important part of the treatment process begins with communication. Communication is a two-way street. Our Newport Beach, CA dentist always explains treatment thoroughly before starting, and patients are invited to ask questions as needed. Dr. Desiree Yazdan prides herself on gentle dental care so that no patient leaves the office with a negative experience.
Multiple exposures to phobias help to ease anxiety, and Dr. Yazdan can always talk patients through this. The office also offers optional sedation dentistry for those who would like to feel more relaxed and/or catch up on missed dental care.
What is Sedation Dentistry?
There are three types of dental sedation: nitrous oxide, or “laughing gas;” oral sedation; and IV sedation. Nitrous oxide is the easiest to endure since you can drive yourself home after the procedure. This type of sedation relaxes the entire body and even has a little pain alleviating quality. For those who are mildly anxious, nitrous oxide is a good choice. For people who are much more anxious and have quite a bit of dental work that needs to be completed, oral sedation is a good option. You will need someone to drive you to your appointment and drive you home. An oral medication is taken the day of and sometimes also the day before the procedure. For IV dentistry, an IV is placed to administer the sedative, you will go to sleep, and an anesthesiologist will monitor you during your sedation. This type of sedation works well for procedures that could be a bit traumatic to be awake for, such as wisdom teeth removal.
Dental sedation can be very helpful for those with dental anxiety who need extensive dental work. While you’re under sedation, it’s possible to complete much more dental work than could be done without it. Another great benefit of sedation dentistry is that some forms of the sedation (and for some people, most of them) will not let you remember the details of the visit. Not remembering allows for a positive “memory,” since dental anxiety has been alleviated by the sedation.
Who Would Benefit Most from Sedation Dentistry?
People who delay treatment due to dental phobia would benefit most from sedation dentistry. Oftentimes dental treatment is time sensitive, and delaying treatment will only cause more dental issues.
Patients who have a difficult time staying calm or sitting still also benefit from sedation dentistry. Most times this involves children, but not always. Some adults with ADHD, for example, may have a tough time keeping still in the dental chair or keeping their mouth open, so dental sedation is beneficial here, too.
How Can I Overcome Dental Phobia?
For your first visit, consider bringing along a friend or family member for moral support, specifically someone who isn’t afraid of the dentist. If this person cannot sit with you in the room, at least you know you have someone in your corner. If sounds trigger you, consider bringing noise canceling headphones with music or a podcast to distract you.
Practice mindful meditation prior to your appointment. That way, when you’re in the chair, you’ll have some techniques to fall back on that will help soothe your anxiety. Communicate what you’re feeling to each person you meet in the office, from the front desk person to the dentist. Verbalizing your concerns lets our office know that you need a little extra TLC, and by knowing that you’re combating dental anxiety, our Newport Beach, CA dentist can address those concerns.
Dr. Desiree Yazdan has the tools to help you combat dental anxiety, so call today to schedule your visit.
About Dr. Yazdan
