Elderly Care: Helping You Deal With the Dying Process

Elderly Care: Helping You Deal With the Dying Process

Does Your Fear Of The Dentist Prevent You From Scheduling Routine Dental Exams? Try These Techniques To Reduce Your Anxiety

Julio Carr

If you dread going to the dentist for routine oral exams, you're not alone. Whether it's a fear of pain, embarrassment about not taking care of your dental health or a bad experience with dentists in the past, many adults suffer from dental anxiety. Sadly, a fear of the dentist can have serious consequences. Routine dental examinations are important for your oral health; ideally, you should schedule them twice a year. They allow your dentist to spot problems, such as cavities and gum disease, before they become more serious. If your anxiety about going to the dentist has made you miss dental appointments or fail to keep up with routine examinations and cleanings, try these techniques:

Tell Your Dentist About Your Anxiety

If you have anxiety about routine dental exams, make sure that you let your dentist know before your scheduled appointment. Since dental anxiety is so prevalent among patients, dentists are experienced in working around it. However, your dentist won't know that you are worried about your upcoming dental examination unless you tell him or her! Your dentist can reduce your level of anxiety by working more slowly than usual, calmly explaining the procedures beforehand or playing relaxing music in the examination room. If you feel that your dentist does not do an adequate job reducing your dental anxiety or you do not feel you have a good relationship with your dentist, you should consider switching to a new dental provider.

Ask Your Dentist About Numbing Gels Or Using Anesthetics

If the fear of pain is a major driver of your dental anxiety, ask your dentist about using numbing gels or anesthetic, even for something as simple as a dental exam or teeth cleaning. High levels of anxiety will increase your body's perception of pain. Things that would usually be uncomfortable at best, such as when the dentist feels your gums to check for signs of gingivitis or oral cancer, can actually become painful when you are sitting in the dentist's chair. You are the only one who knows whether or not a procedure is painful, so you definitely need to tell your dentist if you are experiencing pain and not attempt to tough it out. Your dentist can use numbing gel to reduce the amount of anxiety-induced pain you experience during dental procedures; over time, this will reduce your level of dental anxiety as you will no longer associate a visit to the dentist with pain.

Learn Relaxation Techniques

Simple relaxation techniques, such as controlled breathing exercises, can definitely reduce your anxiety and give you a peaceful state of mind. For sufferers of dental anxiety, one of the worst parts of any dental visit is sitting in the waiting room waiting for your name to be called. You can reduce the amount of anxiety you feel about your upcoming dental examination by sitting quietly, slowing down your breathing and focusing on the feeling of air entering and leaving your body. You can continue this exercise while you are in the dentist's chair in order to reduce your anxiety during the examination; remember that your dentist is the one doing the work, not you! You are free to focus entirely on relaxing and keeping your level of anxiety low.

Contact a company that can help you with dental exams for more information and assistance. 


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About Me
Elderly Care: Helping You Deal With the Dying Process

As an elderly care worker, I have witnessed the deaths of many individuals. I have seen family members become angry, sad, and completely silent at the end. I have also seen individuals refuse to see family members out of denial. People deal with death in different ways, and the strong emotions are often unfamiliar and scary. If you have a parent or grandparent who is elderly, then I want to share with you what I know about end of life care and dying process. We are a society that does not talk about death, and this can cause great pain when a family member dies. Learn about the process and find out how to deal with your own emotions and how to love your family members at the end. If there is only a small amount of time left, then I want you to cherish the final moments.

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