Booking a dental appointment is a common activity for many people, however there are others who dread visiting the dentist. For those with mild or severe levels of dental anxiety, the mere thought of sitting in the chair, being subjected to the intense light and hearing the drill can cause a racing heart and make it difficult to even consider attending a dental appointment.

You are certainly not alone. Many people suffer from dental anxiety; it has no negative stigma associated with it. Fortunately, you can develop skills that help manage your level of dental anxiety, and begin to develop a healthier attitude towards attending dental appointments.

What Dental Anxiety Looks Like

On a scale of mild nervousness to a full-blown phobic reaction to dental procedures (dental phobia), individuals react differently to the same or similar stimuli. While one person may only exhibit mild nervousness (that quickly subsides) after entering the dentist’s office; another individual may be completely unable to enter the dentist’s office due to overwhelming anxiety and/or fear.

In addition, individuals may display the following signs before or during a visit:

  • difficulty sleeping prior to a scheduled appointment
  • experiencing nausea, sweating and/or crying in the waiting area
  • rapid heartbeat/shortened breathing/pounding in the chest
  • cancelling/approaching cancellation multiple times
  • panic when objects are placed in their mouth

Most of the reasons behind these reactions stem from a previous painful experience within a dental environment, loss of control and/or feelings of shame or guilt regarding the state of your teeth. Knowing why you react the way you do can assist you in explaining your anxiety to your dentist.

Why Avoiding the Dentist Makes It Harder

While avoiding the dentist may seem like the easiest thing to do in the short run, putting off scheduling a dental appointment typically leads to increased anxiety and avoidance behavior. Small issues that could have been easily identified during a simple checkup can develop into larger issues such as toothaches, infections or more complicated treatments.

This creates a vicious cycle: the greater the complexity of the issue to be treated, the more fearful an individual becomes. Therefore, this increases their resistance to schedule an appointment.

To break this cycle, many people begin with low-stress visits instead of waiting for something to go wrong.

Additionally, for some individuals, avoiding the dentist contributes to lower self-esteem and/or a lack of confidence in regards to smiling, taking photographs and/or guilt for not maintaining good oral hygiene.

Choosing the Right Clinic

Your choice of clinic is significant. Look for clinics that speak positively about anxious patients on their website and are willing to address your concerns via telephone before booking an appointment.

As mentioned previously, starting with routine general dentistry services, i.e., a basic checkup/cleaning is a great way to reintroduce yourself to regular maintenance. Typically, these appointments are shorter, follow a specific format and are centered upon preventative measures as opposed to unexpected situations.

Talking to Your Dentist About Your Fear

Since many dentists encounter anxious patients weekly and most would prefer to know if you’re uncomfortable as opposed to seeing you remain quiet while distressed, opening communication lines enables your dentist to slow down, provide additional explanations and offer reassurance.

There is no requirement to elaborate; simply stating “I am very nervous at the dentist, therefore I appreciate it if you keep me informed as to what you’re doing” will initiate dialogue.

If an earlier event continues to cause you discomfort, sharing that information as well as providing context will aid your dentist in understanding what occurred in order to ensure that he/she does not repeat the process.

Preparing Before Your Appointment

Preparing yourself for your next visit will reduce some of the stress associated with visiting the dentist. Having some level of control will often ease the anxieties you’re experiencing.

Some examples of ways you can prepare include:

  • Schedule your appointment for early morning hours so you’ll have less time to worry.
  • Let the receptionist know when you book that you’re nervous.
  • Bring someone with you that you trust for emotional support.
  • Pack headphones with calming playlists/podcasts.
  • Refrain from consuming caffeine before your appointment, since caffeine exacerbates jitters.

Writing down your questions/worries prior to your appointment is beneficial as well. By handing your list to your dentist, you won’t have to remember everything while you’re trying to calm down.

Staying Calm in the Chair

Prior to beginning treatment, agree on a stop signal with your dentist, e.g. raise your left hand. Understanding that you can cease treatment at any point will help many people relax; essentially giving you control.

Slow breathing is another tool that is quite easy to utilize. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds, pause momentarily, exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeating this process several times should help steady a racing heart.

Request that your dentist explain each step prior to initiating treatment. While some individuals prefer detailed information prior to proceeding with treatment; others prefer to listen only to necessary information and enjoy listening to music during their visit. Let your dentist know which method works best for you.

If you are concerned about pain during treatment, request information on numbing options available prior to treatment commencing. Many individuals find that applying numbing gel prior to receiving injections greatly reduces their anxiety and/or fear of pain; similarly, understanding exactly when an injection will occur also assists in reducing anxiety.

When Anxiety Feels Bigger Than the Dentist’s Chair

For some individuals, dental anxiety is part of a broader pattern of anxiety that affects both their professional performance/work habits/sleep patterns and/or participation in other forms of health-related activities. If this describes your experiences with anxiety, it would be wise to consult with your General Practitioner.

Consulting with a chermside family medical centre (if you reside in the northern suburbs of Brisbane) may represent a good initial step in addressing your anxiety. Your General Practitioner can explore the nature of your anxiety and establish whether establishing a Mental Health Care Plan would be suitable for your needs.

Your General Practitioner may refer you to a Psychologist who can collaborate with you using various established methods (such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy/Gradual Exposure) to develop confidence gradually and incrementally.

Your Dentist may also be capable of discussing Sedation Options for treatment that appears too challenging at present.

Helping Children Who Feel Nervous

Oftentimes, the origins of dental anxiety are rooted in childhood; thus, the manner in which children perceive early visits significantly impacts subsequent visits. Maintain a positive tone when discussing dentistry with children, keep discussions surrounding dentistry simple and refrain from utilizing terms (e.g. “pain”) that may instill fears in children.

Consistent checkups throughout childhood enables children to view the dentist as a normal aspect of daily life. Also note that when attempting to minimize your own anxiety while accompanying children to the dentist; attempt not to project your own anxieties onto them, as children often sense parental apprehensions.

Celebrate Small Wins

Each time you go to an appointment, no matter how unsure you are, this can be considered a small success. Take some time after your visit to reward yourself by doing something you enjoy and take note of what you accomplished; you made it through!

When you leave the dentist’s office, book your next appointment. Once booked, the hardest part is done. Booking appointments at the same time each year will make them feel like routine and as such they may become much less scary over time.