By cynthiawitson88 December 18, 2017 - 11:46am

Kid, teen or adult; we all fear the dentist at some point in our life. Those scary tools that your dentist always uses on your teeth aren’t a pleasant imagery. The one thing you should know is that your dentist is not the enemy and actually is the hero as he is battling those cavities and helping you gain back your confidence with a beautiful and whiter smile.

But we get it – the dental anxiety is quite common and is usually triggered by certain events or experiences. Some of these include:

Pain – this is the most dreaded reason why people avoid the dentist. Think about the last time you visited the dentist, did you experience extreme pain? Luckily
nowadays, with modern technology, dentists’ uses local anesthetic medicine to numb the area before it’s treated.

Loss of Control – some patients feel like they’re losing control when they lie on a dental chair and find it overwhelming when a dentist hover above their heads and probe inside their mouths. They often associate the feeling with helplessness or being trapped.

Past Experience – are you traumatized by previous experiences with the dentist? This is also another common reason why most people avoid the dentist – whether your treatment was painful or result to complications, a patient may develop trepidations about going to the dentist again.

If you have one or more of the above events or experiences; it’s totally okay! But what should you do moving forward? You can’t avoid the dentist your entire life. Your oral health is just as important as all else! So if you’re ready to overcome your fear of the dentist, here are five ways to help you go to the dentist:

1. Recognize Your Fears.
To better understand your feelings and address them, you need to come into terms with your anxiety or fear of going to the dentist. Try writing down your fears, so that you can talk about them better. Listing your fears will not just help you recognize them, but also aid your dentist in explaining what’s causing your anxiety or phobia and helping you deal with it.

2. Find the Right Dentist.
It’s absolutely necessary to find the right dentist that works for you and your family. You want to find a dentist whom you feel the most comfortable and can trust. Look up local listings with reviews and ask family and friends for recommendations. Once you narrowed at least 3 or 5 choices, start calling them and visit each location in order to find out which works the best for you.

3. Bring a Companion During Appointments.
It’s okay to ask a friend or family member to accompany you to an appointment. These people can offer an extra layer of support and assurance. Go with someone who doesn’t have any fears about going to the dentists.

4. Determine Ways to Gradually Reduce Your Fears.
When you work with your dentist, see if he/she can begin with milder treatments, so that you can ease into sitting on that dental chair and having your dentist look inside your mouth. Once you’re ready, you can proceed to more advanced treatments.

5. Reward Yourself.
Once your overcome your dental fear or make milestones like finishing a particular dental treatment, reward yourself. Do something fun like a weekend getaway or treat yourself to something nice. Doing so will help you relate dental visits with fun activities.