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Bad advice for dental fear

January 30, 2014

I recently read an article that promised to help people get over dental fear in just a few easy steps.  Then it proceded to give such banal advice that I was frustrated with it and I don’t even suffer from dental fear.

Some examples were to bring a magazine or plan something fun for after  your appointment. Then, it had the gall to mention that if your fear persisted, maybe you should see a phychiatrist.

When a patient is a afraid of the dentist, it is usually one of two reasons: either they are afraid of needles or they’ve had a painful previous experience at the hands of a dentist. In either case, the advice in the article I read would be useless.

So what do you do if you’re afraid of the dentist? Well, if it is the needle that makes you go weak in the knees, I would suggest you go to a dentist who uses “the wand”. You can learn more about that on our Cater to Cowards page on our website.

If you’ve had a horrible experience at the dentist than you have to find ways to build positive experiences.  One of the easiest ways to do that is to use a dentist who performs sedation dentistry.  That would allow you to get the necessary dental care without fear of pain.

This blog is brought to you by Oklahoma City Dentist Dr. Don Swearingen.

Fear of dentist

April 26, 2013

Can you give me some advice on getting over a strong fear of the dentist.

Yasmine- Florida

Yasmine,

Most dental anxiety is rooted in a traumatic experience with the dentist, so the biggest factor in getting past your fear is going before you have a dental problem. That way you get to experience an easier appointment.

You’ll also want to go to a dentist who readily works with fearful patients and you can build a trusting relationship with. Look on their site to see if they have a page dedicated to dental anxiety, such as a cater to cowards page.  You  can also look for a dentist that practices sedation dentistry.

While you’re there ask your dentist to show and explain to you what he is going to do ahead of time. That way you aren’t taken by surprise. Some dentists will also let you listen to your ipod if that will help relax you.

This blog is brought to you by Oklahoma City Dentist Dr. Don Swearingen.