Afraid of Your Loss of Control in the Dental Chair?
Have you been avoiding a routine cleaning because of dental anxiety? There are all kinds of reasons that people avoid going to the dentist – money, time and anxiety being the most common. The number one deterrent to a dental visit however is dental fear. Although that seems simple, the truth is fear of the dentist can be a quite complex situation; fears crop up for all kinds of reasons and one of those is loss of control.
Authority Figures
When you are in the dental chair, you may feel like you have no choice but to endure whatever procedure the doctor determines is necessary.
It is possible that your perspective on this situation stems from the way you view authority figures. You are taught from a very young age to respect elders and others in authority.This often means not questioning their decisions. This can transfer to any person whom you see as an authority, which means you could feel like you have few choices when you are in the dentist’s office.
If this sounds familiar, it is important that you realize that dental procedures are elective.In other words, you can stop the process at any point and talk to the doctor about your concerns. And, if that doesn’t work, simply walk out of the office.
Past Experience
If you are experiencing dental anxiety but the problem is not an authority issue, it could stem from past experiences. Many people have encountered dentists who proceeded with drilling, shots or other procedures despite obvious signs you were in distress. This dentist might have even spoken harshly to you while you were in the chair. Thankfully, things have changed quite a bit over the years and dentists today understand that they need to present a kinder, gentler image.
In order to overcome past experiences, you will need to take some small steps first. Dental anxiety that is based in actual experience and not an irrational fear are sometimes harder to deal with.After all, you have a real situation where you were harmed, scared or in pain.
A good first step is to call the dental office and discuss your fears. Fear of the dentist is experienced by millions of Americans so you can rest assured your inquiries are not novel.
Your first step then is to make an “assessment only” appointment. This gives you an opportunity to meet the doctor and staff while doing a dry run to address your nerves.
Control Issues
You may be dealing with dental fear, but neither of the above scenarios applies. For you, the problem is more that you prefer to be in control of all situations and the dental chair is not a place where you feel you can exert control. You feel you are at the mercy of your dental practitioner and, for people who have issues with control, this is simply unacceptable!
You might be surprised to find that many successful individuals who are controlling tend to avoid dental offices and even their personal doctor because they fear the loss of control. You have heard the old saying that doctors make horrible patients, but the truth is, many high functioning individuals make terrible patients because they cannot handle not having control in all situations.
For situations such as this, you can overcome your dental anxiety by being completely open with your dental practitioner. Once you have explained your fears and the reasons for them,the dentist will be more open to helping you work through your fear.
One way to accomplish this is by understanding everything that is going on.Ask your dentist to explain the procedures in great detail, giving you a step-by-step run down. Knowing how and what is happening will give you a sense of security and control, which can alleviate your dental fear.
Overall
Overcoming dental anxiety is important not just for retaining your pretty smile, but in almost all cases for your overall health. There have been many links found between oral health and overall health and if you never go to the dentist, there is a good chance your overall health will suffer, along with your teeth and gums.
Do not let your health suffer because of dental fear, especially since there have been so many innovations in the field. Today there are many techniques that make dental procedures practically painless.
One very popular procedure is called sedation dentistry. What used to require IV drugs can now be simply accomplished with a prescription medication you take prior to your appointment time. One pill at home and another when you arrive the office,will relax you enough that you might actually enjoy your visit.In fact, you will probably not remember much about the procedures at all!
Regardless of the reasons for your dental fear, you can minimize the issue by open communication. Discuss your fears with your oral professional and set up safe-guards. When you are afraid you will lose control in the chair and be unable to communicate with your dentist, you can establish non-verbal cues such as hand signals. Your dentist will agree to immediately cease any activity at these cues.
If you find that these suggestions are still not enough to help you over your concern over loss of control, you may need a health coach or counselor. Great strides have been made recently in our ability to deal effectively with these concerns.
Conclusion
Being afraid of losing control in the dentist chair is not that uncommon. Dental anxiety is something millions of individuals deal with every day. Thankfully, dentists, their staff and dental procedures have changed over the years to create a kinder,gentler practice. Finally, you too can overcome your fear of loss of controlandget the dental care you deserve in order to have good oral health.