No-one really looks forward to going to the dentist. Take those people who are going for a regular check up once or twice a year. In the back of their mind they are hoping that the dentist does not find any problems that they need to have resolved through further visits.
Others still won't go to the dentist until they have a toothache that has become too painful to bear any longer. They finally give in knowing they would face anything to get rid of the pain. Their only real fear is the pain getting worse.
However, there are people out there, and maybe you're one of them reading this article, who have an irrational fear of visiting the dentist. Even thinking of being in the chair or waiting room makes their heart beat faster and they feel uncomfortable. This is essentially a phobia and can be experienced in different levels of intensity from person to person
Obviously the best way of avoiding the dentist is to take good care of your teeth in the first place. At some point though a visit to your dental practitioner is going to be necessary.
The keys to overcoming this fear is just like any other phobia. There are techniques you can practice to reduce your fear and overcome the problem.
Mild sedatives can be prescribed by your doctor which can help reduce your anxiety - these should be taken only in accordance with your doctor's instruction and it's also important that you make your dentist aware that you are on these also. These sedatives will calm you down but also leave you alert enough to talk to your dentist.
A more long term solution however that does not involve the use of medicines would be to have some hypnotherapy sessions. Hypnosis is an excellent way to overcome your fears and phobias and your therapist can show you how to employ techniques to calm yourself down in many situations including the anxiety you feel from your dental visits.
Several sessions of hypnosis should also help eliminate the fear so that it no longer occurs in the future.
Get recommendations from your friends or family on what dental practice to visit. Dentists who have a lot of clients in their waiting rooms and modern facilities are probably a good choice as it indicates that they have established themselves well and have repeat business.
Finally, get to know your dentist by visiting the same one regularly and have a check-up at least once per year. This way whenever you do need some dental work then you will feel much more relaxed that you are already comfortable dealing with this person. Most dentist will be aware of some anxiety in their patients and will do what they can to relax you and make you aware of what is going on before they perform any procedures on you.
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