Techniques for Anxiety Reduction

First, try to focus on why the dental office frightens you:

The dental drill sounds awful!
The instruments are sharp!
The dentist doesn’t listen to me!
The waiting room scares me!

Fear comes from unhealthy thoughts such as these. Along with fear comes stress reactions in your body including muscle tightness, racing heart, and increased blood pressure. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a technique designed to help you to deal with these negative thoughts. CBT helps you to recognize the negative thoughts that are holding you back and to learn how to deal with them. By facing these fearful thoughts, your confidence will be increased.

Here are some examples of how to deal with negative thoughts:

Fearful thoughts in anticipation of a dental visit are often exaggerated thoughts. The reality of what you will experience in the dental office is rarely as scary as what you expect. For instance, fear of the drill and its ‘whining sound’ rarely matches the reality of modern drills which are more quiet and efficient. And also, your fears rarely keep in mind the kindly dentist who is holding that drill and is very much in tune with how you feel. Also, dentistry has greatly advanced in recent decades. Anesthesia is reliable and procedures are completed utilizing the most up-to-date pain control methods.
Become verbal about your fears. This means, speak to your dentist. Speak to me through this website. Learn as much as you can about the procedures that you will need. Do not ever be afraid to ask questions - as many questions as you like. Knowledge is power, and the more you understand about your visit, the less stress you will feel.
Face your fears - don’t avoid them. Recognize that they are present and cannot be ignored. Work on minimizing fear, but don’t let your fear overwhelm you. It’s ok to be nervous. Nervousness is a normal human reaction to fearful situations. You can never totally eliminate fear, but you can deal with it.

Your imagination can work against you by creating exaggerated fears, but…

Your imagination can also work with you to help you through a difficult visit.

Learn how to take a mental vacation. Put yourself in a calming place and feel your stress melt away.

This is called ‘guided imagery’.

With guided imagery, you can learn to calm your mind and relax the body. There are many videos available on Youtube to help you redirect your thoughts and reduce anxiety. Check out the above video that I discovered, or find one that you might prefer, and then apply guided imagery.

Here is how to use the above video (read the bullet points slowly, in a relaxed and quiet environment):

Find a quiet, comfortable, place to sit.
Take a few deep breaths and consciously release muscle tension. Start with your legs, then release stress in your stomach, then lower your shoulders and feel your neck and jaw relax. Finally feel your whole body relaxing.
Now start the above video and picture yourself in the scene. Hear the wind and feel the sun on your skin. Smell the sweet, fresh air.
Think: ‘the farther I travel into the scene the more relaxed I feel’.
As you travel deep into the back country shown in the video, take a few more deep breaths and be totally relaxed.
Play the video twice, three times, or as many times as you like while repeating the above relaxation process.
Stressful emotions come and go…
All emotions are temporary. The way you feel now is not how you will feel in a minute, in an hour, and certainly not tomorrow. Emotions ebb and flow, and you are in control. How? Well, you may not be able to remove unpleasant thoughts, but you can minimize them. You might think that emotions are a run-a-way car, but in fact you can put on the brakes. So relax now. Sit quietly. Close your eyes and breathe slowly. Imagine beautiful mountains and plains of wheat. This is imagery to relax by. Breath slowly and enjoy your new found peace of mind.

Guided imagery means taking a mental vacation and thinking pleasant thoughts that are not related to the dental office. Don’t forget the many products available to help distract from negative thoughts.

Re-discover your visual and olfactory senses (soothing to the eye, sweet smelling to the nose) to create a pleasant home atmosphere the night before your visit.

Light a scented candle.
Try products containing lavender.
Watch calming videos such as the one I chose above.

Record these images in your eyes and keep them in your brain as a safe place to mentally run to’ during those times when you find the dental experience to be proving a little overwhelming.

Sometimes you can’t do it alone:

Remember, if after all these exercises, you are still unable to face a dental professional, then it’s time to consult other professionals for help. The psychologist and social worker is there for you. Don’t let your fear and anxiety stand in the way of a beautiful smile.