Natural Ways to Tackle Dental Anxiety

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What is Dental Anxiety?

Herbal Tooth Powder:Dental check-ups are as important as normal health checkups. These checkups help prevent tooth decay and other dental problems. Many people including children are scared of visiting a dentist. In some cases, it can lead to anxiety.

Dental anxiety is a term that refers to the fear of visiting a dentist. It is the stress or anxiety associated with dental tools such as drills, needles, dental setting, etc. Dental anxiety can result in delaying or avoiding dental treatment.

Causes:

Some of the main reasons for Dental fear or anxiety are:

1.Pain

Dental treatment is usually associated with a certain amount of pain. The fear of this pain is one of the main causes of dental anxiety.

2.Feeling embarrassed about bad breath

This happens if you are already guilty of having poor dental hygiene and bad breath. The mouth is an intimate part of the body and the patient may be embarrassed for a dentist to discover this. This is especially because dentistry is an intimate treatment form where the doctor’s face.

3.Drills

A dentist’s drill does not cause pain but the noise alone can induce fear. In addition, drills cause vibrations. The noise of a drill at work can make a person fear drills even if the person has been given local anaesthetic.

4.Needles

Many people fear needles. Merely the sight of an injection can cause anxiety. When it comes to dental treatment, even if a patient has to be given local anaesthesia, this must be administered through an injection.

5.Sedation

Fear of sedation is also a reason for some people to experience dental anxiety.

6.Previous Trauma

Any previous treatment that left a bad impression can also be a reason for dental anxiety. Any old experience of long lingering pain, painful treatment or something which was not easy to handle emotionally can increase dental anxiety.

7.Feeling of Helplessness

Many patients feel anxious because they have no control over the situation. They have to stay still and cannot pause the treatment or stop it mid-way. Once the treatment starts, patients cannot change doctors mid-day or decide not to have treatment. Thus, they are helpless and everything is out of their control.

8.Trust Issues

It is crucial for patients to trust their dentists. If this trust is absent, the patient will be afraid to visit the dentist. 

Symptoms:

It can be hard to differentiate between a phobia and anxiety. However, anxiety is easier to treat than a phobia. Some of the common signs of dental anxiety are:

• Feeling tense or an inability to sleep the night before the dental appointment
• Nervousness while sitting in the waiting room
• Feeling like crying when you think of going to the dentist. 
• Anxiety that increases when you see or hear dental instruments
• Feeling physically ill merely by thinking about a dentist appointment
• Panic and trouble breathing when anything is placed in your mouth during a checkup.

If you experience any of these symptoms, you need to talk to your dentist about your feelings, concerns, and issues. The dentist will help you overcome this anxiety by discussing the available forms of treatment and helping you pick the best one.

Why Should We Let Go of Dental Anxiety? 

Apart from affecting your daily life, anxiety disorders can also affect oral health. Avoiding a dentist visit can worsen a dental condition that requires treatment. If you do not get treatment at an early stage, a simple procedure may be converted into a complex procedure. Ideally, you should get a dental checkup at least once a year. Regular dental checkups, cleaning and X-rays help with early detection and prevention of many dental issues.

Most dental diseases are caused by lifestyle issues and are preventable. By avoiding going to a dentist you are missing out on learning how to take care of your oral health and are more likely to need complex treatment procedures in the future. Dental issues can also act as symptoms for other underlying conditions. For example, red, swollen gums can be a symptom of diabetes. Not undergoing regular dental checkups can postpone the diagnosis of such issues.

Can Dental Anxiety be Reduced? 

Start by admitting and treating dental anxiety as a problem. Most people tend to make excuses to not visit a dentist rather than accept that they have a problem. Hence, the first step in dealing with dental anxiety is to accept that you have a problem.

Here are a few tips that can help people get over the fear of visiting a dentist. 

1. Check recommendations for dental clinics and dentists before booking an appointment. Focus on recommendations by friends and family. You can also read general patient reviews and see which dentist you would be most comfortable with.
2. Stage out the treatment. First, meet the dentist to talk about your issue. Be honest and open about what you’re feeling. It is not necessary to undergo any treatment during this visit. Plan the treatment for your next visit. This helps release stress to a great extent.  
3. Get used to the tools being used. Unfamiliar tools look scary to everyone. To deal with this, ask your dentist to show you all the tools being used and discuss their function. Ask if it’s ok to hold them and take a closer look to get rid of the fear.
4. Reduce stress. Psychotherapeutic management of stress can help deal with anxiety. Proper exercise, physical relaxation, and deep breathing techniques have been found to be quite effective forms of treatment for dental anxiety.
5. Practice Good Dental Hygiene. The best way to deal with dental issues is to prevent them from happening in the first place. For this, you need to practice good dental hygiene. 

The Best Way to Keep Your Teeth Bright

Keeping your teeth clean is key to keeping them bright and cavity-free. For this, you should ideally brush your teeth twice a day. While there are a number of toothpastes available in the market, herbal tooth powders are a much better choice. ByGrandma tooth powder is formulated from natural herbs and made without any chemicals or synthetic preservatives. One of the reasons it is better than toothpaste is because this toothpowder does not contain fluoride. Each ingredient in this tooth powder has therapeutic properties. While some fight bad breath, others minimise cavities. Having good dental health reduces your fear of embarrassment when the dentist sees your teeth. It also boosts your self-confidence and makes anxiety easier to deal with. Using ByGrandma tooth powder is easy. It is packed in an easy-to-use bottle with a flip lid. When you’re ready to brush your teeth, simply wet the brush, dust some tooth powder on it and brush your teeth. Since it contains no chemicals, it can be used by adults and children of all ages.