How To Reduce Dental Anxiety

At Enchanting Smiles Family Dentistry, we understand that many patients experience anxiety about visiting the dentist. After all, having someone look in your mouth while scraping and cleaning your teeth isn’t something you do every day. The anxiety can get bad enough for some people that they avoid visiting the dentist altogether. You can rest assured that we will do anything possible to make dental visits more comfortable for you. Here are just some of the things we recommend and that Dr. Collatz and her fantastic dental staff will do for their patients:

We Will Completely Explain What We’re About to Do:

A large part of dental anxiety for some patients is the feeling of a loss of control. They’re uneasy because they don’t know what is going to happen next. Dr. Collatz and her team will patiently walk you through each step of the typical dental check-up as well as explain why we’re doing it.

Schedule Appointments for Midday If Possible

Mornings and late afternoons tend to be the most popular time for appointments at any medical clinic and our Pittsboro dental office is no exception. If your schedule permits, consider making your appointment anytime from late morning to early afternoon when fewer people are in the office. This will provide a more relaxing atmosphere with less hustle and bustle throughout the appointment.

I am more great full than I can express for the care I received from doctor and staff. Truly is a healing place for those who may have any dental fears

Provide Numbing Cream Upon Request

If you would like us to rub numbing cream on your gums before starting your preventive care exam, just ask. You can also request this if you need to have any type of injection for dental treatments. The cream makes it so that you don’t feel discomfort as acutely as you might otherwise and we’re happy to do it for our patients.

Inquire About Anti-Anxiety Options

If your anxiety is serious enough to keep you from the dentist, ask us about options such as prescribing an anti-anxiety medication during your appointment. Before taking it upon yourself to drink a glass of wine or other type of alcohol for relaxation, be sure to find out if doing so could interfere with the effectiveness of your treatment. Even if we’re unable to provide you with medication, we will work with you to reduce your anxiety as much as possible. If you do receive medication, someone should drive you to and from the appointment.

The office is vibrant and fun and make going to the dentist enjoyable. My toddler loves it and is excited to go because of them. I 100% recommend them! – Gretchen

Let Us Know if You Need a Break

Obviously, it’s hard to communicate when you have dental instruments in your mouth. We encourage you to use a hand symbol to let us know if you’re feeling too anxious or uncomfortable to continue. Our staff is happy to stop for a few minutes to allow you to collect your bearings and refocus. We can also change our approach when we continue working on your mouth.

Reward Yourself After the Appointment

Make a deal with yourself that if you schedule and follow through with the appointment, you’re entitled to a reward. It could be a massage, a new shirt, going to a movie, or anything that’s enjoyable to you.

Conclusion

Just take a look at some of the comments from our reviews on Facebook or our Google reviews and you’ll see that we work extremely hard to keep our patients as comfortable and relaxed as possible. We don’t try to rush a patient through the dental exam so that we can bring in the next one. We take our time and we look forward to seeing you at your next appointment so that we can prove it to you. 🙂

Please contact us to check appointment availability.