You Don't Have to Fear the Dentist!

You Don't Have to Fear THE DENTIST! Dental Anrziety BY THE NUMBERS 5-8% of Americans avoid the dentist altogether About 20% only see the dentist in a crisis Up to 43% of children may experience dental anxiety Common Reasons for DENTAL ANXIETY Bad experience Sensitive Resistance to The need for at the dentist anesthetic major dental work gag reflex earlier in life Solutions to DENTAL ANXIETY Hypnosis and Desensitization o Helps patients with previous unpleasant dental experiences o Allows patients to let go of their fears o May take only a few minutes for some patients Oral Sedation o A pill makes patients drowsy and relaxed o Most people do not fall fully asleep o Larger doses result in heavier sedation IV Sedation o Injection of anesthetics puts the patient to sleep o Patients will not experience any pain o Patients will have no memory of the procedure Distractions o Many dentists allow patients to listen to music o Some offices have televisions for patients to watch Communication o Ask your dentist to explain what will happen in your appointment o Communicate your worries to your dentist o Speak up if your anxiety rises or you experience discomfort Infographic provided by STALLBA ponaliaed & Comfarta ENTAL CAR Children's Dentis wWW.DENTALCAREINSTAMFORD.COM Sources: http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/help/ http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/dont-fear-the-dentist http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6831/7/1 http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/sedation-dentist- ry-can-you-really-relax-in-the-dentists-chair