Your Local 60061 Area - Dental Treatments

Dental Anxiety Is No Laughing Matter

We'd like to offer one comforting and wonderful fact about today's dentistry: it's much less stressful than it used to be.

Technology, new procedures, and some very sophisticated approaches to dental anesthesia have all contributed to comfortable dentistry, from cleaning to cavity preparations to root canals.

But what if you didn't grow up with modern dentistry, and remember it differently?

If you have had difficult dental experiences, you may be among the 150 million Americans who white-knuckle their way through treatment, or avoid the dentist altogether. The fact is, about 80% of the fearful can overcome dental phobia, with a little help from conscious sedation.

Many dentists understand dental fear and where it comes from. And many are becoming trained in forming good working relationships with fearful patients. Your dentist should encourage you to voice your anxiety and discuss your problems with him or her, before he or she touches a tooth in your mouth.

They should listen to your needs, and agree on small things that help you maintain a sense of control - a hand signal works with some patients. But talking about fear with your dentist - being assertive and letting him or her know what bothers you - is the first step.

If you're moderately anxious, the dental team can provide distracting diversions to put those concerns to rest. If you're extremely anxious, they can virtually put anxiety to rest via oral sedation. This approach involves taking a mild sedative before you arrive for your appointment. You remain awake, but extremely relaxed - so relaxed that many patients have all their needed dental work completed in a single office visit. If dental anxiety has kept you from making an appointment you know is needed - a sedation dentist can help!

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Four Ways To Be Understood by Your Dentist

What do you want from your relationship with your dentist? Oftentimes, this question is answered when there is a dental problem or emergency requiring immediate attention. There is a different approach to your relationship with your dentist that relates to your own needs and dental health.

This approach is designed to help you create the kind of experiences you want with your dentist. You have a choice about this relationship and how it can support and assist you in your life. It begins with the simple question stated at the beginning of this article: What do you want from your relationship with your dentist?

The answer to this question can take many forms. For some people it may mean having a lot of information about their dental health and future. They seek facts to know they are making good, informed decisions. Others may want a friendly relationship in which openness and communication are valued.

They want information but, more importantly, they want to know they are important to the dentist and the dental team. Some individuals want minimal information and discussion -- just the facts and the solutions to take care of any problem.

We all have different wants in our relationships with health professionals such as dentists. Here are four tips to assist you in deciding what you want in your relationship with your dentist:

1. Do you want a lot of detailed information about actual problems or potential problems or do you prefer a quick summary of data with recommendations about what to do?
2. Do you like to make quick decisions or do you prefer to think about things before you act?
3. Do you like to talk about what is happening or do you prefer to have your dentist just tell you what is going on?
4. Do you want the dentist to describe a problem situation and solution with pictures so you can see what it happening or do you prefer to go on gut feeling?

Each person looks for different things in their relationships. It is your responsibility to determine what you want and look for that in the relationship with your dentist. The answers to the questions above will tell you something about this.

The next step is communicating what you want so that you are understood. Only you know when someone else understands you. Here are four tips to assist you in this communication process:

1. Tell your dentist that you have some ideas about how he or she can assist you with your dental health.
2. Ask when it would be a good time to discuss your needs and desires for your dental care and relationship with your dentist.
3. Communicate what you want and how that will help you.
4. If you had a negative experience in the past with another dental professional or are dealing with dental anxiety, always discuss what happened. Past hurts or disappointments have a way of negatively influencing present situations that are similar in nature.

Communicating what you want is important to your dentist for it is the best way for him or her to plan for the optimal dental health for you.

By Brian DesRoches, PhD