Dental appointments can make your heart skip a beat and feel butterflies in your stomach, but not in the i’m super excited to be here kind of way. It’s more of the, I’d rather be standing in line at the DMV kind of feeling. We get it, believe us, we do. We want you to feel comfortable from moment you walk through our doors, and we try our best to make that happen.
Here are three things that you can do to help us help you during your next visit.
1. Speak Up
We will ask you a lot of questions to help you be and stay comfortable before and throughout your visit.Don’t be afraid to speak your mind and let us know what would help you and how you are feeling. There are many things we can do and change to help, and we are glad to do it. Let us know what you need, you may be surprised how much we can help and how you will feel after you SPEAK UP!
2. Distract Yourself
Taking your mind off your appointment may seem impossible but with a tweak or two it may actually be a possibility! Make a list of all the things you want to say and ask (this is your speak up list) before your visit, this way you won’t have to spend your day thinking and rethinking about all the things you want to remember to say. Bring headphones so you can listen to music, podcast, movie or television show during your appointment. Bring something to occupy your hands. Those fidget spinners may annoy teachers across the country but there is a real utility behind them when used in the appropriate situation.
3. Mindfulness
If you can meditate and use visualization to help relax then you should continue to do that, but for most of us those techniques are very hard to master.Try instead to focus and lean what specifically triggers anxiety for you. Is it a noise, a certain item, a smell, or a combination of these? Once you can identify what might be causing your anxiety you can begin to work through it and better ask those around you for help.