18 Jun Facing your Dental Fears
Many of us, myself included, have suffered from a bit of dental fear or anxiety. Whether you have sensitive teeth, had a bad childhood experience, or just a general mistrust of people in white lab coats, you may find yourself a little uneasy about your biannual dental visits. You are not alone, in fact a new study suggests that it might not entirely be psychological. Cameron L. Randall of West Virginia University suggests that there may be a link between those prone to gagging and fear related to dental care.
Of course, it’s still unclear whether it’s the “chicken” or the “egg” in this scenario. In other words, whether the gagging caused the fear or the fear causes the gagging. Randall is doing further research in an attempt to discover whether there is a gene associated with increased dental pain and fear, but in the mean time there are a few ways to alleviate your dental fear and gagging. One strategy is to use slow, rhythmic breathing and/or nose breathing before any gagging reflex is triggered. It is important to try and overcome your fears, as it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy if you avoid the dentist until you have a dental emergency and have to endure more invasive procedures.
However, any good dental care professional will understand your fears and concerns, and work with you to make you as comfortable as possible. Services like Biomimetic dentistry used at Prescott Dentistry can help you feel more relaxed knowing that proper Biomimetic bonding techniques virtually eliminate sensitivity and that early intervention is far less invasive.
Image used under creative commons license – commercial use (05/27/2014) Ian Smith (Flickr)