Your heart starts racing, and you feel sweaty and clammy. The room starts spinning all around you.

If this is how you feel just before a dentist appointment, then there is a strong chance that you might suffer from dentophobia.

And you’d be in good company: it is estimated that up to 75% of Americans experience some form of worry or anxiety when it comes to dental treatments. Of that number, up to 10% of people suffer from a fully-fledged, extreme, and irrational fear of the dentist.

This, though, doesn’t mean that you should simply give in to your phobia and accept that you’ll always feel this way. Overcoming your fear of the dentist is not only possible but much easier than you think. 

Want to find out more? Keep reading and we’ll reveal some simple steps to conquer your phobia for good.

Pick Your Dentist Very Carefully

It is no doubt that going to the dentist regularly is one of the most important things in order to maintain good oral hygiene and dental health. However, not all dentists are the same, and when it comes to choosing one to help you with your fear, then you need to pick very carefully.

Do a bit of research, ask some friends and family members for recommendations, and read a few online reviews of dental practices. Then, you’ll also want to select a dentist who has experience with fearful and anxious patients. This is generally known as “gentle dentistry”, and can be very helpful for dentophobia sufferers.

Is your little one affected by this type of phobia? In that case, you’re going to need the best pediatric dentist with plenty of experience in understanding and addressing dental phobia in children.

Try Relaxation and Positive Visualization

Another great idea to help you feel less anxious when going to the dentist is to try some relaxation techniques at home. You can find many by looking online, but some of the most popular and successful are body scan, meditation, and mindfulness.

Positive visualization can be of great help, too. It involves picturing calming and empowering situations and feelings in connection with your upcoming dental appointment.

Consider CBT Therapy and Medication

For some people, their fear of the dentist is so crippling that it requires medical intervention. If you think that this might be your case, then do not feel ashamed or scared about seeking professional help. There are several different types of psychological therapies around, and some might work better than others.

When it comes to treating phobias, especially if these fears were generated after a specific event, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) can enable you to achieve great results. 

Sometimes, though, talking therapies alone are not enough. Medication, such as anti-anxiety tablets, can provide sufferers with great relief and are particularly effective when coupled with psychotherapy. It is important to remember, however, that you should always discuss with your doctor before taking any decision. 

Seek the Support of a Loved One

When you have scheduled your dentist appointment, it might be a good idea to ask someone to come along with you. Choose a friend or family member who not only isn’t scared of the dentist but whom you can trust and can make you feel at ease. 

On the day of your appointment, you could spend some time with your loved one beforehand, engaging in relaxing and pleasant activities. If you like music, then listen together to your favorite playlist. If you are into fitness, then go for a run together.

Anything will do: the aim is to arrive at your appointment in the calmest, most relaxed emotional state possible. If you achieve that, then you are already well on your way to a positive dental experience.

Give Exposure Therapy a Shot

If you have tried many coping techniques and mechanisms, but nothing has worked well so far, then you might want to try and give exposure therapy a go. As the name suggests, this strategy involves exposing yourself to your feared object in a softer, more gradual, and more manageable way.

In your case, this will mean scheduling a series of dentist appointments, all pretty close in time. For your first appointment, you will simply want to have a chat with the dentist and get a feel for the environment and the people who work there. Then, you might want to bring yourself to lie on the chair and have a brief examination.

Eventually, you will slowly build up to a more comprehensive appointment with your dentist, which will happen after a few weeks or months. During that time, it’s crucial that you keep trying other techniques and strategies to overcome your fear. If you tackle your problems from different sides, then your chances of conquering your phobia become much higher.

Conquer Your Fear of the Dentist Today

Suffering from dentophobia, an extreme and irrational fear of the dentist can be very debilitating in the long term. So debilitating, in fact, that the sufferer may choose to avoid going to the dentist at all, even when they would actually need to.

If that happens, then it can lead to more serious, and sometimes chronic, dental problems. If you are worried that you might be going down this route, then try our tips above to overcome your phobia. Your physical and mental health will be much better for it.

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