I have never enjoyed the dentist, well I guess none of us have really, but it is something for a long time which I just couldn’t stand doing and would often put it off for as long as possible. I have to be honest that until I started going to the team at Clinton Dental I was usually so petrified that I would cancel appointment after appointment until I just couldn’t put it off any longer. I have however managed to work out a routine which I use now that gets me through this ordeal twice per year, and I wanted to share some tips with any of you guys who also get nervous when the time comes to get a checkup.
Great Dentists
The first point which I want to make here is that it is vitally important that you get yourself a great dentist who is patient and who has excellent communication skills. If you can find someone who makes you feel at ease and how understands just how nervous you get then this is going to be something which greatly helps you to relax. If your current dentist doesn’t make you feel calm and relaxed then you have to ensure that you switch things up.
Morning Appointment
Something else which I have learned over the years is the importance of getting an appointment in the morning rather than the afternoon. The reason for this is very simple, if the appointment is in the morning, I don’t have as much time to worry about it. If however I make an appointment for the afternoon then all I will do is spend my day thinking about it and working myself up into a frenzy, which of course drives anxiety levels through the roof.
Something to Calm The Nerves
I have to be honest I will usually have a little drop of something before my appointment, and I don’t actually drink. Usually it will be a small sherry or something just to settle the nerves, and I must say that this has been working very well for me in recent appointments. I actually don’t condone drinking, as I said, usually I don’t, but if you can find something like a herbal calming tablet then I would certainly recommend taking that, if for no other reason than to calm your anxiety ahead of the appointment.
Look After Your Teeth
The best advice which I have received with regards to this is to simply look after my teeth well. In doing this I have found that the appointments are so much easier and there is significantly less poking around than their usually is. A solid dental care routine is what you need here, each morning, each night and after you have eaten, in order to make sure that those gnashes stay as healthy as possible and that you can avoid having to go to visit the dentist in the future.
These are my tips on helping make that dentist trip just a little easier on yourself.