If God gave people an option to either sit on a dentist's chair or face instant death, I hardly think I would be an exception in choosing death. If you understand the feeling, you are one of the 15% of Americans who suffer from dental anxiety or dental phobia. Just like most other phobias, dental anxiety is based on irrational fears and therefore, there are ways to overcome it!

1. Dental Anxiety:
Tips to Overcome Your
Fear of the Dentist

2. Choose Your Dentist
 Instead of just heading off to the nearest dental clinic, scout
around for a dentist who is likely to accept your anxiety. Speak to
your friends and family and check if they know a
"compassionate" dentist. Chances are, if you find someone who
regularly visits a dentist, they most likely do that because they
trust the dentist. Because dental phobia is so common, there are
dentists who specialize in treating patients with anxiety. Check if
you can find such a specialist close to your area.

3. Use of Sedation
 In cases where you're unable to sit still without fearing the worst,
the dentist may find it difficult to perform procedures such as
tooth extraction. In such cases, the dentist may prescribe
inhalation, oral or intravenous (IV) sedation before the
procedure, for dental anxiety treatment. Sedation relieves
anxiety and you'll be conscious during the procedure. However,
you may be advised not to drive and you may be asked to bring
along someone for support/company for up to a few hours after
the sedation is administered.

4. General Anesthesia
 In rare cases such as young children or people with special
needs, general anesthesia may be used for difficult dental
procedures. This must be done under extreme caution and as a
last resort if no other non-invasive alternative is available.

5. Psychological Support
 In case of any treatment, a non-invasive approach is
undoubtedly the safest bet. It is sort of an overlap with a few
things we already discussed above where the dentist attempts
what is also called behavior management techniques ranging
from "taking it slowly" to "telling you what to expect". Alternately,
the dentist may refer you to a mental health professional for
counseling. Incidentally, behavior management techniques work
well with most people and so you must give it a try.

6. Hypnosis
 Another form of non-invasive therapy to treat dental phobia,
hypnosis involves sending the patient into a "trance state" where
the hypnotherapist (your dentist may also be one) gives you a
set of instructions to follow. Audio hypnosis uses CDs that enable
patients to listen to the hypnotherapy instructions and practice
relaxation at home. In the "hypnotic state", the hypnotherapist
can induce numbness in the area where the procedure is to be
performed.

7. SOURCE:
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