A straight, confident smile is a wonderful reward for orthodontic treatment. But for many, the journey to that smile can be overshadowed by dental anxiety. It is not as uncommon as many people make it out to be.

Your time at Smile Orthodontics can be a lot less anxiety-inducing and fun, provided that you are following all the relevant tips for curbing fear and jitters. Open communication with your orthodontist always comes in handy.

We will take you through all the details about ways to curb dental anxiety and have a smooth treatment experience.

Understand your triggers

Dental anxiety is one of the most common triggers that prevent people from availing the required orthodontic treatment that they need. Many people struggling with this experience issues like anxiety, jitters, panic attacks, etc. Some individuals even feel a loss of control before their appointments, making them feel helpless in the situation they are stuck in. It could be due to past bad experiences. Hence, understanding the triggers is key.

Communicate your fear

At times, when you have anxiety about stepping into the orthodontist’s office, nothing will make sense and you will feel like you are losing inhibition. Either way, the key here is to communicate your fear instead of bottling things up. You can talk to someone in your family or directly open up to your orthodontist and ask them for recommendations on the situation. They will be able to better guide you in navigating through the fear.

Try relaxation techniques

Anxiety is no joke and when you have an ingrained fear in your mind concerning visiting an orthodontist, there are chances that you will need to do something actively to work through those fears. In that case, knowing a few of the effective relaxation techniques is your easiest way to get through the troubles. What we’d recommend you do is focus on identifying the shortcomings and getting the help that you need to put the fear in the backseat. Some of the relaxation techniques include breathing exercises, meditation, etc.

Getting additional support

If you are faced with an anxiety attack and you find yourself confused about how to overcome the issue, the key here is to get access to additional support. It can include medications for your anxiety and also sedative dentistry where you are sedated during the procedure so you don’t have to encounter things that could be nerve-wracking for you.

Positive reinforcement

Instead of letting the negative experiences rule your mind, focus on the positive aspects of the treatment. Visualize a successful appointment and the beautiful smile that awaits you at the end of treatment and that should help you navigate through the issues quite well.

Experiencing anxiety before an orthodontic appointment is a lot more common than you think and there’s nothing that you need to be ashamed about. If you are struggling, there are help and resources available for you to tap into. You can also have an open discussion with your orthodontist to see how you can work together to navigate through the challenges.