Our Gentle Dentists and Spa-Like Setting Make Us Dental Anxiety Specialists in Olathe!
If you experience fear or anxiety before or during a dental appointment, you’re not alone. According to the Cleveland Clinic’s surveys, 36 percent of people in the U.S. fear dental treatment. This fear is called dentophobia or odontophobia – and it’s a real condition!
Knowing just how common dental anxiety can be, E-Care Dentistry strives to help our patients feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible, thanks in part to our comfort menu and understanding team of dental assistants, hygienists, and dentists.
Because we consider ourselves dental anxiety specialists, we can offer our patients unique ways to relax while receiving dental care or procedures. One of the ways we find to be most effective is by having anxious patients listen to music to relieve their anxiety at the dentist, in part to simply provide a distraction.
Let’s take a look at why and how it works, plus review our full list of dental anxiety tips.
Relaxing Music for Preventing Dental Anxiety
If you’ve ever received a massage or relaxed in a steam room in which soothing spa music was playing, then you know just how tranquil sounds can relieve stress. In fact, relaxing music has been shown to reduce blood pressure and pulse rates – and both are necessary to encourage patients with dental anxiety to relax.
Coupled with a serene dental office environment, soothing music like you’d hear at a spa can go a long way in helping you relax during dental treatments. To determine exactly which soothing music you prefer, try a few playlists on your favorite music-streaming service. Look for playlists that one might use during a massage or other spa treatment.
Your Favorite Tunes for Dental Anxiety Prevention
Some of the best distractions are those that we find enjoyable. At the dentist’s office, you may prefer listening to your favorite bands and songs as a way to relieve your anxiety. You can even create your own playlist and listen with headphones to drown out the sounds of dental tools.
When creating your ideal playlist, ensure that the music you choose doesn’t increase your heart rate or make you feel big swells of emotion as you listen. These completely natural human responses can create more dental anxiety.
White Noise Instead of Music?
If you don’t find music to be particularly calming, you have another option: white noise machines. White noise is proven to reduce stress while drowning out other office sounds. If you’re interested in meditation or mindfulness, you can concentrate on the white noise as part of your practice to ease dental anxiety during your visit. In fact, white noise is so effective, many people use it to help them fall asleep.
Don’t have a white noise machine? You can download free apps on your smartphone, ask your hygienist or dental assistant to turn on a fan, or look for playlists on your favorite streaming app. Dental offices equipped for helping patients with dental anxiety often have these on hand for you, too.
More Helpful Dental Anxiety Tips
If you experience severe dental anxiety at the dentist, you can take these steps to try to relieve your phobia.
- Tour dentist offices to find one that makes you feel most comfortable before you make your first appointment.
- Ask to meet with the dentist or hygienist in advance of your appointment, so you can get to know them.
- Look for a dentist office that specializes in creating a spa-like setting for their patients. (E-Care Dentistry in Olathe, Kansas, is one in the greater Kansas City metro area.)
- Talk to your medical doctor about what you can do to relieve general anxiety.
- Bring along a trusted friend or family member to your appointment to help you stay calm.
- Visit the dentist regularly for preventative care, even if you’re afraid. This is the first step in overcoming fear, and you can do it.
Get Complete Dental Care Without Sacrificing Comfort
Our Olathe, Kansas dentist office prioritizes your healthy teeth, confident smile, and comfort over all else. Our services go beyond the traditional as patients seek us out for our excellence and experience – and our comfort menu for those with dental anxiety or for patients seeking a more relaxing visit.
Our serene office environment, your very own television, and our state-of-the-art dental technology makes preventative dental care and cosmetic treatments go much more smoothly.
Don’t let your dental anxiety dictate your life or oral health. Make an appointment at E-Care Dentistry to see why we’re different.