{"id":2061,"date":"2020-06-26T00:33:34","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T05:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/?p=2061"},"modified":"2023-02-18T01:41:29","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T06:41:29","slug":"how-to-stop-a-panic-attack-at-the-dentist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/how-to-stop-a-panic-attack-at-the-dentist\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stop a Panic Attack at the Dentist: 11 Easy Tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether 8 years old or 80, people of all ages dread their occasional trip to the dentist\u2019s office. For some people, the thought or feeling of having work done on their teeth can be frightening enough to evoke panic attacks. In the middle of an important procedure, how do you stop a panic attack at the dentist?<\/p>\n

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  1. Find the Dentist You\u2019re Most Comfortable with<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Let Your Dentist Know About Your Anxiety<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Utilize an Anxiety Supplement or Oral Sedative<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. Choose a \u201cSafe Word\u201d in Case You Need a Break<\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. Ask to Wear Sunglasses<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. Bring Headphones to Listen to Music<\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. Allow Yourself to Acclimate<\/strong><\/li>\n
  8. Bring Your Attention to Your Breathing<\/strong><\/li>\n
  9. Focus on Your Other Senses or a Focus Object<\/strong><\/li>\n
  10. Visualize Yourself as Being Somewhere Else<\/strong><\/li>\n
  11. Remember Your Panic Attack Will Pass<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These are some of the steps you can take before and during your dentist appointment to prevent or stop a panic attack. With a few of these tricks at your disposal, you have a much better chance of getting through a stress-free dentist appointment.<\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s take a closer look at dental anxiety, and what we can do to squash it!<\/p>\n

    Why do I get Anxiety at the Dentist?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Before we dive right into how to stop a panic attack at the dentist, let\u2019s try and understand the nature of your anxiety itself. Why might you be feeling so anxious in the first place?<\/p>\n

    Well, for starters, it might help to understand what causes us to feel anxiety in general. There are a million reasons why we might feel anxious on any given day or in any given situation; most of them irrational. The unfortunate fact is, our overactive, anxious brains are constantly scanning the environment and detecting threats to our safety where there really are none. We know that no harm is going to come to us, but we freak out anyway. Take some time to read some of our other articles, like this one about the root cause of anxiety<\/strong><\/a>, to better understand these feelings.<\/p>\n

    Okay. So, that might explain why we feel anxiety in general, but why the heck are you feeling anxious at the dentist office?<\/p>\n

    This is something that\u2019s going to require some introspection on your part.<\/p>\n

    An estimated 2.7 percent of men and 4.6 percent of women experience dentophobia<\/a>, the fear of the dentist.<\/strong>But each of these people may experience their fear for entirely different reasons.<\/strong> According to one study \u201cfear of pain\u201d is the most common reason why people tend to avoid seeing the dentist<\/a>. Yet this is not the only reason why people might fear the dentist. For others, their fear can be rooted more in claustrophobia, agoraphobia, social phobia, or panic disorder itself.<\/p>\n

    At certain points in my life, dentist appointments stressed me out and it had nothing to do with a fear of pain or of any specific procedure itself; in fact, I care so little about the pain that I actually tend to skip the numbing agents used for simple fillings. On my worst days with panic disorder, my fear was actually of having a panic attack in such an environment where it seemed difficult to leave and get some air if I needed to; frankly, I was just afraid of embarrassing myself.<\/p>\n

    Everyone is going to have their own reasons for feeling anxious at the dentist. Think hard and consider what your reasons really may be.<\/strong> Is it the fear of pain? A phobia of medical environments and procedures? The cost?<\/p>\n

    When you\u2019re able to determine what exactly is the source of your dentophobia, it can become much easier for you to manage the symptoms by focusing on the root cause.<\/p>\n

    Now that we know a bit about why we\u2019re feeling this way, let\u2019s talk about how to stop a panic attack at the dentist.<\/p>\n

    Find the Dentist You\u2019re Most Comfortable With<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Most people have a tendency to pick a dentist and stick to that particular dentist for the majority of their lives. This can be a good thing if you\u2019ve got an awesome dentist, or a bad thing if you\u2019ve got a dentist that you\u2019re just not crazy about. Unfortunately, if you never experiment with different dentists, it\u2019s impossible to know whether or not you\u2019re seeing the best person for the job.<\/p>\n

    In my childhood hometown, my entire family (siblings, cousins, grandparents, you name it) have gone to the same family dentist for years. This can be great, since you establish a genuine relationship and comfortability over time, which can greatly decrease any dental anxiety you might be having. But before you can get to this point, it\u2019s important to know that you\u2019re actually seeing the best dentist for <\/em>you.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Having moved around a lot as an adult and hopping from city to city, I\u2019ve gone through a good number of different dentists. I can absolutely assure you that different dentists and different dental offices can vary greatly<\/em>.<\/strong> Here are just a few of the ways I\u2019ve noticed different dental offices can be different:<\/p>\n