Dental Anxiety

When an oral health issue arises, it is important that you seek treatment right away to prevent the issue from becoming worse. As these issues grow worse, you could be faced with more severe complications and the need for more invasive, expensive treatments later. However, if the thought of undergoing dental treatment fills you with dread, you might avoid getting the treatments you need. At Pacific Modern Dentistry, we can help.

Dental Anxiety

Anxiety, even phobia, over the thought of going to the dentist and undergoing dental treatment is a common issue that keeps many people from getting the treatments they need to restore and protect their oral health. Anxiety and phobia are often used interchangeably, but they are terms for two different situations. Anxiety is an unfounded, exaggerated feeling of fear about getting the treatment done. Many people with anxiety might still go to the dentist, but they might be tense or be unable to sit still. If you have a dental phobia, on the other hand, you might feel extreme panic or intense fear at the thought of going to the dentist. With a phobia, you often do everything you can to avoid going to the dentist.

What Causes Dental Anxiety?

There are several different reasons that can lead to dental anxiety. Common causes include:

•	A fear of pain. This particular fear is common in adults who grew up having undergone dental treatment before the development of pain-free dentistry.
•	Bad past experiences. If you had a bad experience at the dentist, it could affect how you view dental treatments now.
•	Feeling out of control. Sitting in the dental chair, you cannot see what is happening inside your mouth. This inability to see what is going on, or control what is happening, can trigger feelings of anxiety.
•	Embarrassment. If you have not been brushing and flossing regularly, you may be embarrassed.
•	Proximity between you and us. To work in your mouth, we need to be very close to you. For some patients, this proximity can cause uneasiness and anxiety.

How Can I Deal With Dental Anxiety?

If you feel anxious about dental treatments, or even have a dental phobia, it can be difficult to get the necessary dental work done. You might even avoid dental care altogether. We want to help you take good care of your mouth but understand that dealing with anxiety can be tough. There are some things that you can do, and ways that we can help you, to get your necessary treatments done:

•	Tell us how you are feeling. Let us know about your anxiety before your treatment. If we know how you are feeling, and what makes you feel anxious, we can tailor your treatment so that you can get your necessary procedures in the most comfortable way possible.
•	Using signals. Before beginning your treatment, we can establish signals that you can use to let us know that you need a break.
•	Playing music. For some patients, relaxing music can help to ease anxiety.
•	Sedation options. For some patients, sedation can help with anxiety. We can provide nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, for mild anxiety, or oral conscious sedation if your anxiety is more severe.

Dental anxiety can keep you from getting your necessary dental treatments done. Fortunately, there is a help. Call Pacific Modern Dentistry today at (206) 607-9822 for more information.

Office Hours
Monday–Wednesday
7:00 AM–5:00 PM
Thursday–Friday
7:00 AM–12:00 PM

Location
2046 Westlake Ave. N. Suite 204
Seattle, WA 98109

Contact
Office: (206) 607-9822
Fax: (206) 284-4757

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