Do you have an overwhelming anxiety about visiting the dentist—even for something as simple as a routine cleaning? You are not alone by any means, as a recent survey from a leading dental industry publication has cited that as much as 80% of patients experience high levels of anxiety leading up to a dental visit. Furthermore, almost 25% of Americans anxiety is so severe regarding the dentist, that they avoid going unless they are in serious pain.

Anxiety? Not A Problem With Pearl Dentistry

As the leading dentist in San Antonio, Dr. Sri with Pearl Dentistry,knew that something had to be done to address this very real fear and get people the dental care they need. This mission we are on has led us to institute many amenities specifically aimed at invoking a calmed atmosphere and diverting attention away from the source of the anxiety. When you walk into Pearl dentistry, you realize you aren’t at your average dentist in San Antonio—you’re at a spa that happens to perform state-of-the-art dentistry. We offer several forward-thinking amenities to help you relax before we even get started on your teeth.

Ergo-Soothe Dental Chairs:When you already have a profound fear of the dentist, the last thing you need is to be physically uncomfortable. When anxiety takes over, a discomfort that would only be slightly annoying when calm, is magnified 100x when anxious. This is why we provide our patientswith calm-inducing, Ergo-Soothe massage dental chairs. These chairs, soothe you with a gentlemassage that takes your mind to another place while we work on your teeth. Relaxed patients result in a better result for our patients as well so we encourage those with dental anxiety to try us out. What other dentistin San Antonio can you get a massage and a check-up?

Digital X-rays With Advanced Handheld X-ray Machine:If you have anxiety about something then you know any added anxiety is just going to overload your senses and cause a serious panic attack. So, why worry about radiation exposure and the fear of dental work. Our advanced X-ray machine uses less than one percent of the allowed medical dose in the profession. Never fear, though—we still get the same great images so we can work on your teeth properly.

Intra-Oral Camera:When you tackle the source of your anxiety and learn about it, it is the best way to overcome it. So at Pearl Dentistry, we also use Intra-Oral cameras to help educate our patients about what exactly is going on inside of their mouth, and how we plan on treating and improving their oral health and appearance. We want to be known as the dentist in San Antonio that shows you what’s going on behind the scenes.

Warmed Anesthetic: This one isn’t so much about addressing anxiety as it is about comfort. Honestly, who wants the sudden sensation of ice cold anesthetic applied to or injected in their gums? Exposure to sudden extreme changes in temperature can amplify pain the body is feeling, so using an anestheticthat is room temperature (often cold in a dentist office right?) is not a good idea. We warm ours up to a nice neutral temperature that makes the process a lot smoother and decrease pain.

Nitrous Oxide:One of the oldest treatments for anxiety, this gas is also knownas “laughing gas,” can be found at any dentist in San Antonio. It is a safe and relaxing way to deal with dental anxiety during dental cleanings or treatments.

As you can see, we really try to go above and beyond in helping our patients overcome their dental anxiety and get the dental care they need. Dental anxiety is a very real problem and it causes a lot more issues than just being afraid of the sound of a dental drill.

The Consequences of Dental Anxiety

Dental anxiety can lead to some serious consequences to patients that fear goingto see the dentist in San Antonio. Some people even refuse to go at all because the anxiety is so great. Their anxiety could stem from general anxiety, a traumatic dentist experience as a child or other issues that impact their peace of mind regarding the dentist.

Sadly, the longer a person allows their dental anxiety to keep them from their regular checkups, the greater their risk of allowing a small dental problem to turn into a painful and often expensive one. Just one visit to any dentist in San Antonio can potentially detect anearly issue that could be resolved easily in its infancy. However, if left undetected, it can be quite painful, costly and even scarierthan the original issue.

The good news is—even before you get to the dentist office, you can deal with your dental anxiety at home with some quick and easy tips.

You Can Manage Your Dental Anxiety

There are several positive ways you can manage and overcome your dental anxiety and get the dental care needed to keep your teeth looking healthy and strong

Choose The Right Dentist In San Antonio: The key to managing your anxiety levels is to find a dentist like Dr. Sri, that will hear out your fears and concerns and adapt their treatment plan around your anxiety.

Communication Is Key: When you feel anxious about your appointment don’t hesitate to let your dentist know. You have to let them know your fears and concerns so they know exactly how to calm those fears. Most dentists are familiar with anxious patients and design their practice around serving those needs.

Music Is Powerful: Make a calming playlist on your Spotify or Pandora account and just lose all sense of your surroundings with calming music piped into your earbuds. It can distract your mind and allow treatment to be completed much smoother, the calmer you are.

For Anxiety Free Dental Care — Call Pearl Dentistry Today

Don’t let dental anxiety make you miss out on valuable dental care. Come by our office have a free coffee, sit back in our dental massage chairs and watch a movie on your screen while we examine your teeth. Dr. Sri will be gentle, understanding and considerate of your concerns and we can assure you this will be a dentist visit unlike any other. So if you need dental care and your anxiety is just too great, give us a call and we’ll put your mind at ease.