Dealing with Fear of Oral Surgery

Many dental patients are particularly fearful of the idea of undergoing oral surgery. If you find yourself in this position, there are several things you can do to help manage this anxiety, such as:

Gain an Understanding of the Procedure

It’s absolutely natural for people to be afraid of things they don’t have any experience with. It can help allay your fears to have a good talk with our office to be sure you do completely understand what will happen during the procedure. Once you know what’s going to happen, you might find that you’re no longer afraid of the surgery.

Practice Relaxation

If you’re still feeling anxious about undergoing oral surgery, it might be helpful to learn a few relaxation techniques that you can use to stay calm during the procedure.

Try consciously slowing down your breathing by inhaling over a count of three, and exhaling over a further 3-count. When you do this, it makes it much harder for your body and mind to begin a panic reaction by breathing rapidly. By consciously breathing slowly and deeply, you help prevent the feeling of panic..

Along with breathing techniques, it can also help to visualize what you’re doing in your mind. For example, try something called square breathing, in which you imagine traveling along the sides of a square with each inhale or exhale.

These techniques will help you relax more easily if you start practicing them for around ten minutes a day, starting a few weeks before your oral surgery appointment.

Learn about Sedation Dentistry

Most surgical procedures require the use of treatment aids that make the procedure more comfortable. If you have questions about what level of anesthetic or sedation will be provided for your treatment, talk to our office.

For some treatments, like tooth extraction or dental implant placement, the procedure is quicker and more comfortable than you might think --- requiring only a localized numbing agent. However, if you are anxious about seeking oral surgery, our office is happy to provide sedation dentistry. Sedation helps you enjoy a state of deep relaxation during treatment; your visit will appear to have passed in only a few minutes.