It’s common knowledge that good oral care is important for your overall health. Part of a good oral care routine is regular visits to the dentist. But what if you have dental anxiety? In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, many people with dental anxiety may find those routine check-ups extra challenging. Instead of skipping out on your check-ups, learn what dentists are doing to keep you safe and get tips to soothe dental anxiety.
What is Dental Anxiety?
For some people, dental anxiety is an everyday fear that threatens their oral health. From a general feeling of unease to an extreme fear of the appointment, dental anxiety varies from person to person. Some people even require medication to calm them during their appointment.
How to Cope with Dental Anxiety
The first step in coping with dental anxiety is to determine the cause of your stress. Is it a lack of control, a fear of pain, or something else? The best thing to do is talk with your dentist about your fears to create a plan together to address them.
What if your fear is new and related to the COVID-19 pandemic? Speak with your dentist about steps they’re taking to keep you safe. Understanding the extra precautions in place should help soothe your fears and get you back into that chair.
How Dentists are Keeping You Safe
Since the outbreak, the CDC has released specific guidelines for dental settings. The CDC also noted that there are no cases of COVID-19 tied to dental appointments even though dentists continued emergency visits throughout quarantine.
Dental offices across the United States banded together for the #DentalSafety campaign to share how they’re keeping patients, and their teams, safe during this pandemic.
Jefferson Dental & Orthodontics is participating in the campaign and working hard to ensure the safety of every patient. Our offices embraced the CDC guidelines and enacted a list of ten precautions to keep you safe during appointments.
Your appointments may look a little different with temperature checks and waiting in your car instead of the waiting room, but it’s all for your safety. We will ask a few more questions, including your recent travel history. You’ll probably notice a lot of extra cleaning and disinfecting as we do our part to stop the spread.
We sincerely hope that all of the extra steps we’re taking help you keep calm and see your dentist for your regular appointment. If you’re due for a check-up, book an appointment online at the office nearest you.
