Elite Smiles - July/August 2019

FIGHTING BACK AGAINST DENTAL ANXIETY Minimizing Your Stress and Improving Oral Health

INSOMNIACS UNITE 3 Free Apps to Help You Catch Those Z’s Everyone with a smartphone has heard time and time again that looking at your phone before bed is a bad idea. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “The use of electronic devices in the bedroom further disrupts the natural pattern of the sleep-wake cycle” primarily because of the blue light emitted from the screen. While most scientific data pertaining to sleep recommends you place your phone in another room overnight, those who toss and turn regardless of phone location might benefit from using technology rather than tucking it away. Here are three FREE sleep apps that might help you get to dreamland faster. PZIZZ While there are many apps that claim to help people fall asleep quicker, very few are programmed to prevent sleepers from growing bored of the same monotonous soundtracks. Pzizz combines music, sound effects, and binaural beats, and an embedded algorithm generates a slightly different track each time you use it. SNORE REPORT Many troubled sleepers who are able to fall asleep are jolted awake shortly afterward. The inability to stay asleep throughout the night can stem from a multitude of factors, but snoring tends to be the most common. The Snore Report app records through the night to detect any snoring sounds and then provides the user with an overview of the previous night’s recording, including an index to determine snore intensity. Using this app might not help you fall asleep faster, but it could offer helpful information about why you aren’t able to stay asleep. SLEEP CYCLE ALARM CLOCK Instead of setting an alarm to jolt you out of sleep at a specific time, choose a window of time to wake up with the Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock. The app will sense your sleep movements and ring an alarm when you’re in the lightest stage of sleep. This way, you’ll wake at the optimal time, feeling refreshed rather than groggy.

Being afraid to go to the dentist is a common fear shared by many Americans. According to WebMD, 9–20% of the population prefer not to go to the dentist due to anxiety. At times, this fear can escalate to a phobia, which prevents people from visiting the dentist unless it’s an emergency. DENTAL ANXIETY IMPACTS ORAL HEALTH When a person doesn’t visit the dentist regularly, oral health problems can emerge or worsen. Typically, people should visit the dentist once or twice a year, but someone with anxiety may not make an appointment for years. If a tooth is causing slight discomfort, they may decide to live with the pain rather than have it checked by a professional, which can lead to severe consequences. Going to the dentist under extreme conditions, or when forced, won’t help someone with dental anxiety; it will only make their fears worse. A patient who is anxious about a regular checkup and cleaning will be far more stressed if their dental problems require more serious treatment, such as surgery. WAYS TO REDUCE ANXIETY Overcoming dental anxiety is difficult but not impossible. There are many helpful methods people can use to become less worried about their visits to the dental office. First, one of the best things to do is talk to your dentist about your anxiety. By speaking openly about your worries, your dentist will be aware of your position and will work with you to make you feel more comfortable. Second, don’t be afraid to ask questions. The more a patient knows about their visit and what to expect, the less anxious they’ll be. Third, arrive at your appointment on time rather than early. This will shorten the amount of time you have to sit in the waiting room and mull over previous dental visits. Don’t let your dental anxiety prevent you from achieving optimal oral health. If you have any questions or want to speak to one of our dentists before scheduling an appointment, please feel free to call our office today. We will be more than happy to explain our process and what you can expect during an exam.

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