Dental Anxiety: Proven Strategies to Stay Calm During Your Appointment
Reviewed By Dr. Dennis Rollins, DDO |
July 2025 • 6 min Read
Reviewed By Dr. Dennis Rollins, DDO | July 2025 • 6 min Read
If you’re feeling anxious about an upcoming dental visit, we can tell you this is completely normal. In fact, dental anxiety is something our dentists help people navigate all the time.
Read on for practical tips, and to hear from other patients who experience dental anxiety.
What to Do Before Getting Treatment
1. Consider a Consultation-Only Appointment
If you’re visiting a new dentist or haven’t been in a while, it can be very helpful to start with an appointment that focuses entirely on discussion, evaluation, and planning. That means no time in the chair—no fillings, extractions, or even cleanings.
It’s a great way to get familiar with the office, the dentist, and the staff.
2. Share Your Fears with Your Dentist
Trying to “play it cool” and hide your anxiety can increase that anxiety. Whether at a consultation-only appointment, over the phone ahead of time, or before any treatment starts, tell your dentist and their staff about your anxiety.
Use a short, simple statement, like: “I get very anxious during dental appointments.” Follow that with a request, like: “Can we go slowly and take breaks?”
If speaking up is difficult, you can also communicate this in a note.
Dentists and their staff are trained to help anxious patients. If you ask them to, they’ll explain procedures step by step, adjust their techniques, offer extra reassurance, and provide breaks.
Making yourself understood can dramatically reduce stress.
“I used to cancel appointments because I was so scared,” said one patient to deltadentalma.com. “Now, I talk to my dentist about my fears before each visit. It helps me feel more in control.”
“I let the staff know about my anxiety,” said another patient to deltadentalma.com. “They offer pillows, blankets, and even a warm neck wrap to help me relax.”
3. Ask Ahead About Sedation Options
Many dentists offer mild medication or techniques that can help you stay calm during treatment. Call ahead and discuss options, which can include nitrous oxide (laughing gas), oral sedatives, and even IV sedation.
For help finding a dentist in your area who offers sedation, click here or call us at (888) 597-3896.
Ask any and all questions you have about safety, side effects, and recovery time. That way you’ll know what to expect—and can rest assured that you’ll have help getting through your appointment.
“I asked about sedation options,” said another patient to uthscsa.edu. “Knowing I have that choice makes me feel more comfortable.”
4. Schedule Wisely
Choose a time for your appointment that aligns with your natural energy and stress levels.
Avoid scheduling your appointment close to stressful events in your professional or personal life. Consider an early morning appointment, so you can get it done and avoid spending the entire day with it looming over you.
“Scheduling my appointments in the morning helps me feel less anxious,” said another patient to penndentalmedicine.org. “I don’t have to spend the whole day worrying.”
5. Plan to Bring a Support Person
Asking for help is brave, and anxiety is often reduced when you feel supported.
Consider recruiting someone you trust to accompany you and provide emotional comfort before, during, and after your appointment. Even if they can’t be in the treatment room, knowing they’re nearby can be reassuring.
What to Do While Getting Treatment
“I have dental anxiety too!” said one patient on reddit.com. “I always feel better once I have gone. The peace of mind after having gone is better than the constant anxiety of knowing you haven’t been in x amount of time lingering over you always.”
1. Establish a Non-Verbal “Stop” Signal
Once the dentist and their staff know about your anxiety, set a hand signal you can use to pause treatment. You can use this signal if something hurts, or if you simply need a break to regain your calm.
Establishing this signal will give you an increased sense of control, which can help you stay calm.
2. Practice Deep Breathing
Anxiety triggers your body’s fight or flight response, raising your heart rate and blood pressure. Deep breathing signals your brain that you’re safe, which can reduce physical tension.
When you’re in the dentist’s chair, try to get comfortable and inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four. Hold that breath for a count of two, and then exhale gently through your mouth for six seconds. Repeating that cycle 10 times can help tell your nervous system to relax.
3. Use Distraction Techniques
Anxiety intensifies when you’re focused on worry or anticipating pain. It’s often helpful to distract yourself from the treatment you’re receiving.
You can bring headphones and listen to music, podcasts, or guided meditations. You can count or visualize a favorite place. You can also repeat a positive mantra in your mind. This can be something as simple as: “I am safe. I am in control.”
“I bring my favorite playlist and headphones,” said one patient to penndentalmedicine.org. “It distracts me and makes the time go by faster.”
4. Use Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
Anxiety often causes involuntary muscle tension, which intensifies feelings of stress. PMR is a technique that helps relax your muscles.
Start at your toes. Gently tense those muscles for five seconds and then release them. Do the same with your legs, your stomach, your shoulders, your arms, and then your face. Concentrate on the contrast between tension and relaxation.
You can use this method on your way to your appointment, while sitting in the waiting room, and throughout your treatment.
“I practice deep breathing exercises before and during my appointment,” said another patient to scottsdalesmile.com. “It really helps calm my nerves.”
The Differences Between Dental Anxiety and Dental Phobia
Many people experience dental anxiety. Others have an actual phobia. Understanding the difference can help you choose the best strategies to cope.
Dental Anxiety
This is general nervousness or worry about visiting the dentist. It manifests as mild to moderate fear, restlessness, sweaty palms, elevated heart rate, and/or mild avoidance.
Using the methods recommended above, people with dental anxiety can usually make it through their dentist appointment.
Dental Phobia
This is a severe, irrational fear of dental procedures. It manifests as panic, nausea, trembling, and/or avoidance of the dentist for years. For people with this condition, simply thinking about a dental visit can trigger intense anxiety.
If this describes your experience, consider professional intervention such as counseling or cognitive-behavioral therapy. It’s worth the time and effort, because dental health is key to overall health.
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