Dental Anxiety: No Fears, No Tears here!
Does your little one freeze up when stepping into a dental office? Do they become shy and quiet as soon as someone in a white coat enters the room? Dental anxiety is extremely common for both adults and kids and at VCO Orthodontics in Arlington Virginia we try to not only acknowledge that but help as much as we can to calm any jittery nerves! We’ve put together a few tips to help calm you or your child’s nerves while visiting either the dentist or orthodontist to make your visit as stress-free and positive as possible!
Listen to music: while you’re in the dental chair, pop in your headphones and listen to music that soothes or calms you. Whether it’s your favorite dance hit or a peaceful spa station, music is proven to help distract and calm the mind.
Use our weighted blanket: many studies now show that weighted blankets help calm anxiety, whether dental or common everyday concerns and fears. At VCO Orthodontics we have no issues working around what makes you feel comfortable, whether it’s a blanket or stuffed animal that you or your child wants to bring to help with tension!
Focus on your breathing: if you focus on taking deep breaths through your nose when you start to feel your heart rate rise, not only will that help ease your mind and allow you to focus on something other than the procedure, but it will slow your heart rate and therefore make you feel peaceful and at ease.
Before starting any new appointment, we'll show you what to expect. Little kids can be nervous but then find all the stuff we do pretty cool once we show them! :)
In addition to self-care ways of easing your mind and nerves, our office provides fun activities for the kiddos to help encourage positivity within a dental practice and make your experience the best it can be! If you’re a current patient, be sure to ask about our reward system so you know how to earn points at each visit so you can earn prizes! As a new patient, if you’d like to schedule your complimentary consultation, you will be given a full tour of our office so we can highlight all the goodies and activities to make your time here as enjoyable as possible! We can’t wait to help show you just how FUN a dental office can be!
