An Anxiety Sufferer's Guide To Wisdom Teeth Removal

When you suffer from chronic anxiety, any task or appointment can be cause for stress and worry. As such, when it comes time for you to get your wisdom teeth removed, you may be unsure as to whether or not you can even go through with the process. If your dentist has recommended wisdom teeth removal, it likely means that in order for your mouth and teeth to remain healthy that the wisdom teeth have to go. So rather than bury your head in the sand, get to know some of the ways that you can get through the wisdom teeth removal process in spite of your anxiety.

Let Your Oral Surgeon Know About Your Anxiety

Before the day you go in to have your wisdom teeth removed, you will want to talk to your oral surgeon or dentist about your anxiety issues. These professionals are used to working with patients who are anxious and who are scared of dental procedures.

As such, they will more than likely not only treat you kindly, but prescribe you a sedative medication to take a short period of time before your wisdom teeth removal begins. A single dose of diazepam, alprazolam, or other sedative drug can help you to relax before surgery so that your worry and anxiety do not make the process harder on you or your surgeon.

Request To Listen To Music During The Procedure

Most wisdom teeth removals are performed under local anesthesia rather than a general anesthesia that renders you unconscious. While the procedure itself is painless because of the local anesthetics, the sounds that the equipment makes when your surgeon is removing the teeth can be disconcerting and can trigger an anxious reaction.

In order to help combat this and to prevent you from reacting physically to the sounds of the surgical procedure, request that the oral surgeon let you listen to music during the surgery. A pair of noise-cancelling headphones and familiar and comforting music will help drown out the sounds around you and help you focus on something other than the wisdom teeth removal process.

Get A Massage The Evening Before Your Procedure

Relaxing as much as possible in the hours immediately before your procedure will help you to feel less anxious when you actually get there. Try to give yourself a little pampering and relaxation the night before your wisdom teeth removal procedure by getting a massage.

Massage therapy helps to relieve the tension you carry around in your muscles from your anxiety. By getting rid of the muscle knots, the massage therapist will also help your mind to relax and give you a sense of calm before you go to bed the night before your procedure.

Now that you know a few of the ways that you can deal with your anxiety and get your wisdom teeth removed, you can take the necessary steps and get through your oral surgery as easily and as anxiety-free as possible. Contact a business, such as the Family Medical Dental Center, for more information.