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Home » Blog » Understanding Your Dental Anxiety Can Make It Easier To Manage

Understanding Your Dental Anxiety Can Make It Easier To Manage

 

 

 

 

 

By some estimates, between 30 and 40 million Americans avoid going to the dentist, at least in part, due to feelings of dental anxiety.

You may be one of them. You may understand the health benefits of regular dental care, yet it may not help you overcome the emotional barrier that dental anxiety creates.

Our team at Galleria of Smiles want you to know that it’s OK for you to have those feelings. We also want you to know that we would like to help you learn to manage that anxiety.

Sedation dentistry is one option, and we also offer comfort options that many people find similarly relaxing. Whenever a patient visits our dentist office in Tulsa, OK, we want him or her to feel comfortable and relaxed throughout their stay.

It can take time for you to get to that point. But we want you to know that we will be here each step of the way when you are ready to start your journey.

If you have questions, please feel free to call us at (918) 496-8010 or to contact us online. Whichever is more comfortable for you is a good place to start.

 

Why Do You Experience Dental Anxiety?

You may know the exact reason(s), or you may not have given much thought to why dental care causes you to feel fearful. If you can take a moment to think about it, that could help us figure out what we can do help.

We recommend getting some paper and a pen or pencil. Writing down some things can help if you do decide to schedule a consultation with us. (Note that we said consultation, not appointment. We’ll take things one step at a time.)

You want to try to figure out a couple things. How severe is your dental anxiety? What causes your anxious feelings?

Take a moment to write down your answers to a few questions:

▸ How would you feel if you knew you had a dental appointment tomorrow morning?

▸ When would you start to feel anxious: the night before, on your way to the dentist office, or after arriving at the office?

▸ On a scale from 0 to 10, how strong would you say your dental anxiety is?

Take a moment to look at your answers. Think about how you would explain this to someone who wants to help you learn to manage that anxiety.

Then, consider a few more questions. These relate to common concerns we have heard from patients about why they feel anxious.

▸ Are you worried that the dentist may be critical of the condition of your teeth?

▸ Are you worried that dental care will be painful? If so, are you concerned about any particular equipment (such as a needle or a drill)?

▸ Are your worried that you may gag during your treatment?

▸ Are you bothered by the sounds of dental equipment being moved around or used?

▸ Have you have a bad dental experience previously?

Understanding your answers to those questions can help you as well. We can tell you that we have helped and continue to help patients with one or more of those concerns.

Dr. Justin Emami and our staff at Galleria of Smiles wants to help however we can. Dr. Emami has conducted phone interviews with patients to help set up a customized care plan before they ever step foot in our office. Contact us if you would like to schedule your own phone interview.

Taking things one step at a time can help you get where you want to go.

 

Dental Sedation And Comfort Options

For some patients with mild dental anxiety, our comfort options can do wonders.

We can offer you a blanket, a pillow, or both to help you feel as cozy as you can be while receiving your dental care. Some patients like to squeeze a stress ball.

And other people prefer to distract themselves with music, comedy, or positive news stories. We have headphones for you to borrow or you can bring your own.

If your dental anxiety is more severe, then dental sedation may be a better option for you. With sedation, you have a little help staying relaxed.

Nitrous oxide, oral sedation, and IV sedation can prevent you from feeling any pain, can keep you calm and relaxed, and may even prevent you from remembering what happened during your visit.

 

The first step can sometimes be the hardest. If you take it, Galleria of Smiles will be here to walk with you the rest of the way.

To learn more about our sedation and comfort options or about our approach to dental care in general, feel free to contact us online or to call 918-302-2401.

 

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This privacy notice discloses our privacy practices and the use of Google Analytics 4(GA4), an analytic advertising feature. This privacy notice applies solely to information collected by this website and the GA4 platform. It will notify you of the following:

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We only have access to/collect information that you voluntarily give us via email or other direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone.

We will use your information to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted us. Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about specials, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy.

While Galleria of Smiles is the primary data controller, Google, in the context of providing Google Analytics service, acts as a data processor. We use Google Analytics 4, a widely recognized web analytics service provided by Google, Inc., to track user interactions and gather data for advertising purposes. As a third-party vendor, Google Analytics operates independently and maintains its own privacy policy, which can be found at https://policies.google.com/privacy. We carefully select our third-party vendors for their commitment to user privacy and adherence to data protection standards. As part of our ongoing commitment to your privacy, we implement measures to ensure that services like GA4 comply with our high standards of data protection.

GA4 collects certain personally identifiable information from you as you interact with our website. This information includes but is not limited to your device ID, IP address, and geographic location. The information collected through GA4 is used to analyze user behavior, optimize our website’s performance, and tailor our content to better serve your needs. This data is compiled and anonymized, ensuring that it cannot be linked back to individual users.

Please note that GA4 may share the information collected with Google and other third-party service providers to enable data processing and reporting on website usage. However, we will not sell, rent, or share your information, especially your personally identifiable information, with any third party outside of our organization.

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You have certain rights regarding the data collected by GA4. You have the right to do the following at any time by contacting us via the email address or phone number given on our website:

  • See what data we have about you, if any.
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In addition to opting out of any future communications from us at any time, you may also opt out of the GA4 feature if you so choose. You can opt out of the GA4 Advertising Features we use through Ads Settings, Ad Settings for mobile apps, or through the NAI’s. This link points to Google Analytics’ currently available opt-outs for the web https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/

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We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline. GA4 also follows industry best practices to protect your data both online and offline.

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Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a lock icon in the address bar and looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the Web page.

While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

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When Personal Health Information (PHI) is requested, we abide by all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) rules and regulations to protect your information and privacy. We are required by applicable federal and state law to maintain the privacy of your health information. We are also required to give you this Notice about our privacy practices, our legal duties, and our rights concerning your health information. We must follow the privacy practices that are described in this Notice while it is in effect. This notice takes effect January 1, 2019, and will remain in effect until we replace it. We reserve the right to change our privacy practices and the terms of this Notice at any time, provided such changes are permitted by applicable law. We reserve the right to make the changes in our privacy practices and the new terms of our Notice effective for all health information that we maintain, including health information we created or received before we made the changes. Before we make a significant change in our privacy practices, we will change this Notice and make the new Notice available upon request. You may request a copy of our Notice at any time. For more information about our privacy practices, or for additional copies of this Notice, please contact us using the information listed at the end of this Notice.

Wherever we request sensitive information (such as personal health information (PHI)), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a lock icon in the address bar and looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the Web page.

We are the sole owners of the information collected on this site. We only have access to/collect information that you voluntarily give us via email or other direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone.

We will use your information to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted us. We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization, other than to perform quality of service analysis and as necessary to fulfill your request, e.g. to respond to your queries. We may use your information to review our interactions with you and to help us improve and provide you with the best experience possible.

Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about specials, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy.

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You may opt out of any future contacts from us at any time. You can do the following at any time by contacting us via the email address or phone number given on our website:

  • See what data we have about you, if any.
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Security
We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline.

Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as personal health information or credit card data), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a lock icon in the address bar and looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the Web page.

While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example: billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

If you feel that we are not complying with your rights, you should contact us immediately via telephone or email. You also have the right to contact Health and Human Services (HHS) (https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/). We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

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Terms of Service

Entering this site or the links accessible through this site, you agree to be bound by this agreement. The information and the resources contained on and accessible through this site are made available by Galleria of Smiles and/or its suppliers and vendors, and are subject to your agreement to their terms and conditions.

All contents copyright (c) Galleria of Smiles

All rights reserved, Galleria of Smiles makes this website available to all users for the sole purpose of providing educational information on health-related issues.

The accuracy of website, information, and resources identified are not warranted or guaranteed, or intended to be a substitute for professional health advice, to contradict health advice given, or for health care of any kind.

Your use of this website indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use and you expressly agree to be bound to the foregoing terms and conditions.

All materials on this website, including the site’s design, layout, and organization, are owned and copyrighted by Galleria of Smiles, or its suppliers or vendors, and are protected by U.S. and international copyrights.

Material on this site may be used for personal use only. Commercial use of any sort is strictly prohibited.

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This site may not be used as a supplement or alternative for health care, and is not intended and does not warrant or guarantee the quality or quantity of any services of any of the advertisers identified; further, the information provided is merely for educational purposes, and its accuracy is not guaranteed. Do not use this site as a substitute for health care. Please consult with your doctor or other health care provider regarding any health questions you may have. This site may not be used for health diagnosis or treatment. Do not use this site to disregard any health advice, nor to delay seeking health advice, because of something you read or see in this site.

You understand and agree that neither Galleria of Smiles nor its suppliers or vendors or linked domain names are responsible or liable for any claim, loss, or damage of any kind, directly or indirectly resulting from your use of this site or the information or the resources contained on or accessible through it.

Galleria of Smiles expressly disclaims any implied warranty or representation about the information or accuracy, relevance, completeness, timeliness or appropriateness for any particular purpose of any kind. Your use of this site is also subject to all additional disclaimers that may appear throughout the site.

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This site also includes links to other internet sites created and maintained by Galleria of Smiles’s suppliers, vendors, affiliates, or subscribers. Be aware that Galleria of Smiles does not control, makes no guarantees about, and disclaims any express or implied representations or warranties about the accuracy, relevance, completeness, timeliness or appropriateness for a particular purpose of the information or the resources contained on these or any other internet sites.

Further, the inclusion of these links is merely for your convenience and is not intended and does not reflect Galleria of Smiles’s opinion on the accuracy or the importance of these other sites; further, Galleria of Smiles does not endorse in any manner any of the views expressed in, or products or services offered by these other sites. All information in any site by Galleria of Smiles, or associated or linked site, is extracted, read, used, or relied upon by you at your own risk.

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Galleria of Smiles and its suppliers and vendors disclaim all express or implied representations or warranties regarding the information, services, products, materials, and any other resources contained on or accessible through this site, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. All information provided by Galleria of Smiles is made available “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind, or any express or implied promise, including, by way of example, its continuing availability.

Limitation of Liability
With respect to products, goods, or services purchased from any entity identified, listed, named or contacted through Galleria of Smiles’s website, or any links to Galleria of Smiles’s website, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Galleria of Smiles or its suppliers or vendors be liable for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, incidental, exemplary, contractual, or consequential damages, or any damages whatsoever of any kind, resulting from any loss, which by way of example, includes loss of use, loss of data, loss of profits, business interruption, litigation, or any other pecuniary loss, whether based on breach of contract, tort (including negligence), product liability, or otherwise, arising out of or in any way connected with the use or performance of this site, with the delay or inability to use this site, or with the provision of or failure to make available any information, services, products, materials, or other resources contained on or accessible through this site, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

You acknowledge and agree that the limitations set forth above are elements of this agreement, and that this site would not be provided to you absent such limitations.

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You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Galleria of Smiles and its suppliers and vendors from any liability, loss, claim, and expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) related to your violation of this agreement or use of this site in any manner. Your use of this site shall constitute your acceptance of the terms of this Agreement, as revised and modified, if any, each time you access this site. Galleria of Smiles may modify this agreement at any time, and such modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting of the modified agreement.

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Galleria of Smiles’s failure to insist upon strict enforcement of any provision(s) of this agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right.

This agreement and the resolution of any dispute related to this agreement or this site shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Oklahoma, without giving effect to any principles or conflicts of law. Any legal action or proceeding between Galleria of Smiles or its links, suppliers or vendors and you related to this agreement or this site shall be brought exclusively in a state or federal court of competent jurisdiction sitting in Tulsa County, Oklahoma.

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All materials on this website, including the site’s design, layout, and organization, are owned and copyrighted by Galleria of Smiles or its suppliers or vendors, and are protected by U.S. and international copyrights.

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