How to Deal with Anxiety Regarding Daily Oral Care and Hygiene
Did you know your oral health is a window into the overall health of your entire body? More and moreresearch is showing the correlation between poor oral health and other serious health conditions. That is why daily oral care and hygiene are critical to a long and healthy life.
The knowledge that you need to take good care of your teeth daily is not new or revolutionary. It is well known… but what if you are concerned and have anxiety about your daily dental care and oral hygiene routine? How can you overcome the feelings of anxiety that surround your oral care habits?
Recognizing the Signs of Anxiety
Does your daily oral care routine cause you stress? Have you been failing to properly execute your oral hygiene routines and are wondering why? You may have anxiety regarding those routines. How do you know?
- You make excuses to procrastinate about your oral care routines.
- When you think about the process, the begin to breathe heavy and your heart races.
- You excessively worry about the negative effects of your oral care.
- You have difficulty focusing when it comes to your oral hygiene routines.
- You feel restless, irritable or on-edge when it comes time to perform your oral hygiene.
How to Overcome Your Oral Hygiene Anxiety
If you feel this, is you, you are not alone. Anxiety is a common condition and people feel anxious for all sorts of reasons. If you feel anxious about your daily oral care routines, understand that it can be overcome and that you can make the changes necessary to adopt healthy and productive oral care habits.
What can be done to make these positive changes? You know that you need and want to adopt these healthy habits into your life. What can you do to make that a reality today?
- Talk to your dentist
According to Mola Dental who have services to deal with nervous patients “Your dentist will be familiar with this type of anxiety and can give you suggestions to help combat these feelings of general dental anxiety”.
- Educate yourself about the negative effects of avoiding daily dental care
Knowing the negative downstream effects of not having proper dental care habits may not be enough to shake away the feelings of anxiety on their own but it will give you extra motivation to learn how to overcome those anxious emotions.
- Do breathing exercises to calm yourself
Breathing exercises have a fantastic way of reducing the effects of anxiety. You can slow your heart rate, calm your nerves and reset your mindset with simple breathing techniques.
- Distractions
Perhaps music, a podcast or an episode of your favorite TV show will help distract you from the anxious feelings that surround your daily dental care routine. If it helps you go through the motions and build the right habits, it is worth it.
- Be patient with yourself
Patience is key and this isn’t a race. Don’t aim for perfection, aim for progress and believe in yourself. These may soundcliché, but they are true and when you are working to overcome anxiety, anything that works is worth trying.
Progress is a process. Anxiety doesn’t have to stand in your way forever. Follow these steps and you will be on your way to a happier, healthier mouth in no time!
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