4 Ways To Stay Calm At The Dentist Using Your Hands

For many people, just sitting in the dental chair can bring on nerves and anxiety. Instead of stressing through a whole dental appointment, you can use your hands to cope and get the healthy smile that you deserve. The following four items for your hands can help you reduce stress and remain calm while your mouth is cleaned, whitened, and prodded at.

Tanglement Puzzles

Whether it's two nails curled together or other pieces of metal, tanglement puzzles are a classic way to keep your hands busy. With the inability to look down for most of a cleaning, the puzzles can be worked with just your hands. You can work and twist your hands and focus on solving the various puzzles.

Once the puzzle is solved, you will feel pride and a sense of relief. If there is still time left in the appointment, you can put it together again and repeat the same activity. Some of the more advanced tanglement puzzles will take a long time to complete. Choose a more challenging puzzle that will help take up the time during your appointment.

Novelty Keychains

A number of small novelty keychains offer relaxing and repetitive motions for your hands. For example, eye-popping keychains feature small animal designs that have eyes pop-out when the toy is squeezed. The rubber toys are easy to grip and allow you to calm yourself through the repetitive motions.

Small plush keychains can also offer comfort as you rub different textures. Sliding the keychain portion around a finger prevents it from falling off as you pet it and hold it in your hand.

Fleece Bags & Stress Balls

Squeeze, rotate, and maneuver stress balls as you go through a dental cleaning. A majority of stress balls or fleece bags are quiet and calming and can help you focus on something else while your mouth is being cleaned. A flat fleece bag may be a better option than a ball in case the item is accidentally dropped. You do not want a rolling ball to cause a distraction for your dentist or hygienist.

Action Figures

Keep your hands busy by holding a small action figure during the visit. This is a great method for young children visiting the dentist. Action figures often feature multiple articulation points, allowing you to rotate arms, move legs, and position the figure in a variety of poses.

Along with traditional action figures, bendable figures work well. The figures can be twisted and bent and offer calming movements as your mouth is getting cleaned.

While most hand-held items should not be a problem, it's a good idea to get permission from your dentist before going into the appointment. Explaining your anxiety can help them understand why you need the small item. For more information and ideas, contact a local dental clinic like Somerset Dental On James.