Many of us rely on our phones for everything. It is our alarm, our TV, our map, and our recipe book. So it makes a sense that we begin to expect that there could be an app for anything. That includes overcoming dental anxiety so we can get the oral healthcare that we need to protect our teeth and preserve our overall health.
But is this the best solution to your dental anxiety problem? Let’s consider the benefits and shortcomings of apps and see why you might want to consider a stronger alternative to achieve the restfulness you want at the dentist.
Benefits of Relaxation Apps
There are definitely some things to recommend relaxation apps to try to overcome dental anxiety. One advantage is the sheer variety of options. You might decide on a mindfulness or meditation-style app, or perhaps you can consider something like nature sounds, self-hypnosis or even a “worry box” that you can put your worries into and decide if they are worth the effort of worrying about them.
These apps also have the benefit that many of them are free. This means that you can try several of them out to find the style that works best for you.
Relaxation apps are usually designed to be pretty user-friendly. They are easy to learn and easy to use.
If you get a relaxation app, you can also use it any time you want. You already carry your phone with you everywhere, so you will have the tools you need to try them when you need them.
Drawbacks of Relaxation Apps
However, these apps actually offer only limited benefits, and they come with several drawbacks. First, its important to note that a relaxation app can only do so much for you. It is just sights and sounds. Although it can provide some guides for mediation and mindfulness, it can not actually get you into a relaxed state, and learning to meditate on your own takes practice, sometimes years of practice.
What many of these apps offer is just sounds to help you relax. But people have a mixed response to the different sounds. What others find relaxing can be annoying and stressful to you. Often, it might be better to just try listening to your favorite music during an appointment.
Speaking of irritating, reviews of several of these apps complain about superfluous notifications that can bother you, instead of helping you relax.
It is also important to consider some of the problems with “free” apps. First, many of them are free only during a trial period, and if you are not careful you might end up paying for a year’s subscription as soon as your trail ends–and it can be hard to get a refund. Other times, an app might be free overall, but many of the features within the app are only available with purchase, and you can sometimes end up paying a lot more than you planned for the app.
Free apps are also known for their privacy problems. Makers of free apps often design them to collect data from people, often much more than you suspect, and you have no control over where that data goes.
A Better Relaxation Solution
If the idea of a relaxation app appeals you more than the idea of sedation dentistry, we can help. We offer a solution that is more powerful than a relaxation app, but is still drug-free. NuCalm is a neuroscience approach to relaxation that combines four elements to help you achieve a meditation-like state, even if you do not have practice to reach that state on your own. NuCalm is more than music: it uses neuroacoustic software to harness your brain’s natural frequency-following response, which puts your brainwaves at relaxed frequencies. It also uses gentle electric stimulation that has been used for decades to counter anxiety and improve restfulness. Add natural sleep hormones and light-blocking mask, and you can sink right into your meditative state every time.
If you are looking for a dentist in St. Louis that offers a full range of relaxation options, please call (314) 678-7876 today for an appointment at City Smiles.
