CBD And The Dentist: Control Fear And Dental Pain
25 June 2021It’s time to visit the dentist again. The high-pitched whine of drills, needles for anesthetics, creepy equipment, and that big lamp shining straight into your face – the thought alone is enough to give most of us the shivers. Still, we need our regular dentist appointments for our own good. What do you prefer: keep feeling crushed by those toothaches, or conquer your fear and let the dentist help? At least you’re not alone if you feel anxious about seeing the dentist. There is hope, however: CBD Oil lets you tackle your fear of the dentist and pain caused by aching teeth in one go!
CBD And The Dentist Problem
What is it about dentists? Sure, visiting regular doctor for a health check isn’t exactly fun, but when it comes to visiting the dentist, many of us feel an altogether different sense of dread take hold. Feeling anxious about the dentist is in fact an official phobia (called dentophobia) affecting 75% of all adults to some extent. Dentist anxiety can include other elements, such as fear of needles, of pain, or of vomiting. As dental surgeon and fouder of Askthedentist.com Mark Burhenne indicates, fear of the dentist often starts in childhood, triggered by negative experiences. These early anxieties can become serious enough to escalate into mild forms of PTSD.
And yet, seeing the dentist from time to time is unavoidable. Getting regular dental check-ups is a healthy habit, as are the dentist’s interventions we all need at times. The problem is that fear and anxiety cause us to ignore the symptoms and avoid making that appointment. That will only make matters worse, of course. If you leave toothaches, plaque, or cavities unchecked, the intervention is bound to get more drastic and painful once problems become too big to ignore.
CBD could help lower the threshold, helping us face the music and go to the dentist in time. The soothing properties of this cannabinoid can be very helpful, but that’s not all. CBD also has analgesic properties that can keep pain and inflammations under control. That means CBD can help prevent dental issues as well as aid recovery after dental procedures.
Need To See The Dentist? Try CBD!
Keeping Dentophobia In Check
Is your regular check-up around the corner? Have you been ignoring sore teeth or gums? Fear of the dentist often sets in days before you have to go see the dentist. CBD (cannabidiol) has several properties that can help you control fear and anxiety. This cannabinoid interacts with the endocannabinoid system in your body. That explains why CBD can influence functions including emotion, memory, and blood pressure, to name but a few. It allows CBD to bring calm, easing the mind and soothing the body at the same time.
Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of CBD in controlling anxiety and PTSD. In 2019, 203 mental health ward patients were involved in a study conducted by University of Colorado scientists. All patients suffered from anxiety and sleeping problems. They each received doses of CBD for one month. 76% of subjects reported improvements in their perceived anxieties, while 66% were able to sleep better due to CBD.
However, this study did not involve a control group or placebo contingent, which makes the results difficult to compare. Yet even though more research is needed, multiple studies have demonstrated that CBD can provide the sense of calm needed to overcome fear. If you are anxious about that upcoming dentist appointment, CBD Oil may just be the extra push you need to stop being anxious and afraid.
Toothaches
If you are having toothaches right now, you probably know you should have already planned a visit to the dentist. The pain is usually caused by inflammations of the dental roots or jawbone. Other reasons for painful teeth include abscesses. These will also cause inflammation, however, which will only keep spreading unless a dentist does something to stop it. But could CBD help here, too?
In 2020, a review published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research analysed a wealth of data and concluded that CBD has strong anti-inflammatory capacity. On top of that, cannabidiol also has antibacterial properties. These could help prevent cavities, as a 2020 study showed.
A thin layer of plaque is deposited on the surface of our teeth after every meal, consisting of food remains, bacteria, and saliva. Given a chance, the bacteria present in such dental plaque can cause inflammations unless they are brushed away. The study mentioned above involved treatment of plaque with cannabinoids (not just CBD, but also CBC, CBN, CBG, and CBGA). Comparing the results with regular toothpaste showed that plaque treated with CBD contained fewer bacteria. That means CBD could help prevent dental issues before they even start.
If you plan to use CBD to protect your teeth and control your fear of the dentist, be sure to order a full-spectrum CBD product. These contain all the extra cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids the hemp plant provides, including several with powerful antibacterial, anxiolytic, and anti-inflammatory properties such as CBG. If you are already experiencing tooth ache, you should go to the dentist straight away. You don’t want to leave cavities or other problems left untreated, even though starting to use CBD supplements can still help.
CBD As A Painkiller Before And After The Dentist
CBD can also be used as a natural painkiller. Sudden toothaches may have to wait before the dentist is available to treat them. That makes it a good idea to use CBD Oil and relieve the pain, or at least part of it. This cannabinoid can also be used against pain after treatment, providing a natural substitute for drugs such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
To be sure, dental issues are always a pain. Fortunately, good dental hygiene helps prevent a considerable share of the problems. If you have that appointment up ahead, use CBD for support, whether in the form of our full spectrum CBD Oil or CBD Tablets, for instance. And if you are experiencing severe dentophobia or fear of the dentist, you can always turn to an anxiety-specialised dental clinic. As you can see, there is always a solution to help you take the next step. Soon, you’ll be smiling that flawless smile again, safe in the knowledge that CBD keeps your fear of the dentist under control!
