Very few people look forward to their dental appointments with excited anticipation. In fact, according to research done over decades, most people actively avoid or dread their dental appointments even though they know these checkups are vital to their oral and overall health. Here are a few steps you can take to make your next dentist appointment more enjoyable and less stressful.

It’s totally normal to experience some trepidation when it comes to going to the dentist. But for 5 to 8 percent of the American population, this anxiety keeps them from getting the care they need as often as they need it. Those with full-blown phobias may not visit the dentist ever, while those with anxiety may only visit once every few years after something has gone wrong.

Preventative care is cheaper, safer and definitely less scary than treating a problem, so here at Balance Epigenetic Orthodontics, we try to find a way to help those struggling with fear or anxiety so they can get the care they need and avoid dental emergencies. Here are some tips.

New research from Binghampton University shows that getting less than the recommended eight hours of sleep a night could be to blame for intrusive, repetitive thoughts that are common in those suffering from anxiety and depression. Researchers report that disruptions in sleep make it more difficult for an individual to shift attention away from negative thoughts and information. This means that interrupted or insufficient sleep could be to blame for those with anxiety and depression who struggle with intrusive negative thoughts.

We’ve all experienced that feeling of fogginess after pulling an all-nighter for work or staying out too late with friends on a weeknight. Feeling forgetful or taking longer to process our thoughts because of exhaustion is simply an expected part of not getting enough sleep. A new joint study from researchers at Tel Aviv University, UCLA and the University of Wisconsin has discovered exactly how this lack of sleep affects brain activity.

The teams determined that individual neurons in the brain actually slow down due to sleep deprivation, causing a delayed response behaviorally and cognitively. This neural slowing messes with visual perception and memory associations in the brain.

Is your child having a hard time going to the dentist without getting upset? They’re not alone. Statistics show that children between the ages of 8 and 12 experience the most anxiety when it comes to a dental visit. Of course, dental anxiety can happen at any age, so here are a few tips to help kids handle their fears.