{"id":812,"date":"2026-05-28T15:32:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:32:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/?p=812"},"modified":"2026-05-28T15:33:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:33:02","slug":"how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Dental Anxiety Awareness: 3 Things to Look for In a Supportive Dentist"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Irving<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Dental anxieties and phobias are far more common than you\u2019d think. Many patients have had bad experiences in the past or have conditions that make them more sensitive to all the sights, sounds, and smells. Whatever the situation may be, it\u2019s important to find a gentle dentist who can provide comfortable care! Keep reading to learn what to look for in an anxiety-conscious dentist near you and see how we check every box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

#1. Dental Sedation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not every practice offers sedation dentistry in Irving<\/a>, but we do. We can say from personal experience that they\u2019re great accommodations for those with mild, moderate, or severe dental anxiety. Not all types of sedation are created equally, however, and each is best suited for different needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nitrous Oxide<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You may know it by its nickname \u201claughing gas\u201d (though at most, you\u2019ll feel more giggly than usual and probably won\u2019t burst out into fits of laughter). It works best for patients who just need a little help feeling more relaxed. If you visit our practice in Irving, we offer nitrous oxide as a complementary service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oral Conscious Sedation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This form of sedation is a pill that is swallowed. It\u2019s considered to be more powerful than nitrous oxide, but less so than IV. Depending on the dosage, you might feel completely \u201cout of it\u201d similar to IV sedation, or you may simply experience a deeper sense of relaxation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IV Sedation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For those with severe anxiety or phobia, this deep form of sedation is administered intravenously\u2014meaning it\u2019s like a shot. It\u2019s the strongest type of sedation out of the three we offer and is typically recommended for those with more severe symptoms. You won\u2019t fall unconscious like you would with general anesthesia, but many of our patients end up dozing off naturally. You also probably won\u2019t remember much about your experience, which can be a big plus for patients who need extended treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Third Party Reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Checking the reviews on a dentist\u2019s website can be helpful, but they\u2019re not usually as informative as those that come from third-party sites like Google, Yelp, or Reddit. You\u2019ll also likely find a larger pool of reviews on these sites, which is great for getting a sense of what visiting the office is truly like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll always find a negative review here or there on any dentist\u2019s page, but the idea is to find patterns. Does the dentist have mostly positive reviews across different platforms? Or are they barely there? If dozens of people say a practice provides gentle and compassionate care, that\u2019s a green flag!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Comprehensive Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Imagine going to a restaurant and learning they only have three things on the menu. While those options might be great, it can be disappointing to have to go elsewhere to get what you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you need a dental implant, but your provider refers to a specialist, that\u2019s an additional cost, more driving, and another person you don\u2019t know putting their hands in your mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patients who are already anxious or sensitive can find this idea terrifying, often putting off the treatment or skipping the treatment entirely. In this way, a dentist who offers a comprehensive list of services (like our team) can save you a lot of time and stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good dentist will always take the time to make sure you\u2019re comfortable during your appointments. If they\u2019re judgmental and hesitant to provide accommodations, then it\u2019s time to move on. Remember, there\u2019s nothing more important to your continued oral health than comfort!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At 21st Century Dental<\/a> of Irving, our team is committed to creating dental experiences that feel comfortable, compassionate, and completely judgment-free. Dr. Roy, Dr. Bristow, and Dr. Kumar serve patients in Irving, Las Colinas, and the surrounding North Texas area with a full range of preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dental care. Call (972) 255-3712 to schedule a consultation with our friendly team and see how we make a difference for anxious patients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dental anxieties and phobias are far more common than you\u2019d think. Many patients have had bad experiences in the past or have conditions that make them more sensitive to all the sights, sounds, and smells. Whatever the situation may be, it\u2019s important to find a gentle dentist who can provide comfortable care! Keep reading to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFinding A Dentist Who Understands Dental Anxiety | 21st Century Dental of Irving<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Struggling with dental phobia? Our Irving dentists share what to look for when finding a gentle, anxiety-friendly dental practice near you.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding A Dentist Who Understands Dental Anxiety | 21st Century Dental of Irving\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Struggling with dental phobia? Our Irving dentists share what to look for when finding a gentle, anxiety-friendly dental practice near you.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"21st Century Dental of Irving | Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T15:32:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T15:33:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_267984803__1776950595_76941.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"drsmith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"drsmith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"drsmith\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/021fc04591eb8507ef83e357094a8f41\"},\"headline\":\"Dental Anxiety Awareness: 3 Things to Look for In a Supportive Dentist\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T15:32:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-28T15:33:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":691,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AdobeStock_267984803__1776950595_76941.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/\",\"name\":\"Finding A Dentist Who Understands Dental Anxiety | 21st Century Dental of Irving\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AdobeStock_267984803__1776950595_76941.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T15:32:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-28T15:33:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/021fc04591eb8507ef83e357094a8f41\"},\"description\":\"Struggling with dental phobia? Our Irving dentists share what to look for when finding a gentle, anxiety-friendly dental practice near you.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AdobeStock_267984803__1776950595_76941.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AdobeStock_267984803__1776950595_76941.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dental Anxiety Awareness: 3 Things to Look for In a Supportive Dentist\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"21st Century Dental of Irving | Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/021fc04591eb8507ef83e357094a8f41\",\"name\":\"drsmith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/84a8eec98ef4696c7c56c1792263249c21806524af7f00ec55f6e76c92de11f1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/84a8eec98ef4696c7c56c1792263249c21806524af7f00ec55f6e76c92de11f1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/84a8eec98ef4696c7c56c1792263249c21806524af7f00ec55f6e76c92de11f1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"drsmith\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.21stcenturydental.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/drsmith\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Finding A Dentist Who Understands Dental Anxiety | 21st Century Dental of Irving","description":"Struggling with dental phobia? Our Irving dentists share what to look for when finding a gentle, anxiety-friendly dental practice near you.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Finding A Dentist Who Understands Dental Anxiety | 21st Century Dental of Irving","og_description":"Struggling with dental phobia? Our Irving dentists share what to look for when finding a gentle, anxiety-friendly dental practice near you.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/","og_site_name":"21st Century Dental of Irving | Blog","article_published_time":"2026-05-28T15:32:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-28T15:33:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":533,"url":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_267984803__1776950595_76941.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"drsmith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"drsmith","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/"},"author":{"name":"drsmith","@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/021fc04591eb8507ef83e357094a8f41"},"headline":"Dental Anxiety Awareness: 3 Things to Look for In a Supportive Dentist","datePublished":"2026-05-28T15:32:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-28T15:33:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/"},"wordCount":691,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_267984803__1776950595_76941.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/","url":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/","name":"Finding A Dentist Who Understands Dental Anxiety | 21st Century Dental of Irving","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_267984803__1776950595_76941.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-28T15:32:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-28T15:33:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/021fc04591eb8507ef83e357094a8f41"},"description":"Struggling with dental phobia? Our Irving dentists share what to look for when finding a gentle, anxiety-friendly dental practice near you.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_267984803__1776950595_76941.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_267984803__1776950595_76941.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/how-to-find-a-dentist-for-dental-anxiety\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dental Anxiety Awareness: 3 Things to Look for In a Supportive Dentist"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/","name":"21st Century Dental of Irving | Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/021fc04591eb8507ef83e357094a8f41","name":"drsmith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/84a8eec98ef4696c7c56c1792263249c21806524af7f00ec55f6e76c92de11f1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/84a8eec98ef4696c7c56c1792263249c21806524af7f00ec55f6e76c92de11f1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/84a8eec98ef4696c7c56c1792263249c21806524af7f00ec55f6e76c92de11f1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"drsmith"},"url":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/author\/drsmith\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=812"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":815,"href":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions\/815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.21stcenturydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}