Do you have a fear of the dentist? What do you do to calm yourself?!

Do you have a fear of the dentist? What do you do to calm yourself?

I tell them. On my first visit, I told anyone who asked me how I was. The hygienist and assistants told me about their fears too which calmed me down a lot. My dentist is super nice and asks me about my life before anything starts. Then she tells me what she's going to do next. I take the earliest appt they have so my mind doesn't have much time to think about it. For me, the waiting part is the worse. But once I'm in, I'm not too nervous anymore. On the day of the appt, I plan something for after (a movie fest w/friends, dinner out, etc) so I don't feel like the day is just a dental appt day. Once in the chair, I play with my bracelet or rings and it helps to calm me down. I close my eyes and before I know it, it's done and I feel great. If I get super stressed about it, I remind myself that in 2 months, with everything that's going to be on, I'll be glad I "got it over with". =)