Dentophobia or fear of dentists is something I used to struggle with due to the excessive amount of dental treatment I had to endure as a child. Having 5 teeth out under gas as a 13-year-old and having Flouride – which used to make me sick was a surefire way of making me not ever want to go to the dentist ever again.
Dental fear
The good news is that after training as a hypnotherapist I had the knowledge and the tools to deal with the discomfort, gagging and pain. Using self-hypnosis, I teach my clients to place themselves on the happy sunny beach in a deckchair, whilst the dentist just gets on with it.
Case Study – Avoided the dentist for 25 years
Simon hated going to the dentist. He would gag every time he had any dental work done, even basic cleaning. The fear of something blocking his throat or drowning was so bad he avoided going to the dentist for 25 years. Now in his late 50s, he had all sorts of problems so came to see me for help.
Using the MP3 I gave him access to, he placed it on his phone and I assured him that the dentist would allow him to listen to it. I also taught him some visualisations which allow the person to utilise their imagination in a positive way.
Success – after 6 sessions Simon managed to get all the way through a major dental procedure which took over an hour and was in two parts. Although he’s not keen on the dentist, he’s certainly not going to miss any future cleaning or check-ups.
Case Study 2 – No Gagging
Another Dentophobia case was C_. She was in her 70s and her anxiety about going to the dentist had increased over the past 20 years. To the point that her dentist told her to go away and do something about it, as it was impossible for him to do his job. So she came to see me in clinic. With the help of the MP3 and the tools, she was able to breeze happily through an emergency dental appointment and book more treatments.
Penny’s sessions were very calming and she gave me the confidence to use her “Sleep well” download on my phone when I was at the Dentist last week. For many years, I had “gagged” a lot when having dental treatment but this time I was very calm and relaxed. The Dentist said it was amazing how different I was. I will certainly now use the download when I go to the Dentist.
Also see: Pain management