Fear of the Dentist

Being afraid to visit the dentist, especially if such visits are rare, is an affliction many individuals have. It’s quite common for people to avoid the dentist altogether and allow their dental hygiene to go down the tube, as their gums develop gingivitis and teeth begin to decay and abscess.

To-day there are many methods and techniques to help overcome anxiety so that going to the dentist becomes more comfortable. A British Dental Association survey concluded that 25% of people were afraid of going to a dentist.

There are varying degrees of fear of the dentist. Keep in mind with facing dentist’s fears that the most common fear is the unkown. Following this is dental fear, an actual reaction to a known or presumed danger. A bad experience as a child while at the dentist, such as pain, vomiting, etc, is more than likely the cause of your dental fears now. Past dental experiences that have caused you extreme pain, results in a condition called dental phobia, which is similar to dental fear but on a higher level.

So what may you be frightened of?

A fear of needles
A fear of dental instruments in your mouth
The worry you might vomit
Unsympathetic dentists
Bad childhood experiences
Fear of the drill
Fear of anaesthetic
Feeling vulnerable

There are three factors that tend to keep your fear of the dentist going.

Sensitisation (you find it difficult going to the dentist)
Avoidance (you stop going to the dentist)
Negative, distorted self talk (which terrifies you)

A dental phobia occurs whenever you have become sensitized to a visit to the dentist, otherwise stated, you have anxiety which is associated with that situation. If panic suddenly arises while you pick up the phone to make the appointment, or when you are on your way to the dentists, you may start feeling anxious every time you’re in one of these situations. Being sensitized means that simply thinking about going to the dentist is able to trigger anxiety in you.

After sentisation occurs you may tend to avoid the situation. Repeated avoidance is very satisfying because it allows you to avoid anxiety. If you don’t face your fear,it will never go away.

A third element that sustains a person’t fear of the dentist is distorted and unrealistic self talk. The greater the anxiety you feel in anticipation of the object of your fear, the greater the likelihood that you will have an unproductive inner conversation about it. You might harbor additional bad images about potential scenarios at the dentist, or imagine the worst that could happen. Negative self talk and a negative self image both propagate the fears you have, which guarantees that you remain fearful. They also sap your confidence by making you feel that you may never be able to overcome your fear. By not talking yourself out of it and having a fearful imagination you would be more apt to conquer your evasion and go to the dentists confidently.

Hypnotherapy can be of great assistance with that. Hypnotherapy gets rid of all sorts of fears and phobias in a comfortable relaxing way.

The first thing to do is to find an understanding dentist and you will find that if you visit regularly you will start to feel very confident, and that confidence will grow stronger every time you visit, and the best thing of all is that you will have lovely white teeth and sweet smelling breath.

My extreme dental phobia was finally cured once I found a good Plymouth hynotherapist that could relieve my dental fears and a great dentist that understood these fears.

Ask your friends if the can recommend a dentist who is a good listener and good with dealing with anxious patients. It is important that you be able to feel at ease while discussing your fears with your dentist. There are many approaches he/she can use to relieve your anxiety.

Relaxation and distraction techniques
Pain free injection
Sedation
Listening carefully to you, giving you time
Explaining the procedures

You may wonder how hypnosis will assist you in overcoming your fear.

This is only one of many issues which Hypnotherapy Plymouth can help a person to deal with.

Hypnotherapists utilize various techniques to banish phobias and often also include NLP.

They often start the session by using breathing and relaxation techniques, followed by working with the negative self talk, and changing it to positive calm thinking,

You will imagine going into the dental surgery for a check up, all the time feeling strong and safe, and when you think of dentists and drills you will feel calm and in control, and you will see yourself leaving the surgery feeling a surge of confidence and elation.

You’ll never have to address the issue again, and you’ll smile more confidently knowing that you can be proud of your teeth and your breath.

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