Being afraid to visit the dentist, especially if such visits are rare, is an affliction many individuals have. A lot of people get so worried that their oral health declines, causing gum infections, gum disease, tooth cavities and abscesses.

There are many techniques available today that can help make going to the dentist more comfortable for you by eliminating or lessening your anxiety to a manageable level. A survey by the British Dental Association found that 25% of people feared visiting the 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. For instance you may have had a bad time at the dentists when you were younger, and you worry about it happening again, will it hurt, will I vomit? The highest level of fear is called dental phobia which is far worse than dental fear and is usually caused by a painful or scary past dental experience.

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. Avoiding the issue is great,it saves you from being stressed out. The best way to hang on to your phobias or fears is to avoid them altogether. This holds you back from getting a grip on them.

The 3rd key point is the fact that many people make the simple act of visiting a dentist more difficult by thinking negatively. The greater the focus on something you fear, the greater the chances are that you will buy into the negative connotations associated with that fear. You may also have negative images about what could happen if you go to the dentists, or about your worst fears coming true. Both the negative self talk and negative image serve to perpetuate your fears, guaranteeing that you remain afraid. They also sap your confidence by making you feel that you may never be able to overcome your fear. If you strip away the bad images and the self-defeating rhetoric, you’ll be that much closer to getting over your fear and being able to visit the dentist without any anxiety or stress. Hypnotherapy can be of great assistance with that. Hympnotherapy can eliminate all kinds of anxieties and fears in a calming, comfortable fashion.

If you find an understanding dentist and visit regular, with each visit you will experience less anxiety until it diminishes, and the greatest advantage of all will be that you will have beautiful white teeth and sweet smelling breath.

A good dentist and great hypnotherapist helped to cure me of the fear of the dentist that had bothered me for many years.

Ask your friends and colleagues if they can recommend a dentist who looks after anxious patients A dentist who is a good listener can go a long way towards relieving your anxieties. It is important that you be able to feel at ease while discussing your fears with your dentist. There are many things a person can do to release anxiety.

Explaining the procedures

You might also say to yourself, how can hypnosis help me to get rid of my phobia?

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

Hypnotherapists use many techniques to help rid you of your phobia, often using NLP as well. The session will generally be begun with relaxation and breathing techniques, and then therapy regarding changing negative self talk to more positive and settled thinking.

You will also picture the process of telephoning in an appointment, imagining your own calm and confidence as you perform the act, as well as your composure in the time directly before the appointment. 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.

Knowing that you’ll never have to be afraid again will make you feel fantastic, and now you’ll have clean white teeth and nice breath.