I had a dentist freak me out as a child. I remember crying and crying in the chair. He made jokes to make me laugh but sent me over the edge because they were mean jokes and scared me more. Anyway I have bad teeth and have to go to a dentist. I have found I have had to try a few and find one willing to deal with me and my phobias. Some will, some will not. My present one is wonderful. Also there is compatability. I used to have a very nice dentist whose techniques did not help me stay calm. So I found a new dentist with techniques I prefered. Then two other things really helped. One was hypnosis. I learned to use self hypnosis techniques to relax myself and stay calm. One other thing I used when I needed a root canal was a prescription sedative. I found with a few of my fears that if I was sedated I could handle the situation better. Then the next time I did not need the sedative because my brain had been calm in the situation previously. Oh and I also find my iPod very handy when the dentist is drilling. I can turn on my music and escape.
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