Fear of Dentist

[rusty]

Does anyone here have a fear of going back to the dentist because of bad dental experiences in the past? I have had some bad experiences in the past. I have a dentist that I go to but have not been to in a few years and I need to have some teeth filled,but I still can not get over my fear no matter how many times I have been.

Does anyone else feel the same way? Any help to tackle this fear and get my teeth fixed would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[Shamou]

"Dental Fear Central" could help... give it a click... and good luck to you...

.

[dulaney0330]

Fear of Dentist is sure distressing and frustrating especially when you need to go, but can't!

For me, the only way that I overcame my fear of the dentist was by systematic desensitization. I do not know if you have heard of the term or not, but it simply means that the more times you do something...the more likely your fear will be reduced.

Two summers ago, I had a tooth that needed a root canal but there was one root that no dentist could get to. I went all over pittsburgh looking for a dentist to work on my tooth. In the process of having dentists constantly in my mouth, I became more and more comfortable with the concept and with the visits!

To this day,I do not fear the dentist and it was such a relief because I had feared it since I was a small child.

Of course, I do not know if you are able to go to the dentist every week, but I just know that systematic densensitization worked for me!

I hope you find the help that you need! Take Care.

[Erki]

Become a masochist.

[Megan]

EFT is great for phobias.

Back in October, I developed a paralyzing fear of cougars due to hearing one in the back of our house one night. On a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 10.

I would not take walks, or even burn trash outdoors in the daytime, and going to and from the car at night was a heart-pounding experience.

I didn't want to do EFT because I was actually afraid to get over my fear, because, of course, that meant the big cat would get me!

I finally broke down and did EFT a couple of times and gradually, without even noticing it, I was going outside, burning the trash, etc., without anxiously scanning the trees, roof, under the shed, and so on. I just would 'forget' to do it.

My fear level went from a 10 to a 2, I would say, but I still wouldn't take my beloved walks on our beautiful country road.

So, recently, I was doing EFT for a number of other concerns, and this week I noticed myself walking right out the door and taking my usual walks, like I haven't done since last October, like it was no big deal. I would say I'm about at a .5 or less fear level now.

EFT kind of creeps up on you, so I would suggest you go to the EFT site:

EFT Provides Impressive Health and Emotional Freedom--New Discovery Often Works Where Nothing Else

I also suggest you download the free manual, subscribe to the free newsletter and just do some tapping without any expectations or plans about going to the dentist. It may seem silly, but just do it because, what the hay--it can't hurt anything, and it's free.

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if one day, without even really thinking about it, you found yourself dialing the phone to make an appointment with your dentist. (Is your dentist gentle? Some are not, in my experience.)

BTW, I used to have the worst dental phobia you can even imagine. When I was a kid, I was told I was going to take an "airplane ride" and I ended up being dragged into a dental chair by several people and having a black mask clamped over my face. I was so terrified after that that toothpaste commercials sent me into panic attacks. I somehow grew out of that, I'm not quite sure how, but I can totally identify with dental phobia, you can be sure of that.

I did a search of the EFT site for "dental phobia" and here's what came up:

dental phobia - Google Search

Best wishes,

Megan

[Ree]

Laughing Gas.

[Megan]

Just for an example....

In my 25 years of practice as a psychotherapist, I never encountered a person with Dental Phobia as severe as "Erin." Erin came to me over a period of years with many other issues, and often mentioned that she had a "terrible, dark secret" that she never told anyone.

Finally, several months ago, Erin told me that she was suicidal over her problem and HAD to tell me. She was certain that I would be so "horrified" that I would never want to work with her again.

Her terrible secret was that she hadn't been to a dentist since she was forced to go as a child FORTY YEARS ago, and now all of her teeth were very loose. One of her top front teeth was hanging by a thread and she promised herself years ago that when that particular tooth fell out, she would have no choice except to kill herself.

I thank God for EFT because without that magnificent tool, I would not have been able to help Erin. With traditional therapies, it would have taken months, if not YEARS to help her with her phobia. Even then, I don't know if she would ever have been able to face walking into a dentist's office.

By using EFT on the double issue of her enormous fear of going to a dentist plus her equally intense SHAME of not going to a dentist, I was able to accompany Erin to a dentist's office only TWO WEEKS after she first told me about her problem.

Using EFT for fear of dentists

[aabukar]

dear i have been there ... i know how you feel

i was very afraid of them that i didn't go for 10 years ... When i had to go there i was facing problems with my Gum ... had to fill 12 teeth and it was horrible ... plz don't wait until your teeth get so bad before you go you owe it to yourself and things can only get worse if you didn't go ...

so what i did is that i found a good dentist ... a very good one actually and on my first appointment i told him exactly how i feel .. he was caring and very kind actually and during all the time he kept talking to me explaining what he is doing and why ... i still feel scared when i go and every time i think i will through up in his face but i know i have to do it for my teeth health so i concentrate on something else i pray all the time i am there you can try singing in your head or thinking about something else ....whatever that works for you

hope i helped and good luck with your teeth

[Jes]

I put off going to the dentist for four or five years because I was just too scared. Then the pain got so bad I just had to go back. Turned out I needed a LOT of work done. So I went in for the first root canal, scared as a kitten, and it was completely painless. I had to keep going back for something else just about every week for six weeks, and it was never bad or painful or half as scary as I made it out to be. Don't let the fear prevent you from walking into that office. Make the appointment, be as nervous as you want that morning, but just make sure you get into that office. Once your there and he starts working, you'll be fine. Bring an iPod and some Rolling Stones/U2 and you'll be set!

[pylonian]

Only one thing has ever made me comfortable sitting in that dentists chair - acupuncture! It probably sounds sort of funny because many people who fear the dentist also fear needles - but if you can get past that part (not so difficult, really) it can really help. First of all, there are treatments you can get to dampen pain. One of my professors tells a story where he was going to get a dental procedure (filling, I think) and did a 45 minute stimulation of a point called Large Intestine 4, which is on the hand. He then left for the dentist.

He requested no anesthesia and after some discussion, they allowed it. It was in Germany - I'm not sure you could get an American dentist to do that. Anyway, he had the procedure and there was no problem. I asked him what he thought about more serious procedures and if acupuncture could do anything about the extreme tension people go through before going to a dentist. There are several very simple treatments that can be done for general relaxation - adding the pain dampening treatments on top and you have a recipe for an ok treatment.

At least that has been my experience. I've done this for my last two dental visits (one a root canal and crown in the same visit) and not only do I have no discomfort, I don't work myself into a panic attack before the visit and I also seem to recover from the anesthesia much faster.

Just a thought!

[twinkie]

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.