Hypnosis can ease dental anxiety
A team of researchers in Germany have found that hypnosis can be used to tackle dental anxiety.
Dental anxiety is very common and can be severe in some cases; some people have such a deep-seated fear of going to the dentist that they feel extremely nervous and suffer from physical symptoms, including nausea, tremors and sickness at the mere thought of going to see the dentist. Many patients avoid going to the dentist for several years due to dental anxiety and consequently they suffer from poor standards of oral health and often experience severe pain.
Researchers from the German Society of Dental Hypnosis (DGZH) found that anxiety causes patients to become tense, which causes the dentist to become tense; this in turn, increases the anxiety of the patient even further. The team found that dental anxiety can be very damaging to both patients and dentists.
Most dentists in Germany treat patients with severe dental phobias with general anaesthetic, as they refuse to be conscious during dental procedures; however, this means of treatment is not preferable, as it carries risks and leads to prolonged recovery times. Instead, The DGZH says that patients can now turn to hypnosis as a means of conquering and controlling their fear and anxiety.
Stephen Eitner, a dentist and a member of the German Society of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy, says that hypnosis helps to relax patients and distract them from what is going on in the treatment room. Patients feel calmer and are able to get through the procedure without getting anxious or scared.
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