Needle AND dentist phobia

[kristina807]

28 yrs old - Any recommendations if I have a needle phobia AND a dentist phobia?  Does hypnosis actually work?  Was thinking of looking into that for future visits.  That or does anyone have any suggestions?  It's sad, I can actually tell you where my dentist and my needle phobias stem from.  Very bad experiences with both.  Gathered up the guts to go for a checkup for the first time in 12 yrs.....have 2 cavities - first ones ever....getting those fillings today (been stressing about this since the checkup appt)....Bringing Ipod and hopefully that will help...VERY SCARED....


Any suggestions...

LATER...

I went!  It wasn't that bad!  The dentist was great....told me that he won't start until I calm down and I'm ok to go ahead - he said if needed, did i want to reschedule?  I went through with it, it wasn't bad at all...  I think I found the right dentist...  

 

[Gordon]

Hypnosis isn't that successful for dental phobias, but works really well in conjunction with RA sedation.
There's plenty of helpful advice on here in the other sections if you poke about a bit.

 

[kristina807]

Tks for the reply....a little bummed about the fact that hypnosis isn't known to help all that much. I think that it's prob going to have to be a "tough it out" situation - just because although I hate going, and I'm really scared about it, it will potentially get worse if I don't go. I'm counting down the minutes.....appt is at 4....it's 2 right now...

 

[letsconnect]

Hi ,

I don't know if you've seen this page:

Painful Injections and Needle Phobia

Are you terrified of dental injections? Find out why shots may be painful, how to make them comfortable, and what to do if you have needle phobia.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Hypnosis can work really well for some people and some types of anxiety, but not so well for others - so if you have a feeling that it would work for you, it might be worth a try! Be careful to choose someone who is properly qualified.

Hope your appointment went well !!

 

[kristina807]

It did - tks for the heads up. Basically, I ended up trying to fiddle around with my ipod so much that I tried to just concentrate on that. It helped because it took some of the attention away from the drilling. I think the thing that bothered me ultimately though was the shot rather than the drilling. I think that if u find the right dentist, the experience isn't as bad. I did cry a little before the shot due to my phobia about needles....

 

[letsconnect]

Glad to hear it went well in the end - congratulations !!

 

[Geraint]

well done for coping so well with your needle phobia and the drilling. Im glad to see your Ipod helped you relax I always take a cd walkman with a relaxation cd to listen to if I need any drilling done i find this helps drown out the sound of the drill and helps me relax