At Evolve Dentistry in Portishead, Bristol, we understand that anxiety about attending dental appointments is a very real problem for many people. As a practice, we have an ethos of doing all that we can to put you at ease from the moment you start your journey with us. That’s why we always encourage patients to speak to us about their concerns so that we can look for real solutions that are more tailored to your needs.
With that in mind, we’d like to tell you about a drug-free solution for our nervous dental patients, that we find can work very well. Hypnosis, or hypno-relaxation, needs to be understood properly in order to see the merits and the first thing to be aware of is that it’s nothing like the displays you see on the stage or television! Under responsible, professional hypnosis you will not lose control or do anything embarrassing. It is impossible to hypnotise someone against his or her will, so a patient who isn’t fully comfortable with the concept would not be a suitable candidate for this type of treatment.
The first stage of hypnosis in the dental setting is to create a mutual trust between the patient and the dentist, which is aided by a series of initial questions that help to achieve a trance-like state. Patients are often surprised by the length of time they have been hypnotised for because it feels much shorter in comparison to real time. We find that hypno-relaxation is particularly good for those who are concerned about longer treatments, while those with a fear of the dentist can also benefit as it will make healthy mouth reviews seem very quick!
Jonathan Sproson carries out hypnosis at Evolve Dentistry, he has used this technique with many patients and is qualified and experienced in this area. The huge benefit is that it is completely drug free, so it is a much more cost-effective solution to sedation techniques and also means patients can carry on with their normal daily activities much more quickly, and can even drive after their appointment!
If you’d like to discover more about hypno-relaxation and how it could benefit you, get in touch with us on 01275 842550.