Hypnotherapy for Dental Phobia in Adelaide

Signs dental anxiety is getting in the way

• The reminder card from your dentist is still on the fridge.
• The smell of the waiting room, or the whine of the drill, sets your heart racing.
• Lying back with someone leaning over you feels like losing control.
• You put up with a sore tooth rather than ring for a dental appointment.
• You’re scared to go to the dentist because of bad teeth, and embarrassed to let anyone look.
• One bad visit, maybe years ago, still plays in your head.

Do some of these ring true? Read on. If a tooth hurts now, or your face is swelling, please see a dentist first. We can work alongside that.

Dental anxiety vs dental phobia: what’s the difference?

Dental anxiety is the nerves many people feel before a check-up. You feel uneasy, but you still go. Dental phobia is stronger and it lasts. The fear is out of proportion, and it keeps you away from dental care you need.

Then a cycle can set in. You stay away, your oral health suffers, and going back feels more embarrassing. An Australian survey led from the University of Adelaide looked at this. People with high dental fear had more missing teeth, and had gone longer since their last visit.

Not going to the dentist also feeds the alarm. Each cancelled booking leaves you relieved, and that teaches your mind the danger was real.

How a hypnosis session helps you prepare for a dental visit

Dental anxiety therapy with me starts in your imagination, not the chair. In the hypnotic state you’re relaxed and aware. You can stop whenever you like. This isn’t dental hypnosis given in the chair. Our sessions come before your visit, away from the dental setting. We break a visit into small parts, like ringing to book, the waiting room and lying back. Then come the bright light, the sounds and the dental procedures themselves. We rehearse each part, so your body practises a calmer version first.

If one bad visit started it, Rewind can take the sting out of that memory. You don’t have to describe it. NLP and Time Line Therapy are other tools I’ve found useful. So is Symbology, the use of metaphors and images. You also learn a short relaxation and self-hypnosis routine, with a recording to play before you go. If the needle for local anaesthesia is the worst part, Hypnotherapy for Needle Phobia goes deeper.

Working with your dental team

Tell the practice you’re anxious when you book. Then ask for what helps you:

• A first visit just to talk, with no work done.
• A hand signal that means stop, agreed before you start.
• A morning appointment, so you don’t fret all day.
• A say in when the work begins, and time to breathe.
• Information about sedation, if you think you’ll need it.

The Australian Dental Association’s SA branch gives advice on patient anxiety to dental professionals. It includes hand signals, morning bookings and a say in when work begins.

How dental phobia hypnotherapy works: video or Adelaide

The program is four sessions, after a free 15-minute phone call.

1. 1Free phone call, 15 minutes

   Tell me what happens when you think about the dentist, and whether a visit is coming up. I’ll be straight about what’s possible. You can also ask me anything about hypnosis, like what it feels like or whether you stay in control.

2. 2First session

   We break a dental visit into small parts, from booking to the chair. Then we begin, with hypnosis and the easiest part.

3. 3Sessions two to four

   Each hypnotherapy session starts with a short chat, then hypnosis in a chair, eyes closed. If you have a date, the last session falls close to it. You take a recording home to play in the waiting room.

Still weighing it up? Ask me anything on a free 15-minute phone call. If I don’t think I’m the right fit for you, I’ll say so.

Or call 0427 218 092

What research says on the effectiveness of hypnosis in dentistry

One German trial gives a closer look. Glaesmer and colleagues followed 102 people having a tooth out. Those given hypnosis on top of usual care felt less anxious during the extraction, but not afterwards. That’s why I offer hypnotherapy beside your dentist’s care, never instead of it.

Is hypnotherapy for dental phobia safe?

For most adults, yes. No medicine is involved, and nobody touches your teeth in our sessions. You might feel sleepy or a little emotional for a short while afterwards.

Hypnotherapy doesn’t replace your dentist or other health professionals. Pain, swelling or a broken tooth needs a dentist now, not after our sessions. Did the fear begin with abuse or a traumatic event, or does a memory keep replaying? Then start with a psychologist. If you live with psychosis, or a serious mental illness without support yet, see your GP first. Questions about sedation or medicine belong with your dentist or GP.

What dental phobia hypnotherapy costs in Adelaide: $1,000

One session at a time is $300. Most people take the 4-session program: $1,000 paid at the start, which is $250 a session and $200 less than paying as you go ($1,200).

Who you’ll be working with

Ernest McLeod

Clinical hypnotherapist, Adelaide and online

I’m Ernest McLeod, a clinical hypnotherapist and Adelaide’s Hypno Coach since 2012, so fourteen years now.

I grew up near Vienna and have called this city home since 1991. Before hypnotherapy I wrote software for twenty years. Most of my sessions now happen by video on Google Meet.

Fellow, Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists (ASCH) · Certified NLP Practitioner · Time Line Therapy® Practitioner · Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses

What I’m not: hypnotherapy isn’t a registered health profession here. I’m not AHPRA-registered, and I’m not a psychologist. My memberships are voluntary. I also teach other hypnotherapists. The Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association has approved my smoking, vaping and gambling cessation courses for professional development (CPD).

ThreeBest Rated is an online business directory. It listed The Hypno Coach among Adelaide’s top three hypnotherapists every year from 2018 to 2026. Read more about me