Fear of Dentists

How it shows up

Fear of dentists is one of the more common phobias people bring to hypnotherapy, and it’s understandable why: it combines several triggers at once, being in a vulnerable seated position, loss of control over what’s happening in your mouth, sounds and sensations you can’t see coming, and for some, a specific bad experience in the past.

For many people, this fear leads to years of delaying checkups and treatment, which often means more serious (and more anxiety-inducing) dental work is needed down the road. That cycle can make the fear even harder to break on your own.

How hypnotherapy helps

Whatever your fear attaches itself to, a specific bad memory, a general sense of losing control, or an anticipatory dread that builds before the appointment, the underlying cause is what hypnotherapy targets. Pattie uses hypnosis alongside CBT and NLP techniques to work with your subconscious response, so the appointment stops triggering the same fight-or-flight reaction.

For a fear rooted in a specific past experience, sessions work to release that memory’s hold on you. For fear built more around anticipation, the work focuses on retraining that “pre-planning” anxiety before it has a chance to spiral.

What a session looks like

You’ll start with a free 20-minute consultation, in person at Pattie’s Scottsdale office or by phone or Zoom, to talk through what specifically makes dental visits difficult for you. From there, sessions run $150 each.

Common questions

Can this help even if I haven’t been to a dentist in years? Yes. In fact, that’s one of the most common reasons people reach out. The goal is to get you comfortable enough to go back and stay consistent with care.

Will I need to be hypnotized in the dentist’s chair? No. Sessions happen separately, in Pattie’s office or remotely, to work on the underlying fear response before your appointment.

What if my fear started with one specific bad experience? That’s common, and hypnotherapy is particularly effective at working through a fear that traces back to a single negative memory.