Dental Hypnosis to Reduce Dental Anxiety or Phobia

Our dentist Bob is now offering dental hypnosis to help relax nervous patients before treatment.

What exactly is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a procedure which enables a health professional to suggest a trancelike state of relaxation, calmness, and well-being in order for a patient to experience changes in perceptions, thoughts or behaviour.  This procedure often includes instructions to imagine or think about pleasant experiences.

Patients who have experienced hypnosis often describe it as an altered state of consciousness (as opposed to being unconscious, or ‘asleep’), similar to daydreaming, or a normal state of focused attention, in which they feel very calm and relaxed. It can be likened to meditation at a yoga session. Everyone responds differently to hypnosis, but regardless of how and to what degree they respond, most people describe the experience as very pleasant. Contrary to popular belief, patients are still fully in control of their own behaviour under hypnosis and retain enough awareness to recall what happened to them under hypnosis.

Within dentistry, hypnosis can be used very effectively to help reduce anxiety over dental treatment, and can even help to reduce  severe gag reflexes to make treatment more comfortable. We are now offering hypnosis as an alternative option to sedation for certain treatments. In many ways it is preferable to sedation as there is no recovery time, fewer complications (especially for patients with complicated medical histories), and it is also more cost-effective for the patient. Please give us a call on 0161 941 2048 or email info@butterflydental.com if you would like to know more. 

To rinse or not to rinse?

Whether you use mouthwash or not is usually down to personal preference unless your dentist has specifically advised you to use one to treat dental problems. But if you do decide to use one, how do you make sure you're getting the most out of it?

Fluoride mouthwash can be very beneficial to patients, as it can help expose the tooth surface to an extra dose of fluoride, which can be helpful for those concerned about tooth decay. Mouthwashes can also be used following meals, to rinse the mouth of any food debris that may be caught around certain parts of the mouth, for example temporary crowns or orthodontic appliances.

Mouthwash must be used a separate time to brushing, otherwise the mouthwash will wash off the all the goodness contained in the toothpaste. A great time to rinse with a mouthwash is following a meal or when you arrive home from work.

There are a number of mouthwashes available. Popular options for patients and staff include Colgate Fluorigard and Oral B Pro-Expert. Listerine also have a popular range of mouthwashes but they can be quite strong in flavour and some patients may find that the high alcohol content irritates their mouth. Corsodyl offer a range of mouthwashes that contain strong antibacterial properties, which can be helpful for patients with bleeding, irritated gums. However, they should only be used for up to two weeks, as it can cause the colouring in certain food and drinks to stick to the teeth more than usual, causing heavy staining.