Harvard Health Blog
Afraid of the dentist? How do you deal with it?
In our October issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, we offer advice about how to manage dental phobia. I’d love to hear from readers of this blog about what techniques they use to cope with their own dental fear. I’ll compile representative replies in a later post.
(This issue is one I grapple with myself. Every time I go to the dentist, my palms sweat and my pulse pounds. Anti-anxiety drugs haven’t helped much, so I’ve been experimenting with different relaxation methods.)
Are you afraid of the dentist? What helps you? What hasn’t helped? What advice would you offer someone else?
Please email replies directly to mental_health@hms.harvard.edu and put “Dental fear” in the subject line.
Thanks so much!
About the Author
Ann MacDonald, Contributor
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