Dental phobia hypnotherapy
Does the thought of going to the dentist fill you with dread? Have you been putting off check-ups for years, or cancelling appointments at the last minute? Hypnotherapy can help you feel calm and in control at the dentist, by resolving your fear at the subconscious level.
Hello, I'm Susannah. I am a fully qualified hypnotherapist with 20+ years of experience, offering clinical hypnotherapy in the City of London, near Liverpool Street, and online. I help people who've put off the dentist for years, cancelled at the last minute or only go when they're in pain. I offer bespoke one-to-one hypnosis sessions in London or online in the comfort of your own home. Contact me to find out more or book your initial consultation.
How can hypnotherapy help with dental phobia?
Hypnotherapy can help with dental phobia by breaking the link between the dentist and fear, and resolving the underlying thoughts and beliefs. In hypnosis, we work on whatever sets off your fear, from the sound of the drill to needles or feeling judged. This can help you book appointments, sit back in the chair and get the treatment you need, feeling calm and in control.
What are the benefits of dental phobia hypnotherapy?
The benefits of dental phobia hypnotherapy include feeling calmer, more in control and more confident about looking after your teeth. Hypnotherapy can help you:
- book and keep your dental appointments
- feel calm in the waiting room
- sit back and relax in the dentist's chair
- breathe steadily during check-ups and treatment
- feel in control, with a signal to pause whenever you need
- stay calm about needles and injections
- let go of embarrassment about your teeth
- sleep well the night before an appointment
- smile with confidence again
Meet Susannah Saunders: Clinical Hypnotherapist in London
Susannah Saunders is a clinical hypnotherapist with over 20 years’ experience, helping clients with anxiety, sleep difficulties, phobias, confidence and unwanted habits.
She founded City Hypnotherapy Centre in London in 2003 and previously worked for two years as an assistant clinical psychologist within NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Her qualifications and professional registrations include:
- BSc (Hons) in Psychology
- Senior Qualification in Hypnotherapy Practice (SQHP), General Hypnotherapy Standards Council
- Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD), National Council for Hypnotherapy
- Registered with the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR). Registration number: 3034
- Registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). Registration number: CNHC10269
Your appointment
£198Including VAT · approximately 50 minutes
- Individual sessions tailored to you
- Your initial consultation includes hypnosis
- A personalised hypnosis recording included
- Time to discuss your goals and review your progress
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What is dental phobia?
Dental phobia, also called odontophobia or dentophobia, is an intense fear of the dentist or dental treatment. It's more than feeling a bit nervous: the fear can stop you booking appointments for years. Hypnotherapy can help calm the fear, so you can look after your teeth with confidence.
What causes a fear of the dentist?
A fear of the dentist often starts with a painful or frightening experience, sometimes in childhood. It can also come from a parent's fear, stories from friends, or feeling judged about the state of your teeth. Your brain can learn to link the dentist with danger, so the fear can feel automatic, even years later.
Why do I feel so out of control in the dentist's chair?
Many people feel out of control in the dentist's chair because they're lying back, with their mouth open and someone working close to their face. It's hard to speak or see what's happening, which can make you feel trapped. Agreeing a stop signal with your dentist and practising it in hypnosis can help you feel in control again.
Is it normal to feel embarrassed about the state of my teeth?
Yes, feeling embarrassed about your teeth is very common, especially after years away from the dentist. Many people with dental phobia worry they'll be told off, lectured or judged. Hypnotherapy can help you let go of the shame, so you can walk in and ask for the help you need.
Can hypnotherapy help with a fear of dental injections?
Yes, hypnotherapy can help if fear of needles or injections keeps you away from the dentist. Some people feel faint or panic at the sight or thought of a needle. Hypnotherapy, breathing techniques and mental rehearsal, where helpful, can help you stay calm when it's time for the injection.
Can hypnotherapy help with a strong gag reflex at the dentist?
Yes, hypnotherapy can help if anxiety makes you gag during check-ups, X-rays or impressions. Nerves can make your gag reflex more sensitive, so the fear of gagging can make gagging more likely. Hypnotherapy and breathing techniques can help you stay relaxed and breathe steadily through your nose.
Can hypnotherapy help me go to the dentist after years away?
Yes, hypnotherapy can help you take the first step back to the dentist, however long it's been. Booking that first check-up can feel like the hardest part, especially if you're worried about what they'll find. Hypnotherapy can help you feel calm about making the call, walking in and sitting in the chair.
Can hypnotherapy help me prepare for a filling?
Yes, hypnotherapy can help you feel calm and prepared for a filling, from the injection to the drill. Knowing what will happen, step by step, and rehearsing it calmly in hypnosis can make the day feel familiar. Many people also find it helps to agree a stop signal with their dentist.
Photograph by Min An on Pexels.
What is desensitisation in hypnosis, and how can it help?
Desensitisation in hypnosis means picturing each step of a dental visit while you're relaxed, from booking to sitting in the chair. Step by step, your brain learns to link those moments with calm, so they lose their charge. It's a gentle way to face your fear, at a pace that feels right for you.
What is anchoring, and how can it help?
Anchoring links a calm feeling to a small physical cue, like pressing your thumb and finger together. We create your anchor in hypnosis, and you can use it discreetly in the waiting room or in the chair. Over time, the cue brings back that calm state quickly.
What is the rewind technique, and how can it help?
The rewind technique is a gentle way of taking the emotional charge out of a difficult memory, while you're relaxed in hypnosis. You watch the memory like a film, then run it backwards, so it loses its power. It can help if a bad experience at the dentist, perhaps from childhood, still affects you today.
What happens in a dental phobia hypnotherapy session?
Each session combines a solution-focused conversation with time in hypnosis, while you sit back with your eyes closed. Your first session is the initial consultation, which includes hypnosis, and later sessions start with what's gone well since we last met. After each session, you have the personalised recording to listen to at home.
What related support can I explore?
Read more about phobias and fears, anxiety, fear of being sick, feeling trapped or claustrophobic and online hypnotherapy.
What would you like to know about dental phobia hypnotherapy?
Understanding dental phobia and common fears
Dental anxiety is feeling nervous about the dentist, while dental phobia is an intense fear that makes you avoid going altogether. Many people feel uneasy in the dentist's chair, but with a phobia, even booking an appointment can feel impossible. Hypnotherapy can help with both, from pre-appointment nerves to fear that's kept you away for years.
Fear of the dentist is very common. For some people, it's mild nerves, and for others it's a phobia that keeps them away for years. Hypnotherapy can help you feel calmer and more confident about dental visits.
You can panic at the dentist because your body's stress response reacts to something it has learned to associate with danger, even when you know you are there for help. The sound of the drill or the smell of the surgery can bring on fight or flight. Hypnotherapy can help calm that response, so you feel more in control and can think clearly.
You keep cancelling because avoiding the dentist brings instant relief, which teaches your brain to cancel again. Over time, the fear grows, and so can the worry about what the dentist will find. Hypnotherapy can help you feel calm about booking, so you keep your appointment.
People with dental phobia often fear being judged, pain, needles, gagging, the sound of the drill and feeling out of control. Dental Fear Central's list of common dental fears also includes the smell of the surgery and lying back in the chair. Hypnotherapy can help with whichever fears apply to you, one at a time.
The sound of the drill makes you panic because your brain has linked it with pain or fear from the past. Sounds and smells can set off fight or flight in a split second, before you've had time to think. Hypnotherapy can help break that link, so the sound becomes just a sound.
Yes, hypnotherapy can help if the fear of pain stops you going to the dentist. Anxiety can make every sensation feel bigger, so feeling calmer can help treatment feel more manageable. Hypnotherapy can help you relax in the chair and feel in control.
Yes, hypnotherapy can help if you worry about choking, swallowing or catching your breath in the chair. Water, cotton rolls and instruments in your mouth can make some people feel they might suffocate. Breathing techniques and hypnosis can help you breathe calmly through your nose and trust that you're safe.
Yes, hypnotherapy can help if the numb feeling makes you panic or feel out of control. Some people feel as though swallowing or breathing is harder when their mouth is numb. Hypnotherapy can help you stay calm and remind your mind that the feeling is temporary.
Dental appointments and different treatments
You can stay calm in the waiting room by breathing out slowly, listening to something relaxing and using your anchor. For many people, the waiting is the hardest part, as the fear builds with every minute. The personalised recording and self-hypnosis can help you arrive calm and stay calm until you're called in.
Yes, hypnotherapy can help if you panic at the dentist, with a racing heart, shaking or tears. Many people worry they'll panic so much they'll have to leave, which adds to the fear. Hypnotherapy can help lower your overall anxiety, and anchoring gives you a quick way to calm down in the moment.
Sleeping before a dental appointment is easier when you have a calming routine and a way to settle a busy mind. Many people lie awake the night before, imagining everything that could go wrong. The personalised recording can help you relax at bedtime, so you wake up calmer.
Yes, hypnotherapy can help you feel calm during a check-up, from lying back in the chair to the dentist looking in your mouth. A check-up is usually quick, but for someone with dental phobia, every minute can feel long. Breathing techniques and your anchor can help you stay relaxed until it's over.
Yes, hypnotherapy can help if a scale and polish makes you anxious. The scraping sensation, the noise and the water spray can all feel uncomfortable when you're tense. Hypnotherapy can help you relax, so regular visits to the hygienist feel easier.
Yes, hypnotherapy can help you feel calm before a tooth extraction, including wisdom teeth. The pressure and sounds during an extraction can be unsettling, so it helps to arrive calm and prepared. Hypnotherapy, breathing techniques and mental rehearsal, where helpful, can help you stay relaxed in the chair.
Yes, hypnotherapy can help you feel calm about a root canal, which often takes longer than other treatments. Lying back with your mouth open for a long time can feel daunting if you fear losing control. Self-hypnosis and the personalised recording can help you stay relaxed for the length of the appointment.
Yes, hypnotherapy can help you feel calm and prepared before implants or other oral surgery. Longer procedures and recovery can bring extra worries, especially if you've avoided treatment for a while. Hypnotherapy can help you feel ready, so you can go ahead with the treatment you've decided on.
Hypnotherapy can help with the fear of booking and attending a dental appointment. If you have tooth pain, contact your dentist promptly and tell them you are anxious, so they can arrange appropriate care and support. We can work on the fear alongside your dental care, helping you feel steadier about making the call and walking in.
Yes, hypnotherapy can help you feel calm at your children's appointments, so they see the dentist as a normal part of life. Children often pick up on a parent's fear, even when it's unspoken. Feeling calmer yourself can help your children feel relaxed about the dentist too.
Hypnosis techniques and preparing for the dentist
Solution-focused hypnotherapy combines a forward-looking conversation about what you want with hypnosis to calm your mind. We focus on how you want to feel at the dentist and build on what's already working, one small step at a time. It suits people who want practical help to look after their teeth.
Positive suggestion is the use of clear, encouraging statements in hypnosis, when your mind is relaxed and open to change. For dental phobia, that might be suggestions for feeling calm in the chair and breathing easily. Repeated on the personalised recording, these suggestions can help new responses feel natural.
Ego strengthening is a set of suggestions that build self-belief and remind you of your strengths and past successes. It's useful if embarrassment or past experiences have knocked your confidence. It helps you feel strong and able to take care of yourself.
Reframing is looking at a situation in a new way, so it feels more manageable. A check-up can become an act of self-care, and the dentist someone on your side. In hypnosis, the new view can feel more natural, so it sticks.
EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques, involves tapping on points on your face, upper body and hands while you focus on a feeling. It's a quick way to calm down before an appointment, at home or in the car. You can do it in a few minutes, wherever you are.
A useful technique is to breathe out for longer than you breathe in, which helps calm your stress response. You can do it in the waiting room or in the chair, breathing gently through your nose. I teach you this alongside anchoring, so you have quick tools for the moments that count.
Self-hypnosis is a skill I teach you, so you can relax your mind on your own. You can use it the night before, in the waiting room or in the chair. With practice, it takes a few minutes.
Mental rehearsal is picturing yourself at the dentist, calm and in control, while you're relaxed in hypnosis. You rehearse each step, from walking in to leaving with a smile, so the real visit feels familiar. Where helpful, we rehearse a specific treatment, like a filling or an extraction.
Dental phobia hypnotherapy can help anyone who feels anxious about the dentist, from mild nerves to fear that's kept them away for years. It can help with fear of needles, gagging, the drill, pain or being judged. It also helps people preparing for treatment, like fillings, extractions, implants or a root canal.
Dental phobia hypnotherapy works by calming your stress response and changing the thoughts and associations behind your fear of the dentist. In hypnosis, we work on the negative stories, thoughts and beliefs at the root of the problem, like expecting every visit to hurt. Then, where helpful, you mentally rehearse a calm visit, so the real one feels familiar.
The stress bucket is a way of picturing how stress builds up over time. Every worry, bad night's sleep and cancelled appointment adds to it, while sleep, rest and support help you recover. We use it to talk about what is adding to your stress and how hypnotherapy can help you face the dentist more calmly.
Appointments, evidence and professional registrations
The personalised recording is the audio of your hypnosis session, for you to listen to at home between sessions. It's ideal at bedtime, especially the night before an appointment. Listening regularly helps reinforce the positive changes we make together.
Yes, many people like to listen through earphones in the waiting room, and some keep them in during treatment. It can help you relax and block out the sounds of the surgery. Ask your dentist first, so they can agree a signal for when they need your attention.
Yes, you stay in control throughout hypnosis, aware of what's happening and able to open your eyes at any time. Hypnosis is a natural, focused state, a bit like being absorbed in a good book. Most people find it very relaxing, and you come out feeling refreshed and alert.
Yes, you can have dental phobia hypnotherapy online by secure, encrypted Zoom, from the comfort of your own home. Many people find it easier to relax and talk openly about their fears at home. My online hypnotherapy page has more detail.
Dental phobia hypnotherapy sessions are private and discreet, with confidentiality explained when we begin. I offer a service arranged directly with me, and I'm registered with the Information Commissioner's Office, number ZB654528. My privacy policy explains how I look after your information.
The number of sessions varies from person to person, depending on what you'd like to work on. We talk it through at your initial consultation, so you know what to expect.
My fees are listed on my prices page, and I'm happy to answer any questions before you book. You can contact me to book your initial consultation.
Research supports hypnosis for easing anxiety during some dental procedures. A 2024 review found moderate-certainty evidence that hypnosis helped with anxiety during oral surgery. A 2019 review also found benefits for anxiety more generally. We use that evidence alongside your individual needs when planning your sessions.
When choosing a hypnotherapist, look for recognised qualifications, professional insurance and someone who understands dental fears. You can check my qualifications page, my General Hypnotherapy Register profile and the CNHC register. I hold the SQHP and HPD qualifications and have been practising as a clinical hypnotherapist since 2003.
I'm Susannah Saunders, a clinical hypnotherapist in the City of London. I founded City Hypnotherapy Centre in 2003, after two years as an assistant clinical psychologist in NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. I have a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, and I'm registered with the General Hypnotherapy Register.
Questions you might feel nervous about asking
I can help with the fear and embarrassment that have kept you away from the dentist for ten years or longer. You might worry about opening your mouth, being told off or hearing how much treatment you need. We work on those worries so you can ask for help and take the next step towards looking after your teeth.
Hypnosis can help with the anxiety that makes you cry as soon as you sit in the dentist's chair. We talk about what happens for you, whether it is a bad memory, fear of pain or feeling trapped. Hypnosis can help you feel calmer and more in control, and we can plan how you will ask your dentist for a pause.
Hypnotherapy can help when even booking a dental appointment makes you feel sick. The worry can start days before the visit, while you are looking up dentists or deciding whether to call. We can work on that fear early, so making the appointment and keeping it feel easier.
Hypnosis can help with the anxiety you feel about a rubber dam and having instruments in your mouth. We can work on the fear of feeling trapped, staying calm and using an agreed stop signal. Tell your dentist what worries you so they can explain the procedure and plan support with you.
I can help you feel more comfortable telling your dentist you are scared and explaining what you need. We can work on the embarrassment, practise asking questions and agree what you want to say before the appointment. That might include asking for explanations, short pauses or a signal to stop.
You can check my qualifications on my about page and verify my registrations through the CNHC and my General Hypnotherapy Register profile. My CNHC registration number is CNHC10269 and my GHR registration number is 3034. I hold a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, HPD and SQHP qualifications, trained with CPHT, and founded City Hypnotherapy Centre in 2003.
Where can I read the research and check your registrations?
Page reviewed by Susannah Saunders, clinical hypnotherapist (SQHP, HPD), November 2026.
How can I book my consultation?
Contact me to find out more about hypnotherapy for dental phobia and fear of the dentist, or book your initial consultation.
