Szary Associates Case Study

Dental Fears

Having not gone to a dentist for several years because of longstanding fears, when a piece of tooth broke and I knew I would have to seek treatment, I had an immediate panic reaction and became very anxious and totally preoccupied by my fear of what was going to happen.

One week later I visited and registered with a dentist and was given an appointment for 3 days later. I felt very anxious when I attended but expected and was prepared to have treatment on the tooth and whatever else was needed in due course. I was very shocked, therefore when the dentist refused to treat me because I was too anxious and said that he would refer me to be treated under sedation at the dental hospital. As that prospect was even more alarming I asked him to reconsider which he agreed to. As the first available appointment was 4 weeks away, I felt desperate when I left the surgery at the thought of continuing to feel so anxious and physically ill for another month and being so fearful of what was going to happen when my treatment started that I could not cope with normal everyday life.

I was fortunate to be able to get an appointment with Mr. Szary that day and it was established that it would be helpful for me to have guidance on how to:

Cope with my anxiety and the ensuing physical symptoms:

Prepare me for the dental appointment:

Develop a strategy to tolerate the treatment.

I was enabled to visualise the physical feelings of anxiety as a hot colour and a high flame and then was able to visualise changing the colour to a cool one and turning the flame down to a minimum level, feeling calmer and more in control whilst doing so.

I was encouraged to recognise that, whilst it was natural to feel a degree of anxiety, the level of anxiety generated came only within myself and that, therefore it was within myself that I had the capacity to take control of it.

I was helped by visualising the process of arriving at the dental surgery, sitting in the waiting room, being led into the surgery and sitting in the chair, and linking these images with the technique of managing the physical reactions by mentally turning the level down.

I was also helped by identifying pleasant experiences and memories and then visualising enjoying these images while having the dental treatment.

Additionally, I was helped by recognising the logical perspective of this dental problem. I was encouraged to envisage a timeline into the future in terms of days, years and decades, and look back on the situation I was in a and see it as a momentary experience.