Hypnosis and dentistry have been closely linked for some time, over a hundred years. Early accounts exist from as far back as 1836 when Jean-Victor Oudet, a Paris physician, undertook extraction of a tooth from a patient who was hypnotised.

There are many useful publications in existence which can guide a student methodically through the process of hypnotic inductions for calming patients for dentalwork. A whole array of strategies have been well documented that can work efficiently with patients who are traumatised by their fear of the needle, or drills, to name a few of the potential pit falls.

So why should dental professionals learn skills like self hypnosis and how does this help?

Natural cycles are present in the body and these regulate physical functions such as hunger, reaction times and sex drive. Perhaps the best known is the circadian rhythm (the roughly 24 hour day/night cycle). Along side this, playing a less obvious but important role is a cycle known as the ultradian rhythm.

Every 90-120 minutes we all experience troughs of low energy and efficiency. During this period, hemispherical activity in the brain switches over to a more holistic daydreaming thought style. Most people notice this around 3.00pm or 4.00pm in the afternoon.

The modern day pressures of daily practice life usually require that the practitioner or team member take a coffee, or eat some chocolate to maintain their energy, in other words do what is needed to get through this period.

No one would expect a professional footballer to play continuously for 90 minutes... but many rational people will think nothing of working from dawn until dusk without taking timeout to relax.

Over-riding this requirement for your body to relax will cause stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to be produced. Although these hormones make you ready for action, they also have the detrimental effect of suppressing your immune system. In the longer term, continuing this cycle could lead to numerous other health complications. No one would expect for example, a professional footballer to play continuously for 90 minutes without a break but many rational people will think nothing of working from dawn until dusk without taking timeout to relax.

Simple self hypnosis tunes into these unconscious rhythms and can allow your conscious mind to take a back seat and take time out to enjoy a calmer state of mind. There are many ways of doing this, one method is to find a quiet place without interruption (see box).

The use in the dental practice is that the team member can easily feel refreshed, balanced and be more productive for longer than if they had chosen to work through these rhythms or had a coffee break in order to have stayed wide awake.

How can it be of practical use?

There are many courses across the country which cover the use of hypnosis in dentistry. Manchester-based dental practitioner Dr Nadim Majid recently attended one such course which included amongst its remit the use of hypnosis in dentistry.

Asked his reason for attending, Dr Majid replied, “I picked up an article on hypnosis in dentistry, after that I became more interested in the subject. We were doing RA and IV sedation in the practice and it was something I had been interested in but had not got around to reading up on. I started reading more on the subject and became particularly interested in self hypnosis because I was able to help myself become calmer and a lot more relaxed.”

When asked what he had learned that had helped him in his daily work Dr Majid replied, “The course has helped me refine my existing skills and use them, also it's given me the option of furthering my knowledge as well. I think that's what's helped.”

“I have also been able to use it in work situations. Just yesterday one of my colleagues was a bit upset and during lunch time I was able to speak with her which helped her relax. It has pointed me in a new direction, opened me up to new areas and that's been quite beneficial. I do think perhaps the most important part for me was the introduction to self hypnosis as a relaxation technique to calm myself and others down.”

See Box