Hypnosis in Place of Anesthesia in the Dental Office?

 Have you ever been hypnotized?  Was it to help reduce stress and anxiety? Gain control of past traumas? Or was it for fun during a renaissance festival act?  Whatever the reason, I hope you were able to benefit from it!

But have you ever thought that hypnosis could work as a dental anesthetic? If your answer is no, then you need to read the article "You're not dreaming: Hypnosis works as an anesthetic" By Melissa Busch, Dr. Bicuspids' associate editor.

"Hypnosis is a safe, effective, and inexpensive technique that could be used in place of anesthesia during dental procedures, according to a clinical report published in the Journal of the American Dental Association.

In the small study, three women successfully underwent dental procedures under hypnosis rather than traditional sedation. At the time, the authors believed the report to be the only case series published that evaluates hypnosis as the sole anesthetic for patients in dental settings.

The technique

To determine whether oral surgery could be performed on patients under hypnosis without sedation, the researchers enrolled three women between the ages of 34 and 49. Two of the women had previous difficulties with medical anesthesia, including an anaphylactic reaction to local anesthetic and a paradoxical reaction to pharmacological sedation.

Prior to their surgeries, the patients underwent two sessions to assess their perioperative risk, level of anxiety, hypnotic susceptibility, and capacity to develop complete hypnotic analgesia.

On the days of their surgeries, the women closed their eyes, concentrated on their bodies and breath, and imagined lying on a tropical island's beach. The authors then induced hypnotic-focused analgesia using the following steps:

1. They suggested they were administering local anesthetic, while repeatedly touching and rubbing the cheek.
2. They said local anesthesia caused the sensation on the cheek.
3. They said the sensation was a sign that the cheek, teeth, and gums were going numb.
4. They suggested the women not pay attention to the operative setting, including the teeth, gum, and skin.

Within nine minutes, all three patients obtained hypnotic analgesia. The team then successfully performed several procedures on the women:

• The 34-year-old woman underwent a 15-minute third molar surgery and a 120-minute mucogingival surgery.
• The 47-year-old woman underwent a 15-minute third molar surgery.
• The 49-year-old woman underwent a 45-minute procedure to remove a first molar and place an implant, as well as a 120-minute procedure for maxillary bone augmentation plus two implants.

The authors told the patients they could take ibuprofen or acetaminophen for pain, if needed, after the procedures. When they called the patients that evening and the next day, the women said they felt well and did not need to take any medications.

It is not a widely used practice, but in recent years, medical professionals, including holistic dentists have begun revisiting hypnosis as an analgesic due to its lack of side effects. If the findings of this small study are any indication, hypnosis could be used cost-effectively in dental practice and also help physicians better understand and meet the subjective needs of patients, the authors wrote.

Would you try hypnosis over general anesthesia?