First, a caveat—this is not about the revitalized and overly hyped reality TV show "Fear Factor" about eating bugs and bungee jumping from high bridges. Frankly, I don't think I'm afraid of eating crickets, they just look disgusting to me.

I remember my high school coach who nearly a lifetime ago advised us to, "Face your fears… and they will disappear."

In the rural northern California town where I grew up, the only dentist in town didn't use Novocain. With his antiquated drills and instruments, I think he went out of his way to inflict pain — especially on teenaged boys to "make them into men." He had a starring role in the personal horror movie of my dreams.

That scratching noise of dental picks sounds like fingernails going down a chalkboard to me — making the hairs on my neck stand on end. A particular dental office odor stuck with me for many years. My knuckles turned white gripping the arms of the dental chair.

I remember his advice that I should just get all of my teeth filed down flat, like what they do for horses to correct their bite problems. It took me decades of dental procrastination to get over my fears of Old Doc Dryden.

I eventually learned a few tricks along the way:

• Find a compassionate dentist who understands and specializes in working with patients with dental fears.
• Admit your fear directly to the dentist.
• Ask for help getting it addressed and understood.

There are many calming techniques they can use with phobic patients. I remember a dentist who used some magic sleight-of-hand to conceal the Novocain-filled hypodermic needle.

For several months, I went to a hypnotherapist to help me reduce my fear of dentists. He had written an article in a local health news periodical about dental phobia and how he helped patients. I used many of his suggestions for relaxation techniques — deep breathing, mental imagery, positive reinforcement, and self-hypnosis. Several worked well for me.

I imaged paddling across a clear sparkling lake backed up against a granite cliff on a bright blue sky day with white puffy clouds high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I control my attitude when I fix that image in my mind. It relaxes me and reduces my anxiety.