When Steve was in his early 20s he swore he’d never visit a dentist again. Now, 20 years later it was obvious he’d kept that promise.
As he sat in my office looking totally miserable I couldn’t help noticing that his teeth were stained and chipped. His gums were red and there were large cavities in his front teeth. I felt like I was watching his teeth rotting as we talked.
“I know it’s dumb,” he said, looking down at his shaking hands, “but every time I’d think about going to the dentist I’d get so scared I’d actually feel sick.”
Finally the pain of NOT taking care of his teeth had become worse than the stress of facing down his fear.
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