GABA, Rescue Remedy & essential oils for eliminating dental anxiety

Have you used GABA to help with the anxiety you experience when going to the dentist or with one of your children who are fearful during a dental visit? I recently shared a comment on Facebook about how delighted I was with some of the feedback from Integrative Medicine for Mental Health attendees for my recent GABA presentation. I had a mom, Katie, respond and share how happy she was that GABA helped her 8 year old son on a trip to the dentist. She shared this:

My 8 year old has some anxiety, OCD-like tendencies, and sensory processing issues. Going to the dentist is extremely difficult. They recommended full sedation, which I refused. Instead, I brought his GABA, Rescue Remedy, and essential oils. He got 2 cavities filled like a champ!

I had forgotten the GABA at first and he was struggling. I stopped the dentist, gave my son a GABA lozenge to dissolve in his mouth, and within 30 seconds he was calm. The dentist was SO impressed. It really does work! I’m so grateful I learned about it from you!

GABA really does work this quickly – 30 seconds is not unusual – and this effectively and I was thrilled for this mom and her son.

A few other moms asked about which GABA product Katie used for her son, which one I recommend, and can GABA be used with children.

I like GABA Calm for kids and adults for the physical type of tension anxiety. When using with a child we want to start low and slowly increase. I’ll have the mom start them on one quarter (or sometimes less) of the GABA Calm product (which contains 125mg of GABA) and increase based on the trial and how their symptoms improve.

Katie used a 25mg GABA product by Kal, pictured here. I really like that it’s a nice low amount and that it uses what they call ActivMelt™ technology, so it melts in the mouth. Using GABA this way or sublingually or opening a capsule of a GABA-only product and holding it in the mouth is the most effective way to use GABA.

Depending on sensitivity issues you may need to test it out and consider some of the other ingredients if you notice tummy upset or something else.

Rescue Remedy and an essential oil blend

Katie also shared this about the Rescue Remedy and essential oil blend she used when they arrived (before giving him GABA):

The Rescue Remedy was very helpful. We use it on the whole family. For oils, I used a blend called Tranquility from Butterfly Express.

I had him inhale the oil plus applied it behind his ears and on the carotid artery on his neck. The dental assistant commented on how good that oil works because she felt really relaxed and calm.

I find GABA to be more effective so start there but many moms like Katie, find Rescue Remedy, a Bach Flower remedy, to help. I remember using Rescue myself, many years ago before I had discovered GABA.

The Tranquility blend contains: Blue Tansy, Geranium, Chamomile German, Lavender Officinalis, Palmarosa, Patchouli, Orange Sweet, Tangerine, and Ylang Complete. I’m not familiar with this company but the essential oils in this blend are wonderful.

Both of these – the oils and Rescue remedy – helped initially but it seems it was the GABA that gave him the most effective calming relief.

Anxiety nutritional solutions resources for dentists

Going to the dentist can be stressful at the best of times and downright terrifying in some instances and I want kids and adults alike to know they have options like this.

Now, let’s get my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution, into the hands of all dentists so they can help their anxious and fearful patients with GABA and other nutritional approaches!

And let’s also talk to the dentist about diffusing calming essential oils in the treatment and/or waiting rooms or at least encouraging their patients to bring their own blends.

Tryptophan or 5-HTP if there is a dental phobia,  intense fear or OCD-like tendencies

Keep in mind that serotonin support with tryptophan or 5-HTP should also be considered if there is a phobia and fear that is so intense, the child won’t even go to the dentist. Katie mentions her son has OCD-like tendencies too and serotonin support helps with these symptoms as does a gluten-free diet in many children (as illustrated by this case study).

Both GABA and serotonin support can help with post-dental pain and so can DPA/d-phenylalanine.

Additional resources when you are new to using GABA or other amino acids as supplements

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA (indicating a possible need for GABA or theanine) or low serotonin (indicating a need for tryptophan or 5-HTP) or low endorphins (indicating a possible need for DPA) or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue for you.

If you suspect low levels of any of the neurotransmitters and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings. I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the practitioner/health team you or your loved one is working with.

There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control, sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues. The importance of quality animal protein and healthy fats is also covered.

The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists the amino acids that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), a good place to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program (if you have low GABA symptoms). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. Another option is the budget-friendly GABA QuickStart Homestudy program.

If you also need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to get help. This is also a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance on using tryptophan and 5-HTP safely, and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch of this program is happening.

If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. This is also a paid online/virtual program with an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.

Now I’d like to hear from you …

Thank you Katie for sharing on Facebook and giving me permission to share your son’s GABA dentist story here. Well done for getting your dentist on board with both the essential oils and GABA.

Have any of the above helped your dental anxiety or fears? Or helped with fears and phobias your children have experienced going to the dentist?

If you are a dentist have you found any of the above helps your patients?