Have you ever been to the dentist to treat a tooth and gum symptom only to have it returned multiple times? 

It is a common situation that we all may face. 

There are cases of people who may visit the dentist for years to treat a specific symptom. After one treatment, the sign disappeared. And yet, sometime later, it appears again. 

In such situations, we may jump to conclusions such as: 

“I have sensitive teeth/gums.” 

Other times, we may associate it with the fact that it is hereditary, that one of our parents is like that, such as: 

“I’m prone to gingivitis, like my father.” 

The truth, most of the time, is much deeper than that. 

Why do the teeth still have caries, inflammation, gingivitis, or abscesses and do not improve despite all the repeated efforts of the therapist? What can be holding us back from taking steps toward our improvement? 

What is resistance?

The term resistance describes the maintenance of the symptom by the patient as a defense against the emergence of his internal conflict. As long as this internal conflict exists, related to traumatic experiences of our life, the human subconscious will not allow any treatment, no matter how many visits to the therapist. Teeth are associated with the stages of our psycho-emotional development and reflect all aspects of our lives and relationships. 

Why do we resist healing?

We have learned to see and accept the attractive parts of ourselves more easily. To proceed with the repair and healing, however, we need to face that side of our personality that contains our darkest points, unacceptable ones, or those we do not know how to deal with. 

Most people find it challenging to connect the symptom with the psycho-emotional causes. This results in them seeking only medical help, focusing exclusively on the search for the organic causes of the appearing condition. 

Usually, the symptom is initially created unconsciously, for example, as a body reaction to a stressful event. Then, gradually gaining weight due to its connection with our traumas and beliefs is a new way of communicating and expressing the individual with himself and his environment. 

This pattern of behavior that man adopts, if he does not recognize, understand and accept it, reproduces it in his life and everyday life. 

Family Therapy offers a holistic perspective in understanding psychosomatic symptoms by shifting the focus of attention from the sign to the broader family system to which the individual belongs. 

The symptom carried by the individual seems to function as a danger signal indicating that the entire family system is in a situation where its safety and balance are threatened. With the appropriate therapeutic interventions, however, somebody can identify repetitive and dysfunctional communication patterns between family members while seeking their internal structure, flexibility, and smooth adaptability to the environment they belong to and interact with. 

The thought of every patient in pain is usually to relieve their pain. But it is equally important to know what is causing his pain, to see the cause. 

The therapeutic relationship between doctor and patient

The treatment progress is affected when the doctor and patient don’t build a solid therapeutic relationship of trust between them. Some client behaviors are interpreted as resistance to any therapeutic journey. For example: 

• Not to come to the session. 
• Be late 
• Not paying normally 
• To disparage the therapist or therapy in general 

Resistance is the client’s way of showing us where he “hurts” deeply, and references to his pain lead him to find the deep cause of his condition. This meaning of resistance allows us to use it as a “vehicle for change. 

It is suitable for the therapist to recognize in the first phase what makes it difficult for the patient to see the presented obstacles and propose new coping methods. 

In this way and with respect for the person, fertile ground is created for the better self-awareness of the treated person and his more active participation in the treatment. 

Let us not forget that the patient is responsible for his treatment. By taking responsibility for his symptom, he can decode the communication messages with his body and be safely led to cure. 

If you want to know more about the secret language of teeth, you can find everything you need in my latest book. You will find it here.