Okay, first of all...it's not the blood pressure cuff that has robbed you of being an excellent dental patient, it's your perspective on the whole thing. I will be very frank. Something I've noticed about people who have extreme fears of medical treatment is that they frequently opt for the "paranoid perspective" - i.e., insurance is out to get me...the only reason doctors do whatever is because they're afraid of lawsuits, and so on.

I have miserable health anxiety and I'm almost 55, so scary realities are definitely starting to appear. I had a very real, very frightening cancer scare this summer, for example (fortunately, it turned out okay...but weeks of waiting and worrying).

One thing I find that helps my tremendous anxiety, helps to calm it, is to see the doctors and dentists as caring, helpful people. Of course insurance is a huge aspect of medical care - I think we Americans are especially aware of that in these times - money and medicine go hand-in-hand, yes. BUT I do believe that people usually become medical professionals because they do want to help and heal and I do believe that the system is, for the most part, set up to help patients. For example, I was pleased when the tech took my BP last time I went to the dentist because I'd rather know what it is, especially before doing some kind of procedure.

My strongest suggestion to you is to find and explore all the ways you can to work with your anxiety. Focus on doing that while trying to take the focus off all the other stuff. Find out how you can become strong and grounded in yourself.