Being scared of the dentist used to be thought of as something a bit silly. Few people liked to own up to it, especially if they were big, strong, capable people who weren’t scared of anything else. Nowadays, however, fear of the dentist has been recognised as being very common. Even extreme fear of the dentist, that which is so bad as to be termed a phobia, is not unusual. Around 13% of the world’s population are classified as suffering from dental phobia.

It’s nice to know you are not alone, but even nicer if you know that your dentist knows all about dental phobia and has trained in ways to make it easier to bear.

What does dental phobia feel like?

Dental phobia is more than just being a bit nervous. You may experience panic attacks, shakiness and sweating, just at the thought of going to the dentist. This level of fear often leads patients to cancel appointments, if they manage to make them in the first place.

The vicious cycle of dental phobia

Suffering from dental phobia can lead to a vicious cycle of avoiding check-ups, ignoring mild symptoms of decay and gum disease, cancelling or just not showing up for more appointments, and then finally only coming along when the pain in the mouth is stronger than the discomfort of extreme anxiety.

By this stage, treatments are more likely to be invasive and lengthy, involving local anaesthetics, which for those of us who are scared of needles is a particular nightmare. Long, involved treatments only serve to reinforce the fear, no matter how gentle and caring the dental staff have been.

Are you a sufferer of dental phobia?

If you think you might be dental phobic, it’s important that you tell the staff at Farnham Road Dental Practice when you first come and register with us. Or, if you have been too scared in the past to tell us, then tell us now. We won’t laugh at you or scold you. We just want to make sure that we offer you all the knowledge and experience we have in dealing with nervous patients, so that we can make your next experience a positive one.