A visit to the dentist is not something that many people would say they look forward to, but for an unlucky few the fear of the dentist chair is so severe that a simple whiff of the dentist can cause instant terror. You will probably know someone or you may even be that person who laughs and jokes about their dental phobia, but the fear of the dentist, known as dentophobia, is a serious problem for some with real symptoms.

Dentophobia is often a simple fear of all things dentist but there are a great number of underlying fears that can make this a problem for the dental patient: fear of the dentist him/herself; fear of pain; fear of needles; fear of the dentist drill; or even a fear of being under anaesthetic. And all of these things can make for a very anxious, very stressful and very uncomfortable dental appointment for the patient and dentist alike.

However, as phobias in general are today much more widely understood and are not passed off as silliness or irrational behaviour, dentophobia is now taken much more seriously within the dental profession. Today, when you visit the dentist you do not have to go in and hide the fact that you’re itching to run away and you certainly do not have to avoid the dentist completely, compromising and complicating your oral health in the process. You will not be laughed at and you will not be judged. Your dentist will be more than happy to talk about this with you. There are now many choices available.

If you’re a dental phobe, don’t dodge the dentist and compromise your pearly white smile. Tackle your demons and look into dental phobia treatment options.