The impact of dental phobia on daily life

Dental phobia can have wide-ranging consequences on a person's life. Not only does their dental health suffer, but dental phobia may lead to anxiety and depression. Laughing out loud is out of the question - too hard to hide one's teeth... Depending on how obvious the damage is, the individual may avoid meeting people, even close friends, due to embarrassment over their teeth, or not be able to take on jobs which involve extensive contact with the public. Loss of self-esteem over not being able to do something as "simple" as going to a dentist and intense feelings of guilt over not having looked after one's teeth properly are also very common. Dental phobia sufferers may also avoid doctors for fear that they might want to have a look at their tongue or throat and suggest that a visit to a dentist might not go amiss.

If you suffer from dental phobia, you'll be inclined to think that nobody else feels the way you do - after all, who else would rather be dead or have open-heart surgery than meet up with a dentist?

Actually, quite a lot of people! While there are no reliable statistics (after all, few dental phobics will freely admit to never visiting a dentist... that's if they hang around to complete the questionnaire!), the most conservative estimates reckon that 5% of people in Western countries avoid dentists altogether due to fear. And many more are anxious or scared about dentistry.

However, most people actually don't mind going to the dentist. There is a reason for this - nowadays, dentistry can be pain-free and there are many personable, kind and compassionate dental professionals around. Many if not most people who've suffered with dental fears and phobias reckon that having found the right dentist for them has made all the difference.