The feels

Dental fear feels different for everyone,

But many people tell me they feel ashamed or embarrassed about the state of their mouth or teeth. They are scared they will be patronised, talked down to or told off.

Physical signs of anxiety include sweaty hands, racing heart, shakiness and sickness.

Certain sensations may be a particular worry including fear of water in the throat, fear of drilling noises or worries about being touched around the face.

Its common for people who are scared to cancel their appointments regularly or not turn up.

10% of kids have dental anxiety

It’s more common if their parents are scared of the dentist.

Signs of dental anxiety in kids

Saying they don’t have a problem, tummy aches and having ‘meltdowns’ are common signs kids are scared.

Kids do best if you talk about their fears

Acknowledging kids feelings and helping them to cope makes things easier.

Why?

Dental Fear isn’t logical

My clients give me lots of reason for their dental fears. Some of them have bad memories of dentistry as a child (as much as 60 years before!). Some of them had teeth taken out or experienced pain many years ago during dental treatment.

Occasionally the fear seems to have ‘rubbed off’ from a close relative or friend which has become amplified in their own minds over the years.

Some people have a more generalised fear of having things in their mouth, being touched, drowning or choking which can also cause a problem at the dentist.

Occasionally its a particular part of the procedure such as the noise, smell, drilling or injection whilst the rest of the visit is fine.

Almost everyone describes their fear to me as ‘silly’.

It isn’t silly to me. Its coming from a part of the brain that is designed to protect you from danger. It may not be logical, but that doesn’t mean we cant understand it, and conquer it.

Learn to Feel

Understand your own fears

Its super helpful to explore your own fears about the dentist. It might not be easy, but spending some time thinking about what scares you will help you massively when its time to meet the dentist. I ask my scared clients exactly what it is that they are scared of and where it comes from. But not all dentists may do this. If you tell them then the dentist can take steps to make sure that you feel as comfortable as possible at all times.