A phobia is defined as an irrational fear, and, quite obviously, dental phobia is a fear of dentists, dental work and dental surgeries. In severe cases, even thinking about dentistry can induce a panic attack. Dental phobia is different from dental fear or dental anxiety. Dental anxiety refers more to a fear of the unknown, of having a procedure done with uncertain expectations. Dental fear is simply being afraid of something known, say if you’ve had a filling before, you may be afraid of having your next one. But dental phobia is much stronger, and is more like terror than fear. It is usually characterised by complete avoidance of the dentist, panic attacks and self-consciousness about your own teeth.

Causes of Dental Phobia

There are many potential reasons to be dental phobic when you are down to get a dental job done, and here are some:

• Bad experience – this is the most common cause of dental phobia, and can include a particularly painful past experience, or an experience with a dentist who humiliated you in some way.
• The Dentist – Often it is not fear of pain on its own that causes dental phobia, but a fear of pain inflicted by someone who may be perceived as controlling or cold.
• Humiliation – having a dentist make an insensitive comment towards you can sometimes induce a phobia.
• Past abuse – dental phobia has been shown to be more common in people who have been sexually abused.
• Vicarious learning – the media and other people’s dental horror stories can cause people who have had no bad experiences to become dental phobic, and so can learning a fear from your parent or guardian.

Whatever the reason is for being dental phobic, it is a difficult and impacting problem to deal with, not least because it will damage your dental health. However, there are some dental phobia certified dentists in London who will have undergone a dental course or two to help such patients and will be able to deal with your case especially, and can help you overcome your fear.