Serious Phobia? Or nothing?

[Jack Newman]

I have what I think is a phobia of brushes, but I'm not sure. Usually when I hear a brush, or any thing with bristles rub against something, goosebumps cover me and I nearly always cover my ears and scratch whatever I can find, whether it be my head, a chair, or any other object near. I find the sound of someone else brushing their teeth infinitely worse, especially if It's a manual brush. If I feel up to it, I brush my teeth 2-3 times a week, at a push. When I put the brush in my mouth, I usually want to scream, but end up gagging and retching in the sink. The last time I saw a dentist was a year ago, maybe 10 months. Is this a phobia, and if so, is it severe?

 

[brit]

https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/fears/toothpaste-phobia/

 

[Enarete]

Hi Jack, a psychologist/psychiatrist is the only person who can officially diagnose and clasify a phobia and measure it's severity, so if you really want to know what it is and how severe, it would be the direction to go.
From what you describe it seems that this situation is clearly affecting your ability to take care of your teeth which might lead to dental problems so it would be a good idea to try to tackle it, either with the help of the tips brit posted or with the help of the therapist.
Have you talked to your dentist about this?