• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

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What caused your fear or phobia?

What caused your dental phobia or fear?

  • A single traumatic experience at the dentist

    Votes: 14 14.3%
  • A number of traumatic experiences at the dentist

    Votes: 52 53.1%
  • Dentists can't get me numb

    Votes: 15 15.3%
  • Comments made by a dentist or hygienist (humiliation)

    Votes: 35 35.7%
  • Feeling powerless in dental situations

    Votes: 46 46.9%
  • Parents or caregivers being scared of the dentist

    Votes: 16 16.3%
  • Hearing horror stories from other people

    Votes: 22 22.4%
  • Movies or media portrayal of dental treatment

    Votes: 11 11.2%
  • Other traumatic experiences, including abuse

    Votes: 24 24.5%
  • Generally high levels of anxiety

    Votes: 49 50.0%
  • Emetophobia (fear of vomiting)

    Votes: 9 9.2%
  • Parents or caregivers instilling feelings of guilt about dental health

    Votes: 18 18.4%
  • Other (you can leave a post in this thread)

    Votes: 14 14.3%
  • No real reason/don't know

    Votes: 5 5.1%

  • Total voters
    98
When I was eight or nine i had some teeth taken out (some of my baby teeth) was put to sleep, no idea why as the second round I was not put to sleep. I do have an overcrowding problem so i dont have 32 teeth probably have in the likes of 26 or 27 (not even had my wisdom teeth out)

I go to the dentist like a good person, but I dread going everytime, however those 40 minutes per year is worth it to help me save my teeth.
 
Mine started in childhood.
My mother took me to a dentist who I am comvinced not only knew nothing about working with children but did not evlll me to get my coat. en like them. He was not the least bit friendly and made no attempt to be gentle either. Everything he did hurt terribly and, frightened and in pain, I tried to escape, He and his dental assistant would forcibly hold me down in the chair while he yelled at me "Shut up! Stop that! Sit still! " He would shove a metal appliance in my mouth that forced my mouth open and he would go to work on me despite my screams of protest. His dental assistasnt would periodically cover my mouth and say "Stop screaming, your not being hurt"

After what seemed like an eternity, I was retunred to my mother who sat calmly reading in the waiting room. She seemed oblivious to the nightmare that had been inflicted on her child. Did she not notice my eyes, red and puffy from crying? Couldnt she hear my screams of fear and pain? Apparently not because she would cherrfully thank the dental assistant and tell me to get my coat.

I tried to tell my mother what this man was doing to me and her only response was "Well, if you would just learn to copperate it would much easier for him" When she would say it was time to go to the dentist, I would collapse on the floor and cry hysterically pleading with her not to go but she would scold me sayong "Oh stop that! your acting like a baby. Straigten up"
And so my torture continued throughout the rest of my childhood and adolescent years. Feeling utterly trapped with no escape and no one to protect me not even my own mother, I retreated inside myself and became an extremely shy child and teenager. I trusted no one especially men.

When I was in college, I had a tooth break and it had a jagged edge which was rubbing the inside of my cheek so I gathered up all my courage and went to a dentist in my neighbirhood. Big mistake. This man was no better than the dentist who had totured me for years. He put a rubber dam in my mouth which, in itself, was terrifying but he put it too far back and nearly sufficated me. Self-preservation takes over and I rip the thing out of my mouth while he yells at me 'Dont do that!. Just relax you're fine" I ran from the office and that was it for me. I was done with dentists. For me "dentist" was just another word for pain and terror.

Fast forward 15 years and I meet the man who is now my husband and he causally mentions one day that he has a dentist appointment and asks "So who is your dentist?" I give him an evil look and say in a defiant tone "I dont do dentists" He could clearly see this was a sore subject so he dropped it----for the moment.
I had similar treatment, when I was 4-6 years old, the dentist was a horrible old man who hated kids, or me, at least. He would yell at me, smack me, threaten to tie me to the chair. He only used the "slow drill", torture for me. Whenever it was time to go to the dentist, I would pitch a fit and my mother would have to drag me literally kicking and screaming and turn me over to this monster. It was a trauma I never got over. However, over the years I have had some good, understanding and compassionate dentists, and have had many root canals and fillings, etc. But over the past 20 years or so, my phobia has come back again. I have tried on occasion to go to the dentist, but ended up melting down and totally embarrassed both by the state of my teeth and my inability to keep my cool, never went back. Recently I found a dentist who was understanding and I am working to get my smile back. Choosing a female dentist seems to have been helpful for me, although I still melt down. I am a wreck just going into the dental office, but have pushed through and am able to get through it. I will never be happy to go to the dentist, but I hope I am over the hump and recently got all on 6 implants on the top, which look great! So keep trying out dentists until you find one who listens to you, the end result will be worth it, and the right dentist makes all the difference.
 
by ALOT of things.. but horrible childhood dentists that used no form of pain relief, fillings w no anesthetic, and told to be quiet, it doesn't hurt, its in my head, etc.. no... it HURT and they were complete jerks.. I remember. it was a total invalidation of my experience and feelings.. then I was also a victim of physical abuse for 10 year and almost drown a few times, I'm finding interesting reasons why that may also be a part of my fear. the lack of control is scary and I just Hate needles period and its the look ofr them toing in that that huge needle is frightening.. my dentist now tells me to close my eyes and breath . that helps.. my one dentist years ago i liked.. was absolute perfect and never hurt me with it and he gave me as much as I needed!!!! another shot. sure thing. never felt a thing with him and I was just fine . he was always validating and even humourous , putting me at ease.
 
It did not help when I was a child having a harsh dentist who was doing the right thing scaring me and my sister, it has taken me ages to trust a dentist, even though I go for checkups every three months and to treat any small problems. I dont like my teeth bad comments from past dentists thankfully all of them have left the practice I attend, plus the dental hospital where his office smelt like poop or probably dentist did not wipe his bum properly.

I sometimes in between appointments want to yank all my teeth out as I hate them, small mouth, difficult to keep clean.
 
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Same here!!


For me i put my kids dental needs over my own because of lack of money. Then my teeth started to slowly go bad due to smoking and lots of sweets. Then shame took over which turned into fear!! ?
 
Also, something happened when I was little my mom said I wouldn't let any providers touch me to do anything even clean so they first took me to specialty childrens hospital and put me under to even clean and any work then when I got older they tried the other family dentist, he was very mean and rude and did not validate my pain or fears "it doesn't hurt" "your imaginign things" "this is normal, everyone does it" when he would do work , fillings etc with no anesthetic.. one time he tried to trick me with the injection and I bit him and that was the end until braces then that didn't go well either.. jerk ortho... why are some of these guys so mean? don't get it.. I think it took until I was 30 to find one that was good and compassionate.. by that time my front teeth were goners and the rest not so good too.. :(.
 
My parents always managed to find the crappiest dentists when I was a kid and I've had horrible experiences with almost all them. It wasn't until around adulthood when I was able to choose my own dentist that it stopped being horrible. I don't care if the dentist (or any doctor even) is in my insurance network or not, I'm not going through any of that again.

One of the worst experiences was probably when I was 7 or so. There was this woman who had to pick off some plague or something with those dental picks. Except...I swore she was literally picking off pieces of my gums with that thing. The pain was excruciating, and my teeth were completely covered in blood. Just seeing it in the mirror horrified me. I tried to say something the whole time and I think I cried during the procedure. Of course, this woman kept going, thinking I was just being a whiny kid. I'm around 30 now and this still haunts me sometimes.

Another experience, probably when I was 12 or so, I had to get a cavity filled. Just a normal cavity filling. Nothing too complicated. However, the dentist's assistant somehow managed to connect two of my teeth together with the filling, and it felt so weird. I told my mom once I realized what was happening and she took me back to fix it. The dumbass assistant separated the teeth, but left a hole in the tooth which ended up as a cavity.

Another time, when I was around my mid teens, I believe the dentist was having something going on with his life, because he acted very off that day. He shoved one of those flat plastic things used for x-rays into my mouth so hard that it cut up the inside of my mouth and ended up bleeding a little. He never took his hand out of my mouth, either. He literally just kept shoving the plastic thing inside my mouth as long as he could. He would insult me and basically tell me to stop whining if I told him to stop or take it out. If this happened to me as an adult, I probably would of sued him for malpractice.

Anyway, almost all of my dental visits as a kid were painful. In fact, almost all of my bad experiences with dentists were from pediatric dentists. I almost never have issues with general dentists, besides my own anxiety. Are you in extreme pain? Tell them that, they will try to help you. Do you want to stop the procedure? You can actually tell them that, and they will have to stop. When you're an adult, you actually have rights, and require something called consent. If a pediatric dentist wants to make a kid suffer, they can, because kids don't have rights and can't give consent.

Interestingly, it sounds like a lot of people's bad experiences come from pediatric dentists. Hopefully knowing that most dentists aren't out to harm you helps anyone. At least as an adult, you'll be treated with more respect and care, and the dentist will face real consequences if they cause you any harm.
 
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My fear is similar.

For starters.... it takes a LOT to actually get me numb. Even as an adult at the dentist, they can never get me numb enough.

I can't remember the procedure but I was about 7. The dentist had probably 4 nurses holding me down on the chair while he drilled into me. I was sobbing and remember excruciating pain. They were mad and said I was basically full of crap and there was NO WAY I was in pain.
 
Hello All,

Mine began when I was a child. I think my parents unitentionally passed it on. It was exaggerated in my mid-twenties when I got an infection and locked jaw from one of my wisdom teeth that was coming through.

I hate this fear. It kept me away from the dentist (when a big part of me wanted to go) for 19 years and led to immense destruction of one of my teeth (exaggerated by pregnancy.) Followed by terrible depression. How could I let is destroy my smile?

I'm still incredibly angry almost four years on!!
 
Having those plates in my mouth whilst talking xrays when I needed braces, these were removable as I was not trusted I could keep my teeth clean, I struggled enough with my teeth as an adult, poor light, poor mirror. overbite.

I hate being judge, I think I got the worst teeth going, worst my dentist has seen.
 
It was 1983 and I was 16 years old I had only been to He dentist once at 10 and it was a free dentist. Now my dad found ab$10.00 Dentist. He gutted out a lot of my back teeth with no novocaine. When I flinched he threatened me that he would give me a shot and charge my parents another $10.00. My parents didn’t make going to a Dr or Dentist a positive thing if we cried we got the belt.
 
I'm not actually afraid of the dentist or pain.

I am ...incredibly uncomfortable with the power loss and 'intimacy' involved in being on my back, with my mouth open and someone's hands in them. It triggers some other unfortunate trauma in a pretty big way. The longer whatever treatment lasts, the harder it is.

I'm also absolutely terrified of being degraded or humiliated. My teeth are bad. I mean bad bad. They are bad bad. I know they are bad. I know why they're bad. Please god don't 'yell' at me or embarrass me.

I've basically worked through part one. I don't like it, but I can do it. Part 2 comes into play? I'm sobbing in the chair having a full on panic attack and we're done.

-- And reading this, I think I need to just tell the dentist he can talk to me before, he can talk to me after, but I need to be left alone and basically not spoken to more than absolutely necessary to give instructions or find out if I'm numb or whatever. If there's talking, do it while I'm sitting upright and there's no one looming over me.
 
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My phobia seems related to the injections given for dental work. As a small child I had a great deal of work done , each visit requiring an injection. I had very bad "panic attacks" after the injections and was then terrified to go back again. As an adult I once asked a dentist to reduce the amount of adrenaline in the injection and noted I felt less anxious. So now I have post traumatic stress reactions just thinking about teeth or dental work but I think its possible that the initial "fears " of 60 years ago were actually a reaction to the adrenaline in the injection--palpitations, feeling out of body, shaking etc. These body reactions were identified as "fear" but perhaps initially they were just my body reacting to too much adrenaline in the injection. I need to have a tooth extracted but cannot even make the appointment due to my body having a major post traumatic stress reaction at the thought of the effects of the injection. So very debilitating especially when I feel I have no option but to go to the dentist very soon. A tooth extraction without an injection seems too much to manage so I have to go ahead with the very thing that disturbs me the most. I just want to curl up in a comfortable corner and feel warmth and gentleness instead of having to worry daily about how I will cope with the next dental visit.
 
I need to have a tooth extracted but cannot even make the appointment due to my body having a major post traumatic stress reaction at the thought of the effects of the injection. So very debilitating especially when I feel I have no option but to go to the dentist very soon. A tooth extraction without an injection seems too much to manage so I have to go ahead with the very thing that disturbs me the most.

:welcome:

Have you tried local anaesthetic without any epinephrine (aka adrenaline)? If so, did it make any difference to how you felt about the injection?
 
I was about six or seven years old, at a routine dental check-up. I had a normal loose “baby” tooth, I’d been happily working it with my tongue, as you do. I still believed in the tooth fairy. The Dentist said, “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t pull it out.” As soon as I opened my mouth, he grabbed my tooth with his fingers and yanked it out. It hurt. And he didn’t give me my tooth back and I was too little to ask. Yes, grow up and get over it, but I have had serious trust issues with dentists ever since. It’s been 40 years and I only go when the pain is so excruciating it numbs the fear. I haven’t been for 10 years.
 
Also having to see the school dentist (remember those people) someone who I have not seen with their assistant.

Even though I go every three months, used to be 6 nothing to do with the fillings or work done, some mouth, builid up of plaque, stress, I get scared so prefer to catch things earlir etc. and being going since I was about 6-8 months old,

I still have not forgiven when I was eight or nine having to go into hospital to have some teeth removed to ensure my adult teeth came through properly (never did came through properly got a crooky buck sort of tooth on the top row. I was put to sleep to have a few teeth removed.

Also being judge, the close contact between dentist and myself
 
Your not alone for that. I have always feared the dentists but I need some help. I had my molar filled last December because I had a cavity. Today I noticed I had a red lump riget next to my molar and I'm worried as I have no idea what it is. It hurts when I bite down and it's quite uncomfortable. Does anyone know what it is?
 
Your not alone for that. I have always feared the dentists but I need some help. I had my molar filled last December because I had a cavity. Today I noticed I had a red lump riget next to my molar and I'm worried as I have no idea what it is. It hurts when I bite down and it's quite uncomfortable. Does anyone know what it is?

Have a look in the ask a dentist forum. ? It might be just a bit of food stuck between your teeth. I’ve had this happen before. Get your dental floss out and give it a go, If it’s a little piece of meat, it will smell putrid, but once it’s out, it will be okay.
 
It's fine dw I'm sure it's a normal thing. I get worried just sitting in the waiting room getting ready for my name to get called out. I'm scared stiff of dentists. I hate when they put their instruments down ur mouth and look through everywhere whilst ur sitting awkwardly. It's normal to hate yourself for it as I really don't want braces or anymore surgery.
 
I have always had difficulty getting numb for dental procedures. As a kid, I had overcrowding and had to have teeth pulled. I would cry because the shots hurt, then cry and say it still hurt when they were pulling, but the dentist kept telling me it was just pressure.
Then I had to have oral surgery and I woke up during the surgery. Thankfully I couldn't feel anything, but it was terrifying to not be able to move and have people with drills and tools in my mouth and I was aware of it. The oral surgeon kept telling me to go back to sleep.
Every dentist I have ever been to, I have told them that I have a hard time getting numb. They always say "well we will try the usual dosage first, and see if you feel it". As soon as they drill, I feel it! It has been a terrifying experience and I dread going to the dentist. When I hear that I have a cavity, it sends me into a panic attack.
 
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