• 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's Your Worst Fear?

What is your biggest dental fear?

  • Pain

    Votes: 57 46.3%
  • Gagging/nausea/vomiting

    Votes: 23 18.7%
  • Needles

    Votes: 36 29.3%
  • Lack of Control/feeling at the mercy of the dentist

    Votes: 43 35.0%
  • Other - please specify (N.B.: The options below weren't part of the original poll but added in 2019)

    Votes: 15 12.2%
  • Embarrassment/shame (newly added)

    Votes: 22 17.9%
  • The dentist (newly added)

    Votes: 12 9.8%
  • The numb feeling (newly added)

    Votes: 6 4.9%
  • Panicking, crying or making a fool of myself (newly added)

    Votes: 18 14.6%
  • Bad reaction to local anaesthetic (newly added)

    Votes: 8 6.5%
  • The sound of the drill (newly added)

    Votes: 15 12.2%
  • Unnecessary treatment (newly added)

    Votes: 12 9.8%
  • Choking or drowning (newly added)

    Votes: 9 7.3%
  • Issues arising from past sexual/physical/emotional abuse (newly added)

    Votes: 10 8.1%

  • Total voters
    123
How do u handle it when your worst fears come true
 
Last edited:
This poll was closed for voting in July 2011, but with our move to a new forum software, we are able to reopen existing polls :cheer2:! I've added a few more options to it at the bottom (so researchers beware - the results won't reflect actual percentages)... happy voting!
 
I struggle with trusting any dentist. I become anxious and panicky in the chair, worried they’ll do something wrong. After treatment, I worry that they missed something, like a cavity under a crown or an abscess even if everything feels ok. I worry that they think my teeth are ok, but in reality they’re all going to fall out of my mouth and I’ll be toothless before I’m 30. I know my dentist well and I DO trust him as a person, but that’s the problem- I don’t think I’ll ever fully trust ANY dentist because my anxiety assumes they’ve missed something. I’ve shared this with him and he does his best to reassure, but that anxiety is still there ??‍♀️ Now he’s trying to get me to consult with an ortho to get braces as it will align my bite and improve my ability to brush tougher spots better...and that has my anxiety ALSO through the roof. I’m a dentists worst nightmare, always blubbering before I hit the chair ??
 
Having anything besides food or flavored drinks makes me panic. Water even makes me freak out. Past sexual stuff. I instinctively bite down and gag as soon as anything goes in there. Also pain, and needles.
 
Other: Work being done incorrectly/making things worse

This has become a newer fear of mine. I’ve seen it happen to relatives who go in with a problem and come out with a worse problem.
 
Even though I go regularly, dentist takes out all my teeth.

Well it would help me in one way, as I would not have to moan about the bathroom lighting and mirror in bathroom, I still live at home with my parents because of my disability.
 
I fear losing all my teeth. Or even a few of them all at once. I fear unnecessary treatment because I have decent coverage. That's more a fear my wife has implanted in my head. She thinks a lot of the things I've endured (six gum surgeries, two of them gum grafts) are only being done because of my coverage. Not a big fan of needles though some of the Dentists I have had are VERY skilled in their application.
I am generally not a fan of the Dentist office in general.
 
Because of Covid, my every three months cleaning has been disrupted. it will be almost six months the next time I am scheduled to go, and I am dreading that.
 
Because of Covid, my every three months cleaning has been disrupted. it will be almost six months the next time I am scheduled to go, and I am dreading that.

I go regularly three months for clenaings, should have gone on the 29 April, my last cleaning was on mid January 2020, I am dreading that, because of my over crowding problem I am in my 30s and had a few fillings, one root canal, I am dreading going back (well I live with my parents, my parents can help pay towards the cost)

No idea when I can get seen, I am having issues with one of wisdom teeth, so I may get in sooner.

Thankfully I only had one adult tooth removed and that was back in 2006. my current dentist would have saved that tooth, as I could not afford a root canal done as I am nhs patient and he wanted to charged me private prices I was going away on holiday a few days later,

But I am scared my dentist will take all my teeth out.
 
I am actually getting my first adult tooth removed on Friday, an upper first molar. it was root canalled 18 years ago and retreated 6 years ago. Apparently beyond saving. Have had one infection in it (this past March), and they've decided to pull it. It is totally freaking me out. Wisdom teeth were gone when I was 30 (I am 50 next month)...
 
Bite on my right side is off, awhile ago had right back molar pulled; I am afraid the tooth next to it has moved and may need to be adjusted or pulled, bite seems to be getting worse and jaw on right rather sore and makes some noise when I chew
 
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