Real Life Stories

A pile of diaries

You may feel as if you’re the only one with the fears you have. But while no two experiences of dental phobia are the same, you may find there are others with a similar story to your own.

Personal Experiences of Dental Phobia

These inspirational stories were shared on our forum by people who decided to confront their greatest fear. Use the “Start Reading” button above, or choose from the stories below.

Please stop being so hard on yourself…

W

A year ago, I was a different person. I would cover my mouth with my hands when I spoke. A year ago, I didn’t think I was the same worth as other people. I wasn’t normal. I was dirty… I was beneath them… I had not seen a dentist in 15 years.

welshsarah’s story >>

25 years of neglect… is over.

C

As the years went by, I stopped looking inside my mouth. When I brushed, I wrapped my lips around the toothbrush so I wouldn’t get a glimpse of the terror within… The horror show in my mouth became my shameful secret and I went to great lengths to hide it from everyone.

callmeMark’s story >>

40 years of Phobia… CURED!

E

I have spent 40 years being absolutely terrified of dentists, I couldn’t talk to anyone about it, or watch or read anything about the subject! … Over a period of a year I began to resent how much this ruled my life and how embarrassed I was about the scale on my teeth.

Ecstatic’s story >>

Me, my fear and my teeth

D

I’m not sure where my dental fears came from exactly, but they are probably linked to growing up in an atmosphere of violence and abuse where I learned to be on permanent full alert.

Dreadnought’s story >>

My dental superheroes

P

I know that when I first discovered this site I wasn’t interested in the “success stories”, they just made me feel worse, because I was never going to be able to add one myself. I had so many aspects to my dental fears that I was sure there was no hope for me.

pootle’s story >>

After 30 years the fear is gone

B

For over 30 years I didn’t go to the dentist as I was too scared. The thought of letting someone see what a mess my mouth was made me feel so ashamed.

bigsmile’s story >>

Finding the right dentist did the trick!

N

I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and have always had a severe dental phobia. This phobia, in part, comes from the GAD, but also because I have had nothing but traumatic experiences with the dentist… lots of pain, rude doctors, and complications.

ninjoezgirl’s story >>

First hurdle completed after almost 20 years!

3

After almost 20 years of not going to a dentist after a huge phobia caused from a bad dentist in my teens and a bad case of shame, yesterday I attended my first dental appointment!

32andashamed’s story >>

First dental appointment in 14 years

R

I have 3 young children and let 3 years go by before taking them to the dentist because I was afraid FOR them. The guilt was gut-wrenching and when one of my daughters had a tooth break due to an undiagnosed cavity, I knew I needed to break free from this anxiety.

Ryleeranger’s story >>

On My Way To Healing

A

When I was a kid, I had a horrible dentist and my dad was very aggressive in checking my brushing (pulling my lips open to check my teeth like I was a horse for sale)… Eventually, I couldn’t get a toothbrush close to my mouth without throwing up for years.

Agabus’s story >>

A baptism of fire, now baby steps

D

My phobia started at the age of 12, with a particularly sadistic dentist who didn’t believe in anaesthetic and was nasty when you couldn’t sit still due to the pain he was inflicting on you. As a result, I have avoided the dentist for most of my adult life.

Devon’s mum’s story >>

From suicidal to successful in one day

G

I went out the door that night with plans of ending my life. By the next morning, I had painlessly received 6 (complicated) extractions, and was feeling absolutely fine. I hope this can be of some comfort to those who are at the very bottom and can’t face the thought of oral surgery…

Gorbstein’s story >>

Too many people feel ashamed and alone with their fears. Don’t forget to add your own success story and help others take that first step towards freedom from dental phobia!