Understanding Dental Phobia

I have not seen a dentist in over five years. During that time I was mostly without dental insurance coverage, and I just couldn't afford to have regular trips to the dentist. There is another reason that explains why I haven't seen a dentist though. It's likely that I could have had the most comprehensive dental coverage in the world and I still wouldn't have gone. The real reason it's been so long since I saw a dentist is that I am a dental phobic. Dental phobia, sometimes called odontophobia or dentaphobia, is what mental health professionals refer to as a "specific phobia". Webster's dictionary defines a phobia as "an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation." This leads the sufferer to avoid the object or situation even to the extent that it causes them discomfort or great inconvenience. I am not sure exactly where my phobia came from, but I do remember that my earliest experience with the dentist was not a positive one due to it being an emergency situation following a bicycle accident. Living very close to the poverty level for most of my childhood meant that my access to consistent and competent medical and dental care was spotty at best. This did not help my fear because I remembered the bad experiences over the few decent ones.

The phobia is a very real condition that causes many, like me, to live in pain over making a dentist appointment. For some sufferers the very thought of going to the dentist is enough to incite feelings of absolute dread and panic such as shortness of breath, sweating, heart racing, dizziness, or stomach pain. Even something as seemingly normal and harmless as a television commercial about dentists or teeth can cause the severely phobic person to experience unpleasant feelings. People suffering from this condition often try not to smile, look at their own teeth, or talk and laugh in public. For example, it's become second nature to me to cover my mouth with my hand if I am laughing. Because dental phobics avoid the dentist for so long their oral health deteriorates over time. This causes the person to feel embarrassed about the condition of their teeth as well as about having the phobia in the first place. The embarrassment causes yet more avoidance behavior which furthers the tooth decay. As you can see it's quite the vicious cycle.

While most people will try to get in to see their dentist at the first sign of a dental problem, a dental phobic will self medicate and hope the problem disappears. Only when very serious pain overwhelms them will they finally take action. Often the first step for a dental phobic experiencing pain or infection is a hesitant visit to the nearest emergency room. While the visit does involve having a doctor look into the mouth, it tends to be much faster and less invasive than a dentist visit and a patient sees it as the lesser of two evils, so to speak. It usually takes extended pain that only a procedure will remedy to motivate a dental phobic to make an appointment. Keeping the appointment once it is made is a very difficult thing, however, and after days of staring at the date on the calendar many dental phobics will cancel. Upon canceling the patient feels instant relief from the pressure of the appointment date looming ahead, but they also feel despair because they know that the pain will return and the decay will get worse.

Many phobias have accompanying disorders and dental phobia is no exception. A phobic with very poor dental health may seclude themselves in order to avoid the feeling of having the condition of their teeth, and themselves by extension, judged in a negative way. Depression, however mild, can appear in the dental phobic due both to the seclusion behavior and feelings of being trapped by their fear. Dental phobia is often dismissed by the general public. Most people do not really enjoy a visit to the dentist, but they manage to get to them at least annually. Dental phobia sufferers hear statements like "Oh, it's not that bad" or "Get it together! Stop being such a wimp. We all have to do it whether we like it or not." Unfortunately comments like this only make the situation much worse as it causes the individual to feel ridiculed or dismissed. I tend to be a private person about personal issues by nature, but I am even more private about my struggle with dental phobia for this very reason. Until recently I never really mentioned it outside of my immediate family, and this article is the most open I have ever been.

I'd like to go over a few points to keep in mind should you ever find out someone you know has a dental phobia. One supportive and kind comment can make all the difference in the world to someone that is struggling.

*DON'T say or imply that dental phobia isn't an actual disorder. To the people that suffer from it daily it is very real.

*DON'T imply that a dental phobic is faking their problem or that they just need to "pull themselves together". Nobody chooses to suffer from a phobia, and if it were that easy to fix I doubt this article would exist.

*DO offer a supportive word or two. Even something very simple can put a person at ease. A brief comment such as "That must be very difficult. I'll keep you in my thoughts." is sufficient. In a pinch a warm smile will do just fine.

*DO offer words of congratulations or support when a dental phobic makes any progress with their condition no matter how small. It's helpful to know that others recognize the effort we've made.

My own journey with dental phobia is still very much a reality. As I write this I have nine days to my first dentist visit in over five years. It's marked on my calendar in blue ink: Kristi, Dentist appt. @ 2 pm. Having it written down makes it more real somehow. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified or that it didn't feel as if my stomach was nothing but tied up knots. Despite their gentle reputation I fear that the dentist will be unkind and unsympathetic to my issues, and I fear my reaction to that. I know I have a long road of treatment ahead of me due to how long my teeth have been neglected, and that does not make this first step any easier. A cavity is one thing, but a whole mouth full is quite another. I want to cancel the appointment so I can feel that relief I mentioned above. For the first time in a long time I think I want to be better. I want real peace and a way out from under this fear. I can't promise that I won't stumble here and there, but I am giving it my best shot. It's all I can do, and I am taking a quote by the famous Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu to heart: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Here I go!