About:
Dentophobia is the irrational fear of Dentists. The word comes from Greek. 'Dento' translates to teeth and 'phobos', means to dread or to fear. A person suffering with this type of phobia will avoid going to the dentist at any costs, even if they are in great pain. Often a person with Dentophobia will have similar cross over fears like Latrophobia, the fear of doctors, Trypanophobia the fear of needles, Agliophobia the fear of pain, Hemophobia, the fear of blood, Mysophobia, the fear of germs and Thanatophobia, the fear of death.
Interesting Fact:
This is a very common fear and is very similar to 'Odontophobia' which is the fear of teeth. Woman and younger people tend to have the fear more than others.
Causes:
Many things about going to the dentist can be unpleasant, sitting with your mouth wide open and having a stranger probe your teeth and gums with metal is never a fun way to spend the day. However, most of us can grimace through it. But someone with Dentophobia this is unbearable and impossible. The entire experience and sensory aspects such as smells etc, can be enough in itself to cause the phobia.
Usually Dentophobia is developed because of a traumatic or a perceived traumatic experience from visiting the dentist, often when the person is young. Especially if there is something severe that needs to be corrected within the mouth and requires years of treatment like braces. There are many painful treatments that can be part of necessary dental care. This creates a trigger of terror in the person's mind associated around the dentist.
A parent could also easily pass the fear onto their child if they exhibit symptoms of fear in front of their child while visiting the dentist.
The media also does not help with this fear as they often spread anxiety with news about horror stories about botched dental surgery or someone dying from going under anesthesia. This is where the fear of death, Thanatophobia, could also play a role. A child might have watched a scary film with teeth being pulled out and this could create the phobia as well.
Usually Dentophobia is developed because of a traumatic or a perceived traumatic experience from visiting the dentist, often when the person is young. Especially if there is something severe that needs to be corrected within the mouth and requires years of treatment like braces. There are many painful treatments that can be part of necessary dental care. This creates a trigger of terror in the person's mind associated around the dentist.
A parent could also easily pass the fear onto their child if they exhibit symptoms of fear in front of their child while visiting the dentist.
The media also does not help with this fear as they often spread anxiety with news about horror stories about botched dental surgery or someone dying from going under anesthesia. This is where the fear of death, Thanatophobia, could also play a role. A child might have watched a scary film with teeth being pulled out and this could create the phobia as well.
Symptoms:
A person with Dentophobia will often refuse to go to the dentist and might hide any dental pain to avoid being pressured to go. They might suffer incredibly amounts of pain and even have teeth fall out before going to the dentist. They might be able to get to the dentist but will have to be put under anesthesia to receive any form of treatment, even if it's just something routine like getting their teeth cleaned.
Just the idea of going to the dentist could cause a person suffering with this phobia to have a panic attack with symptoms such as:
Just the idea of going to the dentist could cause a person suffering with this phobia to have a panic attack with symptoms such as:
- Rapid heart rate
- Dizziness
- Hot or cold flashes
- Hysteria
- Chest pain
- Feeling of choking
- Fainting
- Trembling and/or sweating
- Anxiety
- Nausea or other gastrointestinal distress
Why I Should Get Treated:
Dental health is really important and not being able to keep teeth in good repair could cause a lot of suffering. Dental pain can be so extreme that it can cause someone to not be able to concentrate on anything else. Someone could lose a job or have a car accident because their concentration is hyper focused on the pain. Ironically, the pain would be less to get the tooth fixed at the dentist than to let it to continue to get worse.
Having a fear like this can decrease not only the quality of life but can even risk the life of someone suffering from it if it is left untreated. Also, avoiding needed dental work can cause long term mouth problems and the teeth to wear down quicker than they should. This will cause someone's mouth to look very unattractive! Someone with Dentophobia could miss out on finding love because of a scary smile and could find themselves in a lot of pain as they grow older.
Someone could also pass this fear onto their children which is never good!
Having a fear like this can decrease not only the quality of life but can even risk the life of someone suffering from it if it is left untreated. Also, avoiding needed dental work can cause long term mouth problems and the teeth to wear down quicker than they should. This will cause someone's mouth to look very unattractive! Someone with Dentophobia could miss out on finding love because of a scary smile and could find themselves in a lot of pain as they grow older.
Someone could also pass this fear onto their children which is never good!
Why See The Phobia Guru For Treatment:
I am often able to help people break free of their phobia often in just one session, using the scientifically proven power of hypnotherapy combined with NLP and an immersive therapy option. My therapy skillfully combines these techniques uniquely to create the most powerful, effective and quickest way to beat a phobia. You will be in the hands of a trained phobia expert who will help you transform your mind and liberate yourself from even the most extreme fears.
Hypnotherapy is so effective with phobias because it tackles the underlying trigger of the phobia within the subconscious. Once a person has access to their subconscious they can eliminate their conditioned response to the stimulus. So instead of treating just the symptoms, hypnotherapy can heal the source for a lasting result. The best part about hypnotherapy and phobias is that often it only takes one session to completely get over the phobia so you do not have to spend a lot of money on continual treatment. The NHS also promotes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment for phobias.
Hypnotherapy is so effective with phobias because it tackles the underlying trigger of the phobia within the subconscious. Once a person has access to their subconscious they can eliminate their conditioned response to the stimulus. So instead of treating just the symptoms, hypnotherapy can heal the source for a lasting result. The best part about hypnotherapy and phobias is that often it only takes one session to completely get over the phobia so you do not have to spend a lot of money on continual treatment. The NHS also promotes hypnotherapy as an effective treatment for phobias.