All About Dentophobia, the Fear of the Dentists, and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling

What is Dentophobia?

Dentophobia is the Fear of Dentists (fear of dental treatment rather than the dentist as a person) and, like all other fears and phobias, can be a cause of significant anxiety and stress if you suffer from it.

There may be a number of reasons why you developed Dentophobia, for example:

• Negative experiences with dentists in the past such as a painful procedure.
• Growing up in a family environment in which dental treatment was avoided.
• Trypanophobia – fear of needles or injections.

Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence that Dentophobia is the result of any kind of biological fault or chemical imbalance in spite of the traction that biomedical models of mental illness are given in the media.

On the contrary, Dentophobia is much more likely to be the result of your own, subjective evaluation (meaning-making) of what happened to you and is therefore better described as a psychosocial phenomenon.

Dentophobia Symptoms & Behaviours

All phobias, including Dentophobia, create feelings of anxiety because phobic objects or situations are always perceived as a threat.

Consequently, the symptoms of Dentophobia are both specific and generic and may include:

• Avoidance of dental treatment.
• Worrying about having an injection for pain relief.
• An elevated heart rate.
• A sense of dread about what might happen.
• Worrying that you might pass out.
• Feeling dizzy or disoriented.
• Heart palpitations.
• Having a dry or sticky mouth.
• Hot sweats.
• Feeling Stressed.
• Difficulty breathing easily.
• Feelings of panic.

You may have all, some or even different symptoms to these listed here and this is due to the subjective nature of Dentophobia.

However, you should also be aware that many of these somatic symptoms (symptoms felt in the body) WILL subside over time and rarely last for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

What Causes Dentophobia?

It’s possible that your Dentophobia may be the result of traumatic events or adverse situations that you experienced at some point in your life.

For example, our mouths are very sensitive and even the smallest objects can feel very large.

Because of this, having the dentist work inside your mouth can feel very intrusive and uncomfortable.

However, because a Fear of Dentists is by no means universal, the most likely explanation for your Dentophobia is the way you understood and made sense of your earlier experiences around which you have built a set of beliefs.

Counselling and Therapy for Dentophobia

We offer a number of different types of therapy and counselling for Dentophobia the Fear of Dentists.

Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:

• How long you have had your phobia.
• Your personal preferences.
• How your phobia is affecting you today.

You can read more about the different types of therapy for Dentophobia on the following links:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Dentophobia
• Counselling for Dentophobia
• Pluralistic Therapy for the Fear of Dentists

Although all forms of psychotherapy use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.

Furthermore, research also suggests that the therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about overcoming Dentophobia or recovering from related mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular phobia and the different types of mental health counselling we offer without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.