Scared Brits put at ease by Surbiton dentist

If you had to compile a list of the things that people are most afraid of, there would be a few things that would instantly spring to mind. Spiders and flying would certainly be up there and not too far behind, I imagine, would come the dreaded dentist. According to a survey of 1,500 people carried out by the Cosmetic Dentistry Guide a staggering 93 per cent of adults in the United Kingdom are afraid of visiting the dentist.

Interestingly it is men that are more likely to be afraid of dentists, and far less likely to actually confront their fears. Women are worried too but it seems they are more likely to take pride in their appearance and realize the importance of looking after their teeth.

Most cases of dental anxiety can be traced to an unpleasant experience in the past. Others attribute the fear to the lack of control and feeling of vulnerability when in the chair. Some people use excuses like the lack of NHS dentists and expected high cost of treatment to justify not going to the dentist, but these excuses often mask a more underlying fear. Many children who fear a visit to the dentist do so because the parent has passed on the anxiety. Many dentists report of instances where parents have said at the end of the appointment ‘That didn’t hurt too much did it?’, and that being the first time the child had associated it with pain.

However, a fear of the dentist is a very real fear for many, and comes in two main forms. Firstly, dental anxiety, a term coined in the 40s, which is a mild fear or apprehension and secondly, dental phobia, which is a much more serious fear affecting about one in ten people.

Fear, as we all know, is mostly irrational. Most people’s fears are based on experiences 40 years out of date. Dentistry has advanced to such a degree that many procedures now are almost painless. Dental surgeries have become more like health spas than the funny smelling institutional buildings they once were. Visit a Surbiton dentist to see how they’ve changed and put aside your anxieties. There really is nothing to be scared of.