Dental Phobic Shares Her Story After Avoiding The Dentist For Over 20 Years
Victoria White, a sufferer of dental phobia, has shared her story after avoiding going to the dentist for more than 20 years.
Victoria first developed a fear of going to the dentist when her childhood dentist told her than her teeth “attracted tartar” she said that even at a young age, she felt she had been judged and told off and this put her off going to the dentist.
Embarrassment often caused her to hide away from other people because of the state of her teeth. Years of avoiding the dentist contributed to dark staining on her teeth and she avoided smiling in public and chose to meet friends in dark places, so that they would not be able to see the extent of her dental woes.
Now 46 Vistoria is otherwise very health-conscious, she keeps an eye on her diet and exercises on a regular basis, but she was unable to overcome her fear of the dentist, even avoiding walking past practices on her way home by crossing the road.
It wasn’t until Victoria was told that she needed to have a dental check before undertaking a course of chemotherapy after she was diagnosed with breast cancer that she finally decided to bite the bullet and see a dentist. Victoria said that she lost seep over the thought of going to the dentist and even contemplated foregoing the chemotherapy so that she didn’t have to have a dental check, but eventually decided to seek help for her phobia.
Victoria decided to visit a private dentist who had experience in treating phobia patients and she said that she now feels much more confident and is able to meet friends wherever she likes without worrying about the appearance of her smile. Victoria had four fillings and intensive cleaning treatments; she was able to get through the process with the help of her dentist and by taking it slow.
It is estimated that around 10 per cent of people suffer from an exaggerated fear of the dentist, making it the third most common phobia after spiders and heights. Dental phobia can be crippling, but dentists urge patients to seek help as early as possible, as avoiding the dentist can increase the risk of serious medical conditions, including heart disease, strokes and diabetes, as well as dental problems such as decay and gum disease.
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