DENTAL PHOBIA

Fear of the Dentist in Everyday Language

The feeling that prevents a person from visiting a dentist, even when they have a condition requiring treatment (such as pain, decay, or bad breath).

For some, this fear stems from a negative childhood experience, but for many—perhaps most—it is not based on a real dental experience at all. Rather, it is a collection of imagined scenarios associated with unrelated events.

A person may have experienced an unpleasant event—whether dental-related or not—where they felt pain, helplessness, or restriction. However, it’s not the emotion itself that they rejected but their resistance to it.

Normally, emotions are temporary; they enter our awareness, flow through, and leave. But instead of allowing them to pass, we resist them, holding them in our energy field. If we simply observed them, they would dissolve. But the more we resist, the more they become embedded in our subconscious, growing stronger over time.

Later, when we encounter people, sounds, objects, colors, or smells similar to those from that initial event, we associate them with the same unpleasant emotions, projecting the past onto the present.

The fear of the dentist is often misplaced blame directed at a name, an object, or an experience. A painful needle, a loud noise, bright lights, splashing water, sitting still in a chair, or the feeling of losing control can all be linked to past emotions and labeled as "fear of the dentist."

For example, someone who experienced a car accident may associate the anxiety of that moment with the sound of screeching brakes. Later, when they hear a similar noise—such as the sound of a dental drill—the subconscious recalls the fear from the accident, triggering anxiety. The person may not consciously recognize this connection; they just feel uneasy and think, "I hate dentists; it's such a scary environment."

Another example: Someone who has undergone an unwanted physical intervention may develop resistance to any situation where they are not in control of their body. Since a dental procedure is also beyond their control, it can trigger deep-seated feelings of insecurity, making the dentist seem frightening.

As you can see, the fear of the dentist does not come from dentists themselves but from unprocessed emotions stored in our memory.

Relax...

If your fear is so intense that it prevents you from seeking treatment, here’s a simple method to try:

Close your eyes and imagine yourself comfortably sitting in the dentist's chair, receiving treatment with ease. Replace the frightening image in your mind with its opposite. Repeat this visualization until you can see it clearly and peacefully. Once your mind has fully embraced this new image, your reality will align with it.

Sometimes, old fears and deep-rooted beliefs are so strong that even imagining a positive scenario feels impossible. When you try, negative thoughts and emotions may surface in the background. These are the fears and anxieties you’ve suppressed for years.

Recognize them.

Let them go.

You can use visualization to release them—imagine them as balloons and let them float away, pop them, or write them on a piece of paper and burn it. Do whatever feels right to you.

Then observe…

See those emotions leaving you and feel the peace that follows.

Now, create a new, positive mental image. Embed it in your memory and replay it repeatedly. Then, go for your treatment.

If visualization doesn’t work for you, try a self-dialogue approach. Ask yourself, "What is truly stopping me from going to the dentist despite my pain?" By honestly addressing this question, you can uncover the real reason behind your fear. Facing these beliefs directly can be just as effective as visualization.

These techniques are not just for overcoming dental fear but for breaking free from any emotional blocks or limiting beliefs that hold you back.

Remember…

Reality begins with imagination.

Emine NALÇACI MAVİŞ