Learn how to get over your fear of the dentist with our expert advice. Discover calming techniques and start enjoying your dental visits.

Do you avoid going to the dentist because the thought of being in that chair fills you with dread? If so, you're not alone. According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 36% of Americans have dental anxiety, with 12% of people possessing an extreme fear of dental work. 

That said, dental anxiety is something worth working through so you can comfortably receive professional dental care. Knowing that your dentist understands your anxiety is a great place to start.



Are you ready to work on dental anxiety management? Read on for our complete guide on how to get over your fear of the dentist.

Understanding the Root of Dental Anxiety

If you're surrounded by people who don't have dental anxiety or dental anxiety is a new factor in your life, it can be hard to understand where it comes from. For many people, dental anxiety stems from:

• Negative experiences in the past
• Fear of pain, needles, or other dental tools
• Feeling a loss of control
• Embarrassment about troublesome oral health 
• Sensory discomfort with the sights, smells, or sounds in a dental office

Some people develop anxiety if they haven't been to the dentist for several years. They worry that their dentist or dental hygienist will scold or judge them, even if realistically they were facing circumstances (like lack of dental insurance) that made dental visits difficult to manage. 



Understanding the root of your dental anxiety is often the first step in managing dental phobia. It's much easier to work through a specific source of anxiety, such as trauma from a negative experience, than it is to confront that looming feeling of fear. 

Tips on How to Get Over Your Fear of the Dentist

There may come a time when you realize it's time to go to the dentist to manage your oral health. Here are some of our top tips on how to get over your fear of the dentistto make that upcoming appointment more manageable.

Communicate Openly With Your Dentist

Believe it or not, most dentists aren't going to judge you for your phobia of dentists! We've all met other patients who possess the same fear and we know that this fear can keep you out of the dentist chair for a long time. In the end, we're just happy that you're visiting us now.

Talking to your dentist about your fears is a great way to establish some of the boundaries you need to feel safe, which we'll talk about more below. 

Start With Smaller Procedures

Maybe what you really need is a root canal, but the idea of getting that kind of procedure done is more than you can currently bear. Rather than forcing yourself to do the big thing first, start with something smaller.

For example, give your dentist a call and ask if you can schedule a cleaning and consultation for the same day.

This will give you some exposure to basic dental work while allowing you to learn more about the other procedures you need. 

Practice Relaxation Techniques

In the weeks leading up to your appointment, start practicing relaxation techniques like breathing exercises, guided visualizations, or progressive muscle relaxation. These techniques can send signals to your nervous system that it doesn't need to respond to a perceived threat with anxiety symptoms like shallow breathing or a rapid heartbeat.

Make sure you're practicing these techniques both when you're already relaxed and when you're anxious. This combination is great for training your nervous system to respond to your technique of choice automatically, even when you're in a heightened mental state before a dental cleaning or tooth extraction.

Establish Control in the Dental Chair

One of our top dental anxiety tips is to remind yourself that you are not relinquishing control when you get in the dentist's chair. There are a lot of ways to increase your feeling of control, such as:

• Learning more about what will happen during your next appointment
• Creating a signal with your dental team that you need a break
• Circling back about follow-up appointments in a few days

Getting dental work can feel vulnerable. Let your dentist know if this makes you uncomfortable so you can discuss possible solutions.

Seek Professional Anxiety Support

If your fear of the dentist is extreme, you may need a therapist's help with reducing dental anxiety. There are many types of therapy geared toward addressing phobias, including cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy.



If the fear of the dentist stems from past trauma, consider seeking trauma-informed therapy such as EMDR or DBT. These modalities allow patients to confront the traumatic incident in order to reduce the response to related triggers.

Keeping Your "Why" In Mind

We understand that overcoming dental fear isn't easy. There may be times when you want to give up and go back to avoiding the dentist at all costs. 

The problem is that in addition to benefitting from regular cleanings, you may have dental emergencies or specific oral health concerns in the future that need tending to. When the urge to throw in the towel strikes, keep in mind why you're fighting to overcome your fear. For example, maybe you want to:

• Avoid passing on your fear of dentists to your children
• Have more freedom to get dental procedures done, both medical and cosmetic
• Take care of pressing dental health concerns
• Avoid potential health complications in the future

Don't let your "why" become an added source of pressure, which can make it feel even harder to face your fears.

Instead, think of your "why" as something you innately deserve, and remember that you have the strength to get there. 

Come to the Tabas Center for Patient-First Dental Care in Philadelphia

If you need dental work but don't know how to get over your fear of the dentist, you're in the right place. At Tabas Center, we understand the anxiety that can make dental care hard to obtain. We work with our patients to help them feel safe and empowered in the dentist's chair.



Tabas Center is an advanced dentistry center in South Philadelphia that can support patients in all of their dental health needs. Led by Norman Tabas, DDS, we do everything from general to cosmetic dentistry, eliminating the need for referrals. Learn more about our practice today.