Dental anxiety is intense fear, dread or panic associated with dental visits, dental procedures or any aspect of dental care.
It ranges from significant unease that makes dental appointments deeply unpleasant, through to full dental phobia in which the anxiety is so overwhelming that the person avoids the dentist entirely, sometimes for years or even decades.

Dental anxiety is one of the most common forms of specific anxiety, affecting an estimated one in five adults in the UK to some degree. Despite its prevalence, it is often dismissed or minimised. People are told to simply get on with it or that their fear is irrational. This is both unhelpful and incorrect.
Dental anxiety is a genuine anxiety condition, rooted in the same subconscious fear mechanisms as any other phobia, and it responds very well to the right specialist treatment.

The consequences of untreated dental anxiety go beyond discomfort. Avoiding the dentist leads to deteriorating oral health, which in turn creates more complex and potentially more distressing dental needs. Many people with dental anxiety find themselves trapped in a cycle where avoidance leads to worse oral health, which increases shame and anxiety about the dentist, which leads to further avoidance. Breaking this cycle with effective treatment can transform both dental health and quality of life.

Dental anxiety can develop following a painful or distressing dental experience, after medical trauma or a difficult procedure, through conditioning in childhood, or with no clear identifiable cause. It frequently involves fear of pain, fear of needles or injections, fear of the drill or other instruments, fear of gagging or choking, fear of losing control or being unable to escape the chair, and embarrassment or shame about the condition of the teeth following years of avoidance.