It’s not good news for dentists in the West Midlands, as the latest piece of research for National Smile Month carried out by organisers the British Dental Health Foundation suggests visiting the dentist makes people more nervous than spiders or snakes.
The Foundation asked people in the lead up to National Smile Month 2011 what made them most nervous from a list including heights, flying, injections, doctors, snakes, spiders, going to hospital and visiting the dentist. Nearly one in five people in the region (19 per cent) rated a visit to their dentist as the thing that made them most nervous – more than any other category. Statistically, heights topped the poll of biggest fears overall, closely followed by a visit to the dentist and going to the hospital, whilst flying brought up the rear.
In comparison to doctors, dentists also struggled. The survey revealed statistically nearly six times as many people were made most nervous by a visit to their dentist compared to their doctors.
The research echoes the results of the Adult Dental Health Survey, published in March, which revealed half of adults in the UK were classified as having moderate to extreme dental anxiety. Two treatments in particular were the main cause of these nerves: three out of ten (30 per cent) adults said that having a tooth drilled would make them very or extremely anxious. A similar number (28 per cent) of people reported equivalent levels of anxiety about having a local anaesthetic injection.
Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, believes the results suggest the message to the general public should be loud and clear.
Dr Carter said: “Even if you have had a bad experience at the dentist in the past, visiting your local practice is not as scary as you think. Things have changed a lot over recent years and all dentists are aware that many of their patients who visit them have varying degrees of anxiety and so go to great lengths to put them at ease. Some even specialise in treating nervous patients.
“The survey results also suggest dental anxiety is a problem that increases as people grow older. This trend emphasises the need to visit the dentist from an early age to avoid problems in later life.
“For anyone who has not been to the dentist for a while National Smile Month, which started on 15 May and is being supported by thousands of dental practices across the UK, is an excellent opportunity to pick up the phone and make an appointment. This year’s theme is the ‘Smile Factor’ and it’s a great opportunity to regain a confident and healthy smile.”
There is, of course, another fear. The risk that visiting the dentists will cost a fortune in treatment.