If you’ve ever felt heightened and disabling fear, stress and anxiety when preparing for a dental appointment, you may have dental phobia.
Dental anxiety is more common than you may think—it’s estimated by Harvard Health that 13 to 24% of people worldwide share this experience. As a result, dental anxiety is sometimes diagnosed as ‘anticipatory anxiety’, according to PubMed Central, because it stems from a fear of both real and anticipated dangers.
However, when this fear comes between necessary dental procedures and worsens your toothaches or infections, it’s important to have some coping strategies up your sleeve.