Understanding Dental Anxiety
Feeling anxious about the dentist is very common and nothing to be embarrassed about. Find out what help there is and how to make your visits easier.
What is dental anxiety?
Dental anxiety is feeling scared, worried or uneasy about dental visits or dental treatment.
It is very common. Research suggests that about 1 in 4 adults in the UK have some dental anxiety. About 1 in 8 say their anxiety is high or extreme. About 1 in 10 avoid the dentist completely because of it.
Dental anxiety can be mild or severe. It ranges from feeling a bit nervous before a visit to a very strong fear (dental phobia). With a phobia, even thinking about the dentist can cause a lot of distress.
If you feel anxious about dental treatment, you are not alone. Your dental team can do a lot to help. Please do not let anxiety stop you getting the care you need.
What causes dental anxiety?
Dental anxiety often comes from a mix of things:
- A hard or painful visit in the past. A bad experience, mainly as a child, is one of the most common causes.
- Fear of pain. Many people worry that treatment will hurt.
- Fear of losing control. Lying in a chair while someone works in your mouth can make you feel very exposed.
- Feeling embarrassed about your teeth, mainly if it has been a long time since your last visit.
- Worry about needles, or the sound and feel of dental tools.
- General anxiety. People with anxiety disorders are more likely to have dental anxiety too.
- Hearing bad stories from friends or family about their dental visits.
How dental anxiety affects your teeth and gums
Avoiding the dentist because of anxiety often leads to a hard cycle:
- Problems are not found early, so they get more serious.
- When you do go, you need more treatment, which may be more uncomfortable.
- This makes the fear stronger, so it is even harder to go next time.
You can break this cycle. Your dental team is there to help you do it, not to judge you for the time that has passed or the state of your teeth.
How your dental team can help
A good dental team will take your anxiety seriously and plan your care around it. Many things can help:
- Say how you feel. Telling your dental team you are anxious is the most important first step. They cannot support you well if they do not know.
- Agree a stop signal. Many dentists use a simple hand signal, such as raising your hand, to show you need a break. Knowing you can stop at any time can help you feel more in control.
- Numbing injection (local anaesthetic). Modern numbing injections work very well. Most treatment should be pain-free once the area is numb. Your dental team will make sure you are fully comfortable before they start.
- Explain each step. Ask your dental team to tell you what they will do before each step, so there are no surprises.
- Music or podcasts. Bring earphones and listen to something you enjoy.
- Shorter, more frequent visits. Splitting treatment into smaller steps can make it feel easier.
- "Happy gas" (inhalation sedation or relative analgesia). You breathe a mix of nitrous oxide and oxygen through a small nosepiece. This makes you feel calm and relaxed. You stay fully awake and can talk, but you feel much less anxious. It is best for people with mild to moderate anxiety.
- Sedation through a vein (IV conscious sedation). A calming medicine is given through a small needle in the back of your hand. You stay awake but feel very relaxed. You are unlikely to remember much of the treatment. It is used for stronger anxiety or more complex treatment.
- General anaesthetic (being put to sleep). For very severe phobia or complex treatment needs, treatment can be done under general anaesthetic in a hospital.
Other ways to manage anxiety
Longer-term ways to manage dental anxiety include:
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This talking therapy works very well for phobias, including dental phobia. Your GP can refer you, or you can pay for it privately.
- Mindfulness and relaxation. Slow breathing and relaxing your body before and during visits can greatly reduce anxiety.
- Taking it step by step (gradual exposure). Start with a visit with no treatment, just to look around and meet the team. Then slowly build up to more treatment.
- Self-help resources. The British Dental Health Foundation and NHS websites have very good resources for people with dental anxiety.
Taking the first step
If you have avoided the dentist for a long time, making that first call can feel very hard. These ideas may help:
- Tell the receptionist you are anxious when you call to book. A good practice will note this. They will make sure you see a dentist who is used to helping anxious patients.
- Book a first chat (consultation). There is no treatment. It is just a chance to talk and have your mouth checked in a calm setting.
- Bring someone with you for support if that helps.
- Choose a morning appointment if you can. Waiting all day can feel worse than the visit itself.
Your dental team knows that taking this step takes courage. They want to help you feel safe, listened to and cared for at every visit.
This leaflet is for general information only and does not replace professional dental advice. Your dental team will discuss your individual circumstances and any risks and treatment specific to you. Treatment outcomes vary between patients depending on individual circumstances.
Sources
- Fear of the dentist. Oral Health Foundation.
- Conscious Sedation in Dentistry, 3rd edition, reviewed December 2022. Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), 2017.
Links checked 18 October 2026.
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