If just thinking about the dentist makes your stomach clench and your heart race, you’re not alone. It is estimated that nearly 75% of all Americans have experienced some form of dental anxiety in their lifetime, and about 10% of those people have such severe dental phobia that they avoid the dentist at all costs.
But what causes this dental fear?
There are many complex factors that contribute to dental anxiety. However, one of the most prevalent is the media.
Take a moment to think about the common stereotypical image of the dentist that has been created through media such as the internet, books, cartoons, TV shows, movies, and YouTube videos.
Let me guess, this image contains a masked man with crazy pointed utensils, staring you in your mouth as you try not to scream. Unfortunately, this is the image that comes to mind when many people are asked to describe their dentist. This image, however, is unfair and is what makes dental phobia an epidemic in American society.
The stereotype of the “scary” dentist dates back to medieval times of barbers (who were the dentists of the time) holding exotic tools while a horrified patient watched. This type of dentistry would scare anyone, even more than 200 years ago. But with advanced technology and proper education, dentistry has emerged from the dark ages. Today’s dentists are highly skilled in their skills and patients rarely experience pain while undergoing a procedure.
Fast forward a few hundred years and the media still portrays dentists as these evil monsters who just want to inflict pain. Two movies come to mind. The first is the 1976 film Marathon Man. In this film, Lawrence Olivier plays a Nazi dentist who tries to torture a young student, played by Dustin Hoffman, by “extracting” his teeth without anesthesia.
Another example is found in the 1986 film adaptation of the black comedy, Little Shop of Horrors. In the movie, Steve Martin plays a sadistic dentist who smells nitrous oxide and loves pain.
Obviously, these two images would scare any adult, myself included, out of a visit to the dentist. But children are also subjected to images in which dentists cause pain. A great example is the children’s cartoon Anamaniacs. In this short clip, the three lovable characters try to extract a tooth from the evil Rasputin and save the Russian Tsar from his deceptions. Although they are fun-loving, the tools the characters use to extract the tooth, as well as the fear that Rasputin displays while the procedure is taking place, easily contribute to negative stereotypes of dentists.
However, no matter how hard a dentist tries to combat the stereotypical image of the media, one thing I like to emphasize to all patients is that the only way to overcome that fear is through the help and comfort of a doctor. knowledgeable, friendly, caring staff. It is important for any patient to feel comfortable while visiting their dentist. This comfort comes from a level of trust that is built between the patient and the doctor. Feel free to ask the appropriate questions, making sure all your facilities are comforted before beginning any dental procedure.
