{"id":2829,"date":"2025-02-20T06:28:55","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T06:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.joshuahongdds.com\/blog\/?p=2829"},"modified":"2025-08-22T00:12:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T00:12:48","slug":"what-causes-dental-phobias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalgoodyear.com\/blog\/what-causes-dental-phobias\/","title":{"rendered":"Scary Smile Care: What Causes Dental Phobias?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalgoodyear.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AdobeStock_851812589__1743834352_98839.jpg\" alt=\"A woman experiencing a dental phobia\" class=\"wp-image-2830\" style=\"width:331px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalgoodyear.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AdobeStock_851812589__1743834352_98839.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.goodmandentalgoodyear.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AdobeStock_851812589__1743834352_98839-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodmandentalgoodyear.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AdobeStock_851812589__1743834352_98839-768x492.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>As common as dental phobias are, anxious people often can\u2019t pinpoint their sources. Most of these folks just know they dislike dentists and don\u2019t want to attend checkups. Even so, you really should learn the causes of these fears; doing so helps you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalgoodyear.com\/sedation-dentistry.html\">overcome them<\/a>. The good news is that your Goodyear practice can help you with this work. To that end, here\u2019s a primer on what causes dental phobias and how to best conquer them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signs of Dental Phobias<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While dental phobias do range in severity, they still tend to show specific signs. You can tell whether you have one by looking for such symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common signs of dental phobias (aside from severe anxiety) include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Chills, shivering, trembling, or shaking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dizziness and lightheadedness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Excessive sweating (i.e., hyperhidrosis)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Upset stomach or indigestion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Heart palpitations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shortness of breath (i.e., dyspnea)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Causes of Dental Phobias<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The truth is that dental phobias can have various causes. Still, some of the more notable ones are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Feeling Embarrassed<\/strong> \u2014 Sometimes, a patient feels strange about a dentist being close to their face. Others can worry about how their teeth look or whether their breath smells.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A Sense of Helplessness<\/strong> \u2014 When lying in a chair with your mouth open for an extended period, you could easily feel a loss of control.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Family History<\/strong> \u2014 In truth, having a family member with a phobic disorder increases your odds of having a dental phobia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Past Negative Experiences <\/strong>\u2014 If you\u2019ve had a negative trauma related to the dentist, it may have caused your dentophobia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Overcome Dental Phobias<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many ways to overcome dental phobias, but two are worth mentioning in detail. These are exposure therapy and sedation dentistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through exposure therapy, a trained therapist helps you work through your fear responses. They do so by exposing you to situations and images that may trigger your phobia. As your symptoms then manifest, the therapist will calm you with positive thinking, relaxation techniques, and similar material. This process should lead to a lasting reduction in your phobias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike exposure therapy, sedation dentistry uses sedatives to relax you for dental treatment. These medicines can range from nitrous oxide (i.e., \u201claughing gas\u201d) and pills to an actual IV injection. That said, all such sedatives will similarly reduce a patient\u2019s anxiety and keep them calm during care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you know what causes dental phobias, you can better deal with them. Still, don\u2019t hesitate to talk to your dental provider for more help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Caleb Goodman offers expert general and emergency dental care in Goodyear, AZ. With a gentle, patient-first approach, our team provides thorough evaluations, pain-free tooth extractions, and comprehensive post-op support to help patients recover quickly and comfortably. Whether you&#8217;re dealing with an emergency tooth extraction or a planned procedure, we\u2019re here to help every step of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Call us at <a href=\"tel:+16239258822\">(623) 925-8822<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalgoodyear.com\/request-an-appointment.html\">request an appointment online<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As common as dental phobias are, anxious people often can\u2019t pinpoint their sources. Most of these folks just know they dislike dentists and don\u2019t want to attend checkups. Even so, you really should learn the causes of these fears; doing so helps you overcome them. The good news is that your Goodyear practice can help you with this work. To that end, here\u2019s a primer on what causes dental phobias and how to best conquer [&hellip;] <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalgoodyear.com\/blog\/what-causes-dental-phobias\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Causes Dental Phobias? | Goodman Dental<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you fear the dentist but don\u2019t know why? 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