Dental fear is a more common problem than people think. A large percentage of adults suffer from what is termed as dental fear or dental anxiety. There may be varying degrees of this fear, but they all have the same effect. People ignore dental problems until it is too late. They visit the dentist only when their toothache gets too painful to bear, and by then the problem has advanced to such as stage that they may lose their tooth forever or even suffer from lifelong damage. Causes and types of dental fear The most common fear that is a result of a fear of a visit to the dental clinic is the fear of the unknown. This kind of fear may be a result of having heard stories form other people about bad experiences at the clinic. Not knowing what to expect at the clinic can be a cause of fear for a number of people. This is the least severe kind of fear in such a situation. Dental fear is more severe. It is usually the result of a personal bad experience. This may have happened wither as a child or even as an adult. The patient may have faced a very painful tooth extraction and is afraid of facing it again. The dentist may not have been very sympathetic to the pain and that may have instilled a fear of dentists in general. Dental phobia is extremely severe dental fear. For some people a traumatic experience during a dental treatment may have left such an impression that even the sight of a toothpaste ad may cause fear. The patient may feel a lack of control and that may result in the feeling of helplessness. This can also be the result of...