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Dental fear is an interesting phenomenon.  The part that I gravitate to is the lack of control issue. Because there is lack of control people suffer from more fear. Their initial fears can come from past experiences, either with the dentist or possibly similar situations with other health professionals. (Great dental fear research link at the end.)

I do not have fear of the dentist, but I am not free of "irrational" fear.  I do not like riding down hills on my bike or mountains in a car - especially if I am in control of the vehicles. This is especially awkward since I am "in control" in these situations. But in a way I am not in control. My brakes are in control. And what if they fail??!!

My Ironic Fear

The ironic thing is that I like going UP hills - the steeper the better. Probably because I think I am in control. Ironically, if I lost my brakes going backwards, I would have less control than when going forwards. Of course, what I am most fearful of is what I see going down (in front of me) and that is the steepness of the hill/mountain. I am not afraid of what I cannot see behind me when I am riding up.  This is why it is irrational - but the fear in front of me is real. (If you have control fears, you know what I mean.)

Maybe if I closed my eyes as I drove down the mountain or rode down the hill I would be able to do it without fear.  Actually, as we were beginning our journey down Pikes Peak this past summer, I decided to do just that. I said to my wife, "I think if I drive down with my eyes closed I will be totally fine with it."

So my wife drove us down: she fears experimentation. Anyway, after the ride down and a change of clothes, I felt fine. And was glad I made it through the ride down and did not wait at the bottom while they went up, which is what I had originally suggested. There was a nice coffee shop at the bottom and it looked like a nice place to wait.

Revel And Admit

My belief is that we fight fear by reveling in it. I admit to other people that I have a fear so therefore it has less pull on me. I make fun of it to weaken its power over me. If dental visits are your Pikes Peak, have someone drive you down.  Find the right dentist - talk to the staff and see if they really know how to treat someone with your condition. Say flat out - "I have fears about going to the dentist - what will you do for me?"  If they stumble over themselves or in any way downplay these fears, call another dental practice. You don't even need to tell them your name (call anonymously).

Conclusion

Even if you have to travel a few extra miles to find the right dentist, it is worth it. My mom used to take us 120 miles to go to an optometrist. She had a fear of incompetence (she was a nurse for 40 years) and thought most medical professionals were not (professionals - mostly amateur status). While I believe there are a lot of dental professionals out there - do your research - there are not an equal number of "dental fear" professionals.

If you want more info on dental fear (so you know it is NOT JUST YOU) check out this research.