In the last blog, we discussed how Dentophobia is real. And how half the population is suffering from it! We also talked a bit about a few recurrent themes of what constitutes this deadly fear. You can read more about it here: (Why are we scared of Dentists?)

How can dental experiences be good when it involves a lot of pain and suffering? Most of us do have bad dental experiences. It’s either with the dentist, the clinic staff, the treatments, or the post-treatment results. Think about it, have you heard anyone say they had a good time visiting a dentist?

Bad dental experiences do make us hesitant to trust dentists again. Don’t they?

The first impression is the last impression

No one would want to step into a clumsy clinic with no proper sanitization protocols and cleanliness. Often you get to see this when the assistant or the staff of the clinic is on leave. But the first impression is the last impression.

Improper covid precautions and sanitization protocols do give an overall bad experience. This often makes you have trust issues with the dentist. You simply decide not to get your treatment done from that clinic. It’s definitely not a good experience, to begin with.

Bad dental experiences with tooth pain

Your Pain just won’t go away

I bet you can relate to this one. You are unable to get rid of that toothache in spite of taking those painkillers. Your tooth pain doesn’t seem to subside with anything and everything you do. You realize how bad your toothache is. Your pain still persists with the prescribed medications.

Increased intensity of pain after a dental checkup

The toothache that had just seemed to be a little bearable, started to hurt you again when the dentist hit it really hard with the instruments. You realize this is just the trailer. It’s then when you decide to abort the mission.

Screams you hear while you are waiting for your turn

You can probably relate that to your school or college times when you hear it’s now your turn for your viva exam. That same anxiety coupled with screams of pain in a dental clinic would be next level.

Frustrating experiences

Long waiting periods

Time is money and no one wants to waste it in a dental clinic. It’s equally frustrating to wait and lose your patience, especially when there is nothing positive to look forward to.

Multiple appointments can be annoying

It’s annoying to go through the same things again and again and till when is the final question? All you want is to get rid of it once and for all. Or at least get it treated in the promised time period. Multiple dental appointments always leave you with a question why visit the dentist 3-4 times and not get it done all at once.

Treatments extending over months to years

People often experience their treatments extending from days to months to even years altogether. Where visiting a dental clinic becomes a part of your weekly chores. This does take a toll on your mental health.

Old traditional treatment methods

Everyone would want to visit a dental clinic where treatments are done with advanced machinery that gets the work done within no time. Traditional approaches to treatments take a longer time to get the work done. It does make space for repeated frustration, giving you an overall bad experience.

It’s often about the money

Sudden surprises with heavy dental bills are something no one is ready for. Sudden changes in the treatment plan calls for additional dental appointments. This in turn increases your treatment cost. You may start to question why weren’t told about this earlier?

The cost exceeded the promised amount

You get a dental consultation to understand and get an overall idea about the treatment needed for your case. You do get a fair idea about the price range for each treatment. The dentist advised you to go for a different procedure as somehow things aren’t working out. There you are, sitting all ready to blow out your anger. Of course, you didn’t know what was coming.

Felt cheated by your dentist

Most people think their dentists are cheating them. This also generally comes from a past experience. The dentist promised two different amounts pre and post-treatments. You now feel you’re in a helpless situation. You’re left feeling cheated. You’ve promised yourself to never visit that dentist again.

Different rates for the same treatments at different clinics

The bottom line is:

It’s not easy to get over your bad dental experiences. After all, the first impression is the last impression. Only if you never had to face them, could you trust your dentist a little more?

How many of these issues have you faced in the past? Or maybe you know about these incidences encountered by your friends or family? Do share all such experiences with us in the comments below.

This blog is also a part of a series, where we are talking about how we can eradicate dentophobia, as much as we can. Why don’t you sign up for the newsletter to get the latest updates in this series?

You can read the first blog in the series here: (Why are we scared of Dentists?)

Pro Tip:

You could save yourself from bad dental experiences. How? By taking a free oral scan at the comfort of your home. Get expert dental advice, treatments plans, e-prescriptions, and estimated treatment costs just by downloading scanO(formerly DentalDost) for free. No worrying about sanitization, no room for cheating dentists, no waiting time and you only visit a dentist when it’s necessary. Saves you all that hassle and money too, isn’t it?

Download the app