1 in 7 would rather endure a divorce than take a trip to the dentist

21st October 2014

● Men avoid the dentist for fear of being scolded about their dental health and worry about the cost.

● Those in Scotland more than twice as likely to find the dentist stressful than Londoners.

● Women worry most about the noise of the drill and pain.

21 October 2014: The state of the nation's teeth has been a running joke for decades, but it seems we're no closer to the perfect smile as data released today by Toothpick, the UK's leading dental bookings platform, reveals that one in seven of us would rather endure a divorce, move house or attend a job interview than endure half an hour in the dentist's chair.

With one third of Brits admitting to not having visited the dentist in more than two years it is inevitable that the state of the nation’s teeth is suffering. This combined with, in some cases, the need for extensive treatment when we do manage to get there, it is little wonder we avoid the dentist’s chair. According to the Dental Health Organisation 12% of us suffer from extreme dental anxiety so what exactly is it about the dentist that we fear?

It seems that for men the reluctance stems from fear of being scolded about the state of their teeth, with nearly a quarter of men surveyed (23.3%) citing this as the main reason for avoiding checkups. They were equally worried about experiencing further pain and when asked to state any other reasons 38% were worried about the impact on their wallet.

The biggest fear for women is the noise of the drill (35%) followed by the worry of further pain (23.1%) and the third most likely complaint is a phobia of needles(12.8%). A small proportion also find the reclining of the chair a problem (3.8%). The sterile smell and invasion of personal space were also cited as reasons to avoid the dentist.

Age also plays a factor in how much we worry about a trip to the dentist. 45-54 year olds were most likely to fear the dentist above all else (18.7%), closely followed by 55-64 year olds (16.7%). The least worried were the 18-24 year olds with just 8.7% saying the dentist was the most stressful event they could experience.

The results also highlighted some regional differences in attitudes towards the dentist. Londoners and the Welsh were the least likely to fear the dentist with just 5.9% of those surveyed in both regions classing it as the most stressful event. However those based in the North East, East of England and East Midlands were the most likely to fear the dentist’s chair with one in five people describing the dentist as their biggest fear.

Sandeep Senghera, founder of dental bookings platform Toothpick and qualified dentist comments: "It’s clear that as a nation we still have a deep-seated fear of the dentist and the less we visit the dentist, the more likely we are to perpetuate a vicious circle.

"When we don’t visit the dentist, we are more likely to experience more dental decay or other problems with our teeth compared to when we have regular check-ups. This of course leads to dental pain and reinforces a fear of the dentist when we do go and may require more intensive treatment.

"While many of us may never learn to relish the thought of a trip to the dentist, certain things could be done to help. For instance clarity on the cost breakdowns for those who worry about money, better systems to enable nervous patients to select a dentist specialising in treating those with dental phobias and generally more choice and control over who we see, could go some way to making us less fearful."

Toothpick was launched in 2013, with a mission to make dentistry more consumer-friendly. The founders conducted a survey, in which 450 out of 1000 dental practices failed to pick up the phone during standard opening hours. Only 40 percent had a website or published price information. Toothpick set out to remedy this by creating a two-way channel where dentists can advertise their appointment inventory, reviews and dentists’ profiles, allowing patients to compare prices and providers. Visit the website at www.toothpick.com

REGIONAL TABLE: The percentage per region of those surveyed by Toothpick who selected a trip to the dentist as the most stressful life event.