NEW YORK — Feeling bristled? Imagine how your teeth might feel, especially if you’ve been putting off your annual checkup. If you have, you’re likely far from alone. A new study finds that six in 10 American adults are too scared to visit the dentist.
Researchers at Hello Products, a dental care startup, polled 2,000 adults in the U.S. on their oral hygiene habits, which led to some more-than-toothless findings.
For instance, among the more stunning results, the survey showed that three in 10 millennials only brush their teeth once a day. Millennials also admit they’ve gone two or three days on average without brushing at all.
Yet, a convincing majority (56 percent) expressed fear or anxiety over losing their teeth, despite possessing slovenly dental habits.
“It’s crucial to take the right steps every day to maintain a healthy mouth,” reminds Craig Dubitsky, Hello Products’ founder. “This involves using effective oral care products, as well as being mindful of your daily habits.”
Going to the dentist was admittedly a phobia for most respondents — overall, 62% of adults surveyed said that they were too spooked to even visit a dentist’s office — but particularly among millennials, perhaps helping explain why their much-flaunted smiles appear to be at-risk. Millennials were more likely than those over 55 to create excuses to avoid regular dental checkups (56 percent to 36 percent, respectively).
“Going to the dentist has many advantages aside from ensuring you have pearly whites and bad breath prevention,” says California based dentist, Dr. Lawrence Fung, DDS, founder of Silicon Beach Dental. “Research has shown that there are many linkages to oral health and your overall health.
For what it’s worth, dentists were feared almost seven times as much as neurologists (9%), and more than twice as much as surgeons (26%). Fear of the dental chair was deep-rooted for many; the average respondent began to feel distressed by the age of 15, with many carrying feelings of unease before turning 10.
More stats: Three-tenths of those surveyed said they’d rather put in a full day at work than undergo a dental procedure, and a similar percentage said they would abstain from sex — for a month!
Two in 10 said they’d rather give a speech to a large crowd of people.
As for what tops of the list of dental visit phobias? Rounding out the top three were pain during treatment (74 percent), pain after treatment (47 percent), and the frightening noise of the dental drill (34 percent).
Negative past experiences (29 percent) and anesthesia-related fears (25 percent) were also common items of discomfort.
So how to make dental visits more comfortable? Do your research.
“While going to the dentist can be scary, some of the ways you can help alleviate those feelings is by seeking a dentist who truly places a high emphasis on creating a welcoming environment to make you feel comfortable,” says Fung. “When seeking a dentist, be sure to take a look at their bios and have an office tour to see if the place is welcoming.”
Put more bluntly, not brushing twice a day and skipping your biannual cleanings is sure to make you long in the tooth.
Why brush one’s teeth more than once a day – before bed?
I always wonder about these people who brush their teeth in the morning, then eat breakfast!! WTF?!
Because your mouth accumulates stuff as you sleep. Atleast that’s how a dentist explained it to me when I asked same question.
Get a real bad toothache and you’ll get over your fear..
For all you sissies out there afraid to go to the dentist watch this clip of some pretty scary dental work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzw1_2b-I7A
“Take your time, and tell me if it is safe”
I am pretty sure this was my childhood dentist.
Yeah, the real problem is those saying how they never need to brush are just fraidy cats who’ve never kissed anybody other than their dog. I have a medical condition that requires me to give myself and injection every two weeks. Deep thigh muscle with 2.5″ #23 needle. Stings a little piercing the skin but it has to be done. I’d be ashamed to say I’m afraid of the dentist. Grow a set of whatever it is your gender requires and take care of business. If my 8yo grand daughter can do it, i’m almost positive you “grownups” can too. I could be wrong.
Are you kidding, I have never had ins for this. It costs to much!. I just got my teeth cleaned, they said it was time for x rays that was $226. then they wanted to do $465 of work. I Told them forget it. At 68 ins is. not worth it.
I spent $6,00 dollars of my own money for caps on old back teeth.That was a bad deal!!!
I have always had bad gums and then the teeth went bad below the cap.
They thought I would then spend $900 to take out the roots. I pulled the dame tooth. The hole thing is a racket.
If only that many could be assed to use their turn signals.
Worst than car mechanics.
That is soooo true.
I suppose the only people who are worth what they get paid are the fortunate ones who had mommies and daddies that could afford to pay for college.
We should just kill people for being poor right?
No wonder these clowns can’t get a date.
I can embrace everyone who fears going to the dentist, but you must brush, floss and do rinses to alkaline your mouth with a ph of 7.5 water (or higher) or baking soda to help prevent acid foods giving you cavities.
The dentists are way over priced, and the older you get and your gums start to recede your goose is cooked with bills that go up in the 10’s of thousands with caps, root canal or implants. Wonder why so many older people have false teeth ? The expense of refurbishing teeth are prohibited.
Here is a tip. If you are avoiding going in for cleanings because they hurt, go to a periodontist for cleanings, and have the hygienist use topical paste to prevent pain. I cleaned my teeth at home scrupulously for years, but avoided dentist office cleanings because they hurt horribly. Now I have a lot of bone loss. Now that I am having cleanings done at the periodontist, they are not nearly as painful; the paste is very effective. It is only a little more expensive than the cleanings at the dentist, and will save you a LOT of money in the long run. I have never found dental procedures painful; just the cleanings. I doubt I am the only person with this issue. Maybe some regular dentists use this paste, but mine didn’t. Also, take ibuprofen before the cleaning; it will also reduce the pain of it.
A lot of dental problems are genetic, and are due to one’s oral microbiome. However – along with cleanings of course – you can adjust that. I have a friend who does archaeological digs, and is constantly studying jaw bones and consequently also reading technical dental articles. He advises using Listerine about six times a day.
Having worked for several dentists, the lab charges $100 for a crown. The mark up is beyond ridiculous.
Not any longer do labs charge $100. It can be as much as $400.
I just got 6 crowns the cost was about 930 for each, my ins. covered 300 of it. and I think thats about the cheapest I have seen anywhere on this thread. really nice work, I was sedated for it. I thought it was fair, but I did know the markup was pretty high.
I thought the Millennials are the most health conscious generation in history with their clean foods, avoidance of sodas, veganism, etc.? Now we are reading that they have the worst dental hygiene of any living generation but are also the most overweight. It’s all hype.
dentists are expensive. dental insurance is useless. welfare patients get free care while I shell out thousands. so many dentists now cater to welfare patients and treat paying customers as unwanted distractions. Lastly, denists are very judgemental and very often shame and criticize their own customer base . I alos once had a dentist try to give me a solver tooth in the front on mouth( like a Russian gangster) Dr Gupta( she was awful) then insisted it is not her job to be my advocate.really? WTF? Can you imagine the car repair industry doing this? What do want fixed? I don’t know what is wrong with car? well tell me what you want fixed and we will fix it, other wise it is not our job to advocate for you.
It may be a good thing. I got dentures in November. They were suppose to be just the top, but in literally the last minute dentist decided to take out the bottoms. Now, neither fit and I don’t like the looks. They refuse to refund my money so I can pay for a new set at another dentist. I can’t believe this practice is still so barbaric. I don’t think getting dentures is any easier than when my Dad had his teeth removed, over 70 years ago. I’ve talked with more people that have had denture horror stories recently. What’s up with that?
Talk to your local dental society. They have a peer review panel and you might get reimbursed.
I don’t think people are afraid, like scared of the actual dental work, its how much dental work costs. Even with insurance, and I have very good insurance, its still insane what you pay for copays.
You can’t afford $20? Must be a loser Democrat.
For $20, they won’t even let you into the building. Who pays for this fantastic dental policy that meets your needs for a $20 coopay? All of my (considerable)dental pain arises on my left buttocks, where I keep my wallet.
I have never paid more than $20 for a cleaning. Most places I’ve worked I had two cleanings every year for free. Maybe brush your teeth more than once a week so you don’t get 10 cavities a year? Pedolib!!!
Why would you call me a “pedolib”..? Does this mean liberal pedophile? And please note that my handle, “disenfranchised” refers to the Obama Administration use of the IRS to suppress conservative political action committees. I am a Republican. Congratulations to you if your employer provides low-cost dental coverage. I don’t suffer “10 cavities a year” but the dental work that I DO need comes from my own pocket(self-employed) after my dental plan’s contribution. Why so rude?
well, I just looked at some of your other posts on topics like FusionGPS, dirty sheets, Alzheimer’s etc. It would appear that we share the same attitude towards liberal politics. What a shame. It would be a lot easier to dismiss your potty-mouth if you were a confused Democrat.
pay cash!
We paid about $6K Last year for my child’s cracked molar and a few other procedures. This year we have already paid about $12K for braces for two kids. How in the world can a millennial afford to go to the dentist these days when its’s SO expensive? Here is CA they can’t even afford rent let alone having a tooth fixed.
Maybe don’t live in a sheety state like California?
Hence my screen name? Unfortunately we have a few more years here. Dental work is still expensive in the midwest where we lived a few years ago.
I don’t think the British EVER brush their teeth!!
Actually most Brits I’ve met appear to have decent teeth and their breath isn’t nasty. They think we are obsessed with how white our teeth can be and they are just glad to keep them healthy
Dentistry is a hard sell to have your teeth whitened; to have procedures that are not necessary; to be referred out to a specialist for a procedure like a root canal only to have to pay your dentist to complete the job (crown, filling, etc.); and to pay thousands for one implant when there are other options. Never mind things like insurance paying only for outdated materials like silver fillings, which no modern dentist uses anymore. I had a dentist tell me that they only put upgraded crowns on teeth because of problems with the ones the insurance fully covers so patient choice to contain costs is a no go unless you want to shop around, which is going to expose you to more radiation (new x-rays) and office visit costs. One dentist cannot use another’s x-rays (why, I do not know!). Dentists can look at the exact same problem and give you completely different solutions and costs. That leaves having a procedure a matter of trusting the practitioner. New dentists conglomerate in practices such as Castle Dental where patients are routinely pressured into having unnecessary procedures. Even when an estimate is given before a procedure, you can still get stuck with what the insurance suddenly doesn’t cover. I have been pressured by so many dentists, including having multiple staff converge on me to insist I have to make a decision NOW and being leaned so far back in a dental chair I felt like I was being waterboarded while being told I needed a procedure is hadn’t ever needed, did not need and have never been told since is needed. It is a very profession with too many extremely unethical practitioners. You cannot find affordable dental care without insurance so you may not get any care. You cannot afford multiple procedures with insurance so you may not get enough care. You forgo procedures because you hate dealing with the pressure to pay for things you cannot afford and you want to make the choices about your care and be given options, not a “but my boat payment is due” attitude! Cosmetic dentistry needs to be separated from medical dentistry. Since cosmetic dentistry became a big money maker, the practice of dentistry has deteriorated to the point that it is a profession in danger. These are not the people you want to offer the opportunity to put you through the pain and discomfort attendant with dental procedures.
all the comments are complaints about the high price of dental visits but no one is addressing the gross habit described in the article of not brushing their teeth for days not to mention the danger to their teeth and the higher costs they will incur due to doing this.