You’ve been there before: sitting in traffic on your way to the dentist, stomach tightening with unease. Maybe it’s the sound of the drill, a bad memory from childhood, or the simple thought of being vulnerable in that chair. So you cancel, just this once. Then once becomes twice, and suddenly years have passed since your last visit.
It’s a cycle many people fall into, and it can quietly take years off the life of your teeth.
At MR Dental Aesthetics in Beverly Hills, Dr. Mahnaz Rashti, DDS, a periodontist and implant specialist with over 30 years of advanced training, understands the emotional and physical roots of dental fear. She follows a boutique, compassionate approach to dental care to help anxious patients regain confidence while protecting their long-term oral health.
In this article, we explore how skipping checkups can shorten the life of your teeth.
Common reasons why some people avoid the dentist
Even if you know dental care is important, anxiety and avoidance can take hold for reasons that go deeper than simple procrastination.
- Fear of pain: Many patients associate the dentist with pain, especially if they’ve had painful procedures in the past. While modern techniques are fairly comfortable, those old memories can linger, making even a simple cleaning feel intimidating.
- Embarrassment: If it’s been years since your last visit, you may worry about what the dentist will think or say. The fear of judgment often keeps people away even longer. Ironically, this only makes small problems grow into bigger, more visible ones.
- Loss of control: For some, lying back in a chair and surrendering control can trigger anxiety. Dental tools, lights, and sounds may amplify that sense of helplessness, especially if you’ve experienced trauma or medical anxiety in the past.
- Negative childhood experiences: A harsh dentist or frightening experience as a child can imprint deep emotional responses that persist into adulthood. Even decades later, your body can react as though it’s still facing that same stressful event.
- Busy lifestyle or perceived low priority: When life gets hectic and stressful, preventive visits can seem optional. Work, family, and daily demands often push oral health to the bottom of the list until pain or visible damage makes it impossible to ignore.
The long-term outcome of skipping routine exams
Avoiding dental care may feel like self-protection, but in reality, it accelerates the breakdown of your teeth, gums, and jawbone. Over time, anxiety-driven avoidance leads to consequences that extend far beyond your mouth.
- Escalating treatment costs: A professional cleaning and exam are among the most affordable dental visits you can have. Once you skip several dental visits, untreated decay, gum disease, and enamel wear can progress into conditions requiring fillings, root canals, or implants. The longer you wait, the more complex (and costly) treatment becomes.
- Chronic pain and infection: Plaque hardens into tartar within months, creating pockets where bacteria thrive. What starts as minor gum irritation can evolve into bleeding gums, abscesses, or infections. At that point, avoiding the dentist is dangerous.
- Gum disease and tooth loss: Neglected cleanings allow gingivitis to advance into periodontitis, a serious gum infection that damages the bone supporting your teeth. Once bone loss begins, even healthy teeth can loosen and eventually fall out. As a periodontist, Dr. Rashti often treats patients at this stage who wish they had come sooner.
- Systemic health complications: The mouth is a gateway to the body. Untreated oral bacteria have been linked to heart disease, diabetes, respiratory infections, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Chronic inflammation in your gums can quietly strain your immune system.
- Emotional and social effects: Oral pain, missing teeth, or decay can erode self-confidence, leading to social withdrawal and even depression. For many patients, this burden is heavier than the physical one, and it perpetuates the cycle of avoidance.
Strategies to reduce dental anxiety:
- Choose a dentist experienced in treating anxious patients
- Schedule an initial consultation focused only on conversation, not treatment
- Ask about sedation options or comfort techniques before procedures
- Bring headphones or calming music to reduce sensory stress
- Practice deep breathing or mindfulness exercises before and during the visit
- Use distraction: talk, focus on breathing, or visualize a calm scene
- Book appointments early in the day to avoid anticipatory anxiety
- Start with small, simple visits to rebuild trust gradually
- Be honest about your fears so your dental team can tailor their approach
Rebuild trust and confidence with compassionate care
If you’ve avoided the dentist for years, it’s never too late to start again. The first step is finding a provider who understands that fear and shame have no place in quality care.
At MR Dental Aesthetics in Beverly Hills, Dr. Rashti, DDS, follows a deeply empathetic, one-on-one treatment style to ensure that each patient gets the time and attention they need and deserve. She takes the time to listen, explain, and rebuild your comfort before any procedure begins.
She lives by the philosophy “health first, function second, and aesthetics last,” which ensures that every treatment not only enhances your smile but restores long-term stability. Whether you need preventive care or full-mouth reconstruction, Dr. Rashti’s goal is to make your next visit feel like the start of healing, not something to fear.
Your smile deserves to last a lifetime. Facing your dental anxiety today can make that happen. Contact us today to get started.
