Dental Avoidance 1 article

Dental Avoidance is the pattern of delaying, cancelling or not seeking dental care despite an oral-health need. It can arise from anxiety, previous negative experiences, cost, access problems, shame, competing priorities or a belief that treatment can wait until symptoms become severe. Avoidance is a behavior rather than a single psychiatric diagnosis, and repeated delay can create a cycle in which problems become more complex and future visits feel more difficult; understanding the cause is therefore more useful than assuming every missed appointment reflects fear alone.