What is Dentophobia? For every phobia that the infinitely inventive and infinitely fearful human mind can create, a word has been coined to describe it (Kluger). To understand dental phobia disorder completely, you need to gain a general understanding of phobias, be able to recognize their causes and symptoms, and learn how the disease is treated and possibly cured. Because phobias are a mental disorder, they can lead to many health problems and personal distress; so it is important to be informed about what exactly they are. The specific fear of dentistry, known as Dentophobia, can be particularly harmful because it motivates people who suffer from such anxiety to avoid important dental care (Hollander). This article, written in the Modern Language Association (MLA) format, discusses a description of phobias (and dentophobia in particular), the symptoms and common causes of the disorder, and how the condition is treated. The definition of "phobia, "According to most sources, is an irrational fear towards objects or situations that pose no real threat. As a supporting example, the US National Library of Medicine has identified it as a type of anxiety disorder in which a person possesses a fear of something that has little or no real danger. Phobias themselves give rise to the suffering that a person endures. According to Melinda Smith, “With phobias the threat is greatly exaggerated or non-existent.” In other words, it's all in our heads. Phobias have existed for thousands of years, but have only recently become more commonly recognized. According to Greg Korgeski, Hippocrates was the first doctor ever to refer to phobias in his work, although he did not invent the term "phobia", which was... middle of paper... extremely important to know how to deal with the question. Phobia is one of the easiest mental health problems to overcome, which means the prognosis is incredibly optimistic: anyone who suffers from it will be able to live a normal life without fear. If you take all this into account for specific cases of dentiphobia, the signs tend to be quite obvious when a person is actually a victim of the common disorder and the road to recovery is essential to maintaining adequate oral health. Everyone needs to understand that anxiety disorders such as phobias are the most common mental illness in the United States and are highly treatable, but only about a third of the suffering population receives treatment (anxiety). If people became more aware of what phobias are, what they entail and how simple treatment can be, perhaps this will no longer be such a daunting problem..