Your teeth are important things.
But of course you knew that already.
The problem is that you've got a deep, underlying, fear of the dentist who is better qualified to look after them than you are.
Sure, you can brush your teeth regularly - maybe even as regularly as the toothpaste tube suggests - and you can floss as well if you're feeling especially good.
But that doesn't mean you can actually check your own teeth.
That's better left to the professionals.
Here are some ideas to help get over your fear of the dentist.
Find a friendly dentist - they do exist! Like every profession, different dentists have different personalities.
Spend a bit of time selecting the one that you are most likely to get on with.
Don't settle for just meeting the receptionist or taking their word for the friendliness of their boss.
Actually arrange a short chat session with the person who'll be glaring into your mouth and poking around in it.
Check how your dentist deals with nervous patients You're by no means alone in your fear of dentists.
When I quizzed my own dental practitioner on the subject a few years back, she admitted that she never looked forward to a visit to her dentist.
As with friendliness, some dentists will be more likely to put their patients at ease than others.
If their first reaction is that no-one is ever afraid of them, maybe they haven't thought about the subject or how best to deal with it.
Or maybe their patients are all so big they would scare the dentist rather than the other way round.
Either way, you'll know from the reaction you get whether it's an issue they are happy to deal with or whether you should go to the next person on your checklist.
Drag a friend along with you Sometimes all we need to quell our fear of dentists is the presence of someone we know and trust.
OK, your friend almost certainly won't stop the dentist from prodding around your teeth with what look like torture instruments.
But the mere fact of them being with you, maybe holding your hand if they can prize it from its grip of the dentist's chair, is often a great help.
Learn to relax Most people turn stiff as a rod as soon as they lie down on the dentist's chair.
Myself included.
It's the fear response kicking in.
But learning to relax is a way to get around this response or at least lessen the worry when you do encounter that grinning professional in the white coat.
Quieten those nagging voices You know, the voices in your head that run through all the possible scenarios even though you're only going for a five-minute checkup.
Again, relaxation techniques can help you to turn down the volume control in your mind and send those awkward and worrying voices packing.
Maybe give yourself the fun feeling of washing them down the receptacle with the pink running water that always seems to be next to a dentist's chair!
But of course you knew that already.
The problem is that you've got a deep, underlying, fear of the dentist who is better qualified to look after them than you are.
Sure, you can brush your teeth regularly - maybe even as regularly as the toothpaste tube suggests - and you can floss as well if you're feeling especially good.
But that doesn't mean you can actually check your own teeth.
That's better left to the professionals.
Here are some ideas to help get over your fear of the dentist.
Find a friendly dentist - they do exist! Like every profession, different dentists have different personalities.
Spend a bit of time selecting the one that you are most likely to get on with.
Don't settle for just meeting the receptionist or taking their word for the friendliness of their boss.
Actually arrange a short chat session with the person who'll be glaring into your mouth and poking around in it.
Check how your dentist deals with nervous patients You're by no means alone in your fear of dentists.
When I quizzed my own dental practitioner on the subject a few years back, she admitted that she never looked forward to a visit to her dentist.
As with friendliness, some dentists will be more likely to put their patients at ease than others.
If their first reaction is that no-one is ever afraid of them, maybe they haven't thought about the subject or how best to deal with it.
Or maybe their patients are all so big they would scare the dentist rather than the other way round.
Either way, you'll know from the reaction you get whether it's an issue they are happy to deal with or whether you should go to the next person on your checklist.
Drag a friend along with you Sometimes all we need to quell our fear of dentists is the presence of someone we know and trust.
OK, your friend almost certainly won't stop the dentist from prodding around your teeth with what look like torture instruments.
But the mere fact of them being with you, maybe holding your hand if they can prize it from its grip of the dentist's chair, is often a great help.
Learn to relax Most people turn stiff as a rod as soon as they lie down on the dentist's chair.
Myself included.
It's the fear response kicking in.
But learning to relax is a way to get around this response or at least lessen the worry when you do encounter that grinning professional in the white coat.
Quieten those nagging voices You know, the voices in your head that run through all the possible scenarios even though you're only going for a five-minute checkup.
Again, relaxation techniques can help you to turn down the volume control in your mind and send those awkward and worrying voices packing.
Maybe give yourself the fun feeling of washing them down the receptacle with the pink running water that always seems to be next to a dentist's chair!
Source...