The percentage of adults who had a dental visit was higher among those living in urban areas (66.7%) than among those living in rural areas (57.6%). The survey results show that millennials are more likely to have invented excuses not to visit the dentist (50 percent) than people 55 and older (36 percent). Nearly a quarter (22 percent) have even avoided going to the dentist simply because they don't like the taste of the products used. The scariest thing people associate with the dentist is fear of painful treatment (74 percent), fear of pain after treatment (47 percent), and dental drill noise (34 percent), followed by negative past experiences (29 percent) and worry that anesthesia won't work (25 percent).
More people are afraid to go to a dentist appointment (62 percent) than if they were going to see a neurologist (9 percent) or a surgeon (26 percent). A Gallup poll conducted this week showed that 64 percent of Americans said they went to the dentist at least once last year, and another 36 percent didn't. Interestingly, the average age of dentists is over 40, which represents 68% of the population. Six out of 10 (62 percent) American adults are too afraid to visit the dentist, and millennials are more likely to be afraid of the dentist than any other age group.
Only 23 percent of respondents over the age of 55 feel very uncomfortable visiting the dentist, while 27 percent of millennials are. For 36 percent of respondents, fear of the dentist began at the age of 10 or even earlier, with the age of 15 being the average time in life for fear to kick in for the first time. Eighty-six percent of those enrolled in the exchange chose not to purchase a separate dental plan, which covers dental cleanings and other oral health services that are not normally included in primary health insurance.
