Seven things people get wrong about being scared of the dentist (and how Kissdental answers each one)

If fear has kept you out of the dentist’s chair, the stories you tell yourself about it are often worse than the reality. Kissdental in Flixton, Greater Manchester, is a dental phobia-certified practice led by Dr Kailesh Solanki, who genuinely enjoys treating nervous patients and offers three types of sedation. As of June 2026, that combination helps people who’d written dentistry off for good. Let’s take apart the myths one by one.

Myth one: you’re the only one this bad

You’re not, and it’s not even close. Dental anxiety is one of the most common fears there is, and severe phobia affects a real slice of the adult population. The person sitting calmly in the waiting room next to you may have spent the morning talking themselves into coming.

Dr Solanki has built much of his career around exactly these patients. He’s described again and again as having an informal, relaxed approach, the kind that uses a little banter to take the edge off without losing an ounce of clinical care. You’re not an awkward exception here. You’re the patient this practice was partly built for.

Myth two: sedation means being knocked out

This one stops a lot of people, so let’s be clear. Sedation doesn’t put you to sleep. You stay conscious and able to respond throughout; what it does is turn your anxiety right down so treatment feels manageable.

Kissdental offers three levels, which means the calm is matched to you rather than one-size-fits-all.

Three options, one aim: getting you through treatment without distress.

Myth three: the dentist will judge you for the state of your teeth

Here’s the thing about avoidance. It tends to feed itself, because the longer you stay away, the more you dread the telling-off you’re sure is coming. So the teeth get worse, and the dread gets bigger.

At a phobia-certified practice, that telling-off doesn’t come. The team has seen everything, many times, and the goal is to get you healthy, not to make you feel small. Whatever you’ve been avoiding, someone here has helped a patient through the very same thing, often a worse version of it. Most nervous patients say afterwards that the hardest part by miles was walking through the door, and that the imagined lecture never arrived. The relief of that first honest, gentle conversation is, for a lot of people, the moment the fear starts to loosen its grip.

Myth four: phobia certification is just a sticker

It’s fair to be sceptical of badges. This one means something. Dental Phobia Certification reflects training and a practice culture specifically geared to anxious patients, and Dr Solanki holds it personally.

In practice that shows up as small, deliberate things: going at your pace, explaining each stage before it happens so nothing’s a surprise, and agreeing signals so you can pause at any point. You can read more about what the practice’s dental phobia certification involves. It’s the difference between a clinic that tolerates nervous patients and one that’s set up around them.

Myth five: it’s too late, my teeth are beyond help

Almost nothing in dentistry is truly beyond help anymore, and that includes mouths that have been avoided for a decade or more. Failing teeth can be replaced, even in a single day with Same-Day Teeth. Stained or worn teeth can be restored. Gaps can be closed.

People who arrive convinced they’re a hopeless case are often the ones who leave most surprised. Kissdental’s own patient stories include nervous patients who became loyal regulars, and a mother and daughter who had joint smile makeovers together under sedation despite neither liking needles.

Myth six: anxious children just have to tough it out

They don’t, and forcing it tends to set fear in for life. Children can be treated gently too, often with nitrous oxide happy air, which is light, wears off fast, and leaves them fully aware and chatting throughout.

Dr Solanki treats nervous adults and children alike, and the early experiences a child has at the dentist shape how they feel about it as an adult. Getting it right when they’re small is one of the kindest things you can do for their future self.

Myth seven: nervous patients can’t have the nice treatments

Plenty of people assume sedation and cosmetic dentistry live in separate worlds, that being scared means settling for the bare minimum. Not so. The same calm that gets you through a check-up can get you through implants, veneers, or a full smile makeover.

Kissdental is Manchester’s cosmetic dentistry studio as much as its nervous-patient haven, and the two go together. Being anxious doesn’t mean giving up on the smile you’d actually like. It just means having it done in a way that feels safe.

A realistic first visit

So what does walking back in actually look like? Usually, very little dentistry on day one. A conversation, a gentle look, a plan. Dr Solanki takes a full medical history, asks what’s worried you, and explains the options, including which sedation might suit you. Nothing happens that you haven’t agreed to.

You can build from there at whatever speed feels right. For some that means a gentle clean at the next visit; for others it’s a long-overdue plan to replace failing teeth or finally fix the smile they’ve hidden for years. There’s no set pace you have to keep up with. Many people find that one low-pressure visit dismantles years of dread, simply because the reality turned out to be so much smaller than the fear they’d carried.

FAQ

I haven’t been to a dentist in over ten years. Is that a problem?
It’s more common than you’d think, and it’s not a problem to the team at Kissdental. The aim of a first visit is simply to look, listen, and plan, not to launch into treatment or to comment on how long it’s been. Dr Solanki is dental phobia-certified and genuinely enjoys helping patients who’ve stayed away for years.

Will I feel pain if I’m sedated?
Sedation calms anxiety, and local anaesthetic numbs the area being treated, so the two work together. Most patients feel little or nothing, and with IV sedation many remember very little of the appointment afterwards even though they were awake. Dr Solanki explains exactly what to expect for your specific treatment beforehand.

Which type of sedation is best for me?
That depends on how anxious you are and what treatment you need. Nitrous oxide happy air suits milder nerves and shorter visits, oral sedation gives a deeper calm from a tablet, and IV sedation suits severe anxiety or longer procedures. Kissdental offers all three, so the level can be matched to you after a chat about your medical history.

Can my child have sedation at the dentist?
Often yes, usually with nitrous oxide happy air, which is gentle and wears off quickly. Dr Solanki treats nervous children as well as adults, going at their pace and explaining things in a way that doesn’t frighten them. A relaxed early experience helps stop dental fear taking root for life.

Is sedation safe?
Yes, in trained hands. Your vital signs are monitored during sedated treatment, and a full medical history is taken first, because some conditions and medicines affect whether sedation is suitable. Dr Solanki goes through all of that with you before anything begins and only starts when you’re ready.

What to do next

If nerves have been stopping you, the first step is genuinely just a phone call. You don’t need to have it all worked out before you ring.

Call Kissdental in Flixton on 0161 871 9426. The team is used to helping nervous patients take the first step at their own pace, and a calm, judgement-free first visit is the whole point.