{
  "id": 7294358,
  "title": "The one change that worked: I was terrified of the dentist - until I found a very special one",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/the-one-change-that-worked-i-was-terrified-of-the-dentist-until-i",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-14T10:00:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Health",
    "slug": "guardian-health",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/14/the-one-change-that-worked-dentist-helped-me-deal-with-filling-based-trauma"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For years, I managed to avoid dental checkups due to a traumatic experience. A decade ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of fearing a dentist's chair. However, in 2021, a lack of proper anesthesia during a filling left me in agonizing pain, instilling a deep-seated dread of dental work. Initially, I dismissed the fear by ignoring reminders and postponing appointments. But after a year, I realized I needed to confront the issue head-on.",
  "summary": "After an agonising experience, I avoided checkups for four years. But a practice that assured a stress-free process for scared patients was transformative I haven’t always been afraid of the dentist. If you had asked me a decade ago whether sitting in the dentist’s chair filled me with dread or made me break out in a cold sweat, I would have laughed and said no – what is there to be afraid of? It…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}