Liz Cunningham has no fears of going to the dentist. "But it wasn't always so easy," says the 34-year-old from Kildare.
"From the age of seven to 23, there was no way I'd go. When I was five I was trying to fly and hit my teeth against a radiator. My teeth broke into bits and pieces and I had to get a lot of work done on them for two years afterwards.
"After all that I refused to go again. Until I was 12 when I had a toothache. The pain was so bad that after a week I had to go to the dentist and the tooth was taken out. That was so painful that I stayed away until I was 23, when I went for a check-up and that was when the anxiety gradually began to fade," she says.
"I think it's the dentist I went to that made the difference.
"I've switched dentists about four times and found a nicer one each time. I think that had a big impact.
"I also think there's a vast improvement in dentistry. I remember needles specifically. They used to be horrible, but they're not so bad anymore."
For further information, contact the Irish Dental Association on tel: 01-2950072 or visit www.dentist.ie . This website includes a list of dentists sorted by location and speciality.
Otherwise e-mail: info@irishdentalassociation.ie