For many people a trip to the dentist is comparative to how a cat might feel if it was sprayed with water. It feels horrible, we don't like it and now many of us even have to pay for treatment out of our own pockets. It's easily understandable why we Brits have become famous the globe over for our "not so pretty smiles" and after reading about compensation claims for dental injuries in the news, I don't think we'll be parading Hollywood smiles anytime soon.

Grown ups try to reassure children from a young age that a visit to the dentist is a good thing; I mean, what young kid is going to turn down a sticker and a lollipop? I certainly never did. But as the years passed and lollies became few and far between, the realisation that somebody was going to stick a drill into my teeth finally hit home.

The thought of something going wrong whilst being sat in the dentist's chair is on a great number of patients' minds and as they lay back and open wide, their only option is to stare at the children's A, B, C game that has been pinned to the ceiling and try to relax. This poster has always acted as a good decoy, taking peoples' minds off the possibility of suffering personal injury and so thank goodness the letter �C' never stood for compensation claim in the game.

However, for some people, visiting the dentist is like taking a walk in the park and they would never entertain the possibility that something could go wrong or that they would need to contact a personal injury solicitor to make a compensation claim. In reality, these people are probably right and we should all take a leaf from their book and enjoy the fact that a trained expert will correct any problems we have with our teeth. However, despite such confidence, the news of dental personal injuries is surely concerning for everyone.

In the news recently, it was reported that a Polish dentist accidentally punctured a woman's nose and could have accident compensation claims made against her by other patients who felt they were subjected to medical negligence. The dentist in question allegedly failed to act on signs of the patient being in distress after anaesthetic slipped down her throat. The dentist admitted that she was off target and although the patient was making noises she "couldn't say that she was waving her hands."

Another alarming story, which explains why some people find themselves making compensation claims for injuries, included a bogus doctor who had been allowed by his girlfriend, a dentist at a London clinic, to treat more than 500 people. The asylum seeker apparently caused severe pain to a number of patients and overcharged them for their procedures. It was unclear if any of his former patients tried to claim injury compensation against him but some may have consulted a personal injury solicitor about the possibility.

Despite these quite horrific incidences, the chances of suffering personal injury whilst being in the dentist's chair is quite minimal and it is unlikely that you will need to make a compensation claim because an instrument has been dropped down your throat. However, if you do feel slightly anxious, research online to find your local clinics and ask for recommendations amongst friends and work colleagues. You will be able to find a list of local dentists by visiting www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk.

If you feel you would benefit from speaking to a professional about your dentist phobia, you can call the British Dental Health Foundation's Dental Helpline (www.dentalhealth.org.uk) on 0870 333 11 88.

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Katrina Eadie, YouClaim are the leading online personal injury compensation claim people with a 97% claim success rate. Call 0800 10 757 95 or visit http://www.youclaim.co.uk for more details.