Why you DON'T go to the dentist?

Recently we added website pages for information about dentists in Los Angeles County and Orange County. In speaking with the dentists, they told me that the two biggest fears people have with going to the dentist is the fear of:

1. pain
2. the bill

Those "fears" made sense to me. Over the years I had only a few "painful" dental procedures -- namely I had my wisdom teeth extracted. But what I really fear are "the bills." I don't have dental insurance to speak of. Do you? How important do you think dental insurance is and does the lack of dental insurance keep you fearful of going to the dentist or does it prevent you from going?