Actress Gina Rodriguez has struggled with a lifelong fear of dentists after she was strapped down for a check-up as a kid.

The Our Family Wedding star admits she was an overactive wild child, but her former dentist's decision to tie her down to the medical chair during her youth left her scarred for life.

She explains, "When I was a kid, I had a dentist that would strap me down... I was a little wild as a young'un (sic)... (but) I was traumatised. So I'd go to the dentist and I'm like, 'No! I didn't do it! I'm not crazy! I brush my teeth!'"

Rodriguez, 29, admits she is still very much haunted by the memory and even now she would do anything to get out of a dentist's appointment, so her friend recently challenged her to confront another fear and skydive instead of attending a scheduled check-up.

She tells U.S. Tv host David Letterman, "I love to do something that scares me at least once a day... When I have dentist's appointment I usually choose jumping out of a plane...

"I had a dentist's appointment a few months ago. The dentist scares me so much my friend told me, 'Ok, so how much does the dentist scare you?' I said, 'The dentist scares me so much, I'd rather jump out of a plane.'

"Fast forward the following week, I have a dentist's appointment, my friend says, 'Ok, let's go jump out of a plane!' So I cancelled my dentist's appointment... and jumped out of the plane!"

However, the actress did not enjoy the daring feat, which took place in Paris, California: "I felt like I was drowning. I don't wanna do that again... I couldn't breathe, all the air was going in my face."