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Henry W is 32; he practices as a Solicitor in a large firm in the City. He is fit and healthy and plays Rugby for recreation.
However for years he had been unable to go to the dentist and get treatment for 2 holes that he knew were developing in his back teeth. His gums were bleeding and he had never been able to get his teeth professionally cleaned because of his dental phobia.
He was given my name by another dentist, and his first contact with me was by telephone to talk through his requirements, what his fears were, and to see if he felt he could come in for a consultation with me.
He made an appointment, and was in a very high state of anxiety when he arrived. He was asked to come in to see me promptly, and we sat and talked for some time about his previous problems and what it was that made him unable to have any treatment. He admitted that he had made appointments in the past, and then had not been able to face the treatments on the day.
He was afraid of painful injections, he had a history of injections not working well, and he had had a bad experience having wisdom teeth out. His anxiety became so uncomfortable that he couldn't bear it.
When he relaxed a bit he agreed to let me have a look with a dental mirror, so that I could find out what he needed to have done, (He also had an X- Ray that went round his head, and shows everything at once).
This was two medium sized fillings in upper back teeth, and some cleaning.
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The method we decided on was to give him some strong sedative medication, which would make him drowsy and take down the anxiety levels.
Then I would give him a local using a strong numbing gel on the gum, and a technique which would make it pain free.
He would have a larger than average dose of anaesthetic, and we would wait and make sure it had worked effectively. He was assured that I would stop at once if he gave me a signal, and he could rest whenever he wished to.
He came to the appointment with his fiancée, and had his first filling as planned. He said that he thought that he could have the second one without the sedative, and that proved to be the case.
This case illustrates the type of problems that can occur, and how treatment was tailored to the individual person's special needs.
Everyone is different, and there are many combinations of techniques and treatments.
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