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‘I Was So Scared Of Going To The Dentist That I SUPER-GLUED My Own Teeth In’

Angela Barlow took drastic action to avoid sitting in the dreaded dentist’s chair…

For many of us, the whirring sound of a dentist’s drill is worse than the scariest of horror films.

Tools for picking and scraping at your teeth, having your jaw clamped open – even that horrible pink mouthwash they use to swill your mouth out can cast dread into the heart of the bravest patient.

But far from being a joke, it seems many Brits are so crippled by a fear of the dentist that five million of us haven’t visited one in the last decade. So if this sounds like you, take comfort in the fact you’re not alone.

Here in the UK we spend a whopping £800 million a year on teeth products, and yet problems thrown up by tooth neglect are costing the NHS £3.6bn each year.

Shocking new TV documentary series ‘The Truth About Your Teeth’ takes a closer look at just why we’re so terrified of going to get our ‘gnashers’ checked out – and the horror stories that can happen when you leave it too long.

Angela Barlow, 48, a professional dog walker from Altrincham, Cheshire, has had a life-altering phobia of the dentist since she was a little girl.

Angela Barlow GLUED her own teeth in to avoid going to the dentist [BBC]
Angela Barlow GLUED her own teeth in to avoid going to the dentist [BBC]

‘I’ve always been scared of the dentist since childhood because that was what led to my mum discovering that she had cancer,’ Angela reveals.

‘She died of throat cancer at the age of just 34, when I was only nine, and she found out she had the disease after having a tooth out at the dentist.

‘The fear was always there at the back of my mind – that something terrible might happen. You get your mind set like that and you can’t escape it so you just don’t go.

‘I wouldn’t even pick up the phone and call to make an appointment. I refused to see a dentist for 10 years.’

So instead, Angela just let her teeth rot away – becoming a virtual recluse in the process. She was even embarrassed to sit and chat with her grown-up son because of how awful they looked.

Angela visited a special dental clinic set up at King’s College Hospital, London [BBC]
Angela visited a special dental clinic set up at King’s College Hospital, London [BBC]

‘I didn’t even like going to the shops in case people started nudging each other and looking at me,’ Angela admits.

‘Half the time when I was talking to people I’d turn my head away or speak with my hand in front of my mouth. Ridiculous I know.’

In fact Angela, who’s divorced and lives alone with her dogs, was so traumatised by how disgusting her teeth looked that she was keeping a shocking secret.

When one of her top front teeth fell out, instead of getting it fixed she chose to super-glue it in place instead – potentially poisoning herself in the process.

‘I was too ashamed to tell anyone,’ Angela says sheepishly. ‘When the tooth came out I’d just put a little bit of glue on it and hold it in place - anything to avoid having a gap in my teeth.’

Fortunately on the two-part BBC show, which is presented by Justine Harman and Dr Chris Van Tulleken, experts are on hand to help Angela overcome not only her fear but her hatred of her smile.

On the programme, viewers will see many patients with tragic teeth conditions visit a special clinic set up at King’s College Hospital, London, led by ‘dental magician’, consultant Serpil Djemal, who’s been working in the field for 27 years.

90 per cent of the bone in Angela's upper teeth had been eaten away [BBC]
90 per cent of the bone in Angela's upper teeth had been eaten away [BBC]

Having founded the charity Dental Trauma UK and heading up the UK’s only adult dental trauma service, there isn’t much about a jawline that can shock Serpil anymore.

So when she describes Angela’s story as ‘one of the worst cases of desperation’ she’s ever seen, you know the verdict on her teeth is going to be pretty awful.

After two hours in the clinic Angela has her worst fears confirmed. Ninety per cent of the bone supporting her upper teeth has been eaten away and all will have to be pulled out, as well as many of the bottom ones, and replaced with removable dentures.

‘I’m upset because I know I’ve got to lose the teeth – but if I’m honest I had a feeling that would be the case all along,’ she says. ‘To be told at the age of 48 that you’re going to lose all those teeth is just a very emotional thing.

‘I’ve got this impression of myself gurning like an old man with my dentures in. I’m terrified that if I’m out and I smile my teeth could just drop out.

‘What really scares me is the thought of taking them out and then looking at myself in the mirror. I just don’t want to go out for a night with the girls and then my dentures come out. That really, really horrifies me.’

After debating whether she’d rather put up with her rotten teeth than go through with any work, Angela opts instead to have tooth implants permanently screwed into her jawbone.

Angela had 11 of her top teeth extracted during hours of gruelling surgery [BBC]
Angela had 11 of her top teeth extracted during hours of gruelling surgery [BBC]

During a painful and protracted procedure that takes several hours, she has 11 of her top teeth extracted, including the super-glued one, six screws are inserted into her jaw and an implant complete with 12 new teeth is attached.

Even this is not the end of the story though, as Angela is told in no uncertain terms that unless she quits or drastically cuts down her smoking and improves her cleaning routine, even this implant may not last for more than a few years.

Back home it takes weeks for Angela’s severely swollen face to return to its normal size – but when the cameras return to chart her transformation, it’s clear that all the agony and tears have been well worth it.

‘It’s wonderful isn’t it,’ a radiant Angela beams, showing off her gleaming white new smile.

‘There’s no hands over my mouth or embarrassment anymore and my friends have noticed a massive difference in me. They’re just like: ‘Oh my God, you’re more outgoing.

‘I finally feel amazing!’

She's never been happier since being fitted with tooth implants screwed into her jaw [BBC]
She's never been happier since being fitted with tooth implants screwed into her jaw [BBC]

The Truth About Your Teeth airs on June 4 and 11, 9pm, BBC One.

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