A 48-year-old woman was so scared of dentists she glued her teeth back in every time they fell out for more than a decade, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England, UK.
Warning: graphic content!
Angie Barlow, 48, lost 90 per cent of the bone supporting the teeth in her top jaw after she performed dentistry on herself for 10 years. When Mrs Barlow’s fell out she just used a household superglue to fix them. The woman urgently needed treatment and eventually visited her dentist, who was shocked by what he saw.
Explaining her dental phobia Mrs Barlow said: “I’ve always been scared of the dentist because my mum died at 34 from throat cancer. She had a tooth out, and that’s how they found she had cancer. That fear has always been in the back of my mind. You just get your mindset and you think, you “don’t go”. You don’t make that phone call.
When the tooth comes out, I just put a little bit of glue and try and hold it in place to keep it, so I don’t have a gap in my teeth. I used glue on the top of the tooth, and then I put it back in place until the glue is set. I just feel so self-conscious that I don’t go anywhere really. Even going in the shop, I feel embarrassed. Even in front of my son I’m embarrassed to sit and have a conversation with him.”
In the end the woman had to spend her entire life’s savings to receive emergency dental surgery. During the opeartion dentists removed most of her teeth and insert titanium pins to screw 12 new false teeth in and correct the damage. Now Mrs Barlow has gained a new sense of self-confidence and no longer feels ashamed of her appearance.