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Welcome from Dr Mike Gow, Director of ‘The UK Dental Phobia Centre’ at the Berkeley Clinic in Glasgow.

We look forward to helping you achieve your goals of overcoming your fears and having the dental treatment you wish to have.

I work in The Berkeley Clinic, in Glasgow, UK. Click here to visit the practice website www.berkeleyclinic.com

The British Dental Association stated a few years ago that ‘one adult in three has moderate to severe fear of dental procedures’.

Many of the people who we help at The Berkeley Clinic also have associated emotional factors other than the fear itself including anxiety, guilt, shame, embarrassment, fear of failure and loss of self esteem. 

At your consultation appointment we will discuss how you feel, what your goals are, and what the current barriers are which are preventing you having dental treatment.

It is likely at your first visit we will only have a chat. I will only look at your teeth on the first visit if you want me to do so.

Ultimately we have two treatment plans to make together. One is a treatment plan for what dental treatment you need to make your mouth healthy and improve your smile etc, and the second is the treatment plan for what can be done to reduce your anxiety to allow this treatment to take place. It may take a few visits and some discussion to work out what will suit you the most for each of these plans. Once we know exactly what dental treatment you require, and you know about all of the anxiety management options available for you to choose from, we will be able to move forward towards achieving your goals.

It is my goal to make the entire process of having dental treatment as simple as possible for you, allowing you to have the treatment you need and deserve to be able to have easily and comfortably. Your appointments and treatment will always be paced to suit you and how you feel. This pack will help to introduce you to me and hopefully help you to see that I will be fully committed to helping you. You will find out a little about my background and training and be able to read some feedback given to me by patients who have been through the process. Finally I have prepared some questions which will help me identify exactly what your goals are, what your fears are, and what techniques may be the best to help you.

 

About Dr Mike Gow

I graduated from Glasgow University Dental School in 1999. I have always been especially committed to the care of dental patients with anxiety, fear and phobia and I enjoy sharing in the positive experiences of the many people I help. In 2001, I created the free website www.WhatFear.com to help people worldwide overcome their dental phobia. The site continually evolves and has many interesting unique features. I also offer my experience, advice and help, free of charge, via the hugely successful website  www.DentalFearCentral.Org where I reply to queries and concerns posted on the forum by people with dental phobia from across the globe.

 

In October 2007 I was honoured and delighted to accept an invitation to join the team in the prestigious “Berkeley Clinic”, in Glasgow. I have previously worked in Callander, Australia, Troon, and at ‘Dentistry by Faqir and Friel’ in Kilmarnock.

 

Hypnosis

In 2004, I completed my Masters in Hypnosis Applied to Dentistry from the University of London having achieved a distinction at the Diploma level. I am one of only a few dentists in the UK to have this degree. I frequently attend national and international hypnosis conferences and workshops in order to update my skills. I use hypnosis clinically for a wide range of dental problems (e.g. dental phobia management, stopping bruxism (teeth grinding), reducing gag reflex, smoking cessation etc). I am currently the President of “The British Society of Medical and Dental Hypnosis (Scotland)”.

 

Conscious Sedation

I trained in Conscious sedation with the ‘Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry’ in 2003. To further my skills in conscious sedation, I am currently studying for a Masters in Dental Anxiety Management at Edinburgh University, which has a large component of supervised conscious sedation sessions at the Glasgow Dental Hospital.

 

Dental Anxiety Management

I was nominated by patients for the People’s Award for Patient Care in 2006, was named as a finalist in ‘The Dental Awards 2008’ for ‘Dentist of the Year’ and was polled by my colleagues as the 66th most influential person in dentistry in the UK in 2008. I have travelled extensively and take every opportunity to visit overseas dental clinics and hospitals to study their methods of anxiety management (e.g. Japan, Canada, USA, Australia). I have basic training in acupuncture, homeopathy, and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP). I am soon to begin studying to become a certified ‘NLP Practitioner’.

 

Publications and TV.

I have published many case reports and papers. These vary from the topics of hypnosis, dental phobia management and bruxism to the history of dentistry. I regularly teach dentists and doctors on the topic of hypnosis on various courses and workshops. I have also appeared on TV (BBC3, More4 and BBC2) demonstrating the use of hypnosis in dental pain control.

 

Click here for information on how to make an appointment with Dr Mike Gow

Click here for a selection of patient testimonies.

 

If you are unable to travel to Dr Mike Gow; you can find the right dentist for you from one of the following sources:

1.Word of mouth. This is an excellent way to find a caring dentist. If you have family or friends who like and trust their dentist - why don’t you try them also?
2.
Yellow pages/phone book. This is a bit of a shot in the dark, but some dentists may advertise anxiety management techniques. Search yell.com now- click here
3. Contact your local Health Board. They will be able to tell you of any dentists who take new NHS patients, and may be able to tell you which ones offer anxiety management.
4.
Contact your local dental hospital. Many dental hospitals now have anxiety clinics, however the drawback is that the waiting lists can be long.
5.
On the WorldWideWeb. This is a great way of finding dentists. Dentists who have taken the time to register on a website as being able to treat anxious patients will generally be a safe bet. Click here to search on a ‘Dentist Finder’ which has a list of ‘recommended dentists for anxious and nervous patients’ - and remember to come back to WhatFear.Com!