History A 34-year-old woman attends the emergency department of a hospital with a dental abscess. She leaves while waiting for a doctor to come and see her, but returns the same evening. When the doctor arrives she explains that she has a terror of dentists and has not seen one since she was 8 years old. She has several memories of pain while being given fillings. She explains that she was allowed to eat unlimited sweets as a child and that brushing her teeth was not part of a routine established by parents.
She started brushing her teeth when she was 14 and became self-conscious of her appearance. She remembers needing to go to the dentist when she was 16 because of a painful tooth. She became very worried for several days, being unable to sleep well and having episodes when she became frightened and breathless. On that occasion, she repeatedly refused to see the dentist and was given…
