General Dentistry, cont.

0109_dentists-fear
Image: Julie West

Allan L. Hablutzel
820 Pacific Ave, Ste 204, Bremerton
360-373-3515

Richard C. Hagemeier
25052 104th Ave SE, Ste E, Kent
253-852-8787

J. Michael Hardy
10700 SE 174th St, Ste 104, Renton
425-255-2904

Hilton D. Herrin
3255 California Ave SW, Seattle
206-935-0100

Mark T. Hetzer
Dental Care Design
18905 33rd Ave W, Ste 201, Lynnwood
425-771-9090

The Fear Factor

The UW School of Dentistry takes the phobia out of fillings.

Anne hadn’t gotten her teeth checked out in eight years; not since 1974. At that appointment, after multiple Novocain injections, the dentist discounted her protests that her jaw wasn’t yet numb enough and went ahead, filling the deep cavity, anyway, while Anne sat in toe-curling agony. But when an abscessed bicuspid became too painful to ignore, Anne discovered the University of Washington Dental Fears Research Clinic. Studies say that eight out of every 10 Americans fear going to the dentist, but Anne is in that 10 percent of people whose phobias are so severe, they put off going to the dentist until minor tooth and gum problems erupt into major health issues.

Set up in 1982, the UW clinic was only the second facility of its kind in the world, following the landmark, research-oriented Dental Fears Clinic at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. In the 26 years since, founding dentist Peter Milgrom and founding psychologist Philip Weinstein have brought groundbreaking research on pain and fear in dentistry to the institution, which now schedules 2,000 appointments each year while hosting a rotating coterie of guest researchers, local dentists seeking advice, and dental school pupils.

Clinic psychologist Lisa Heaton helps prepare fearful patients like Anne for their first treatment by teaching relaxation techniques like slow, deep breathing, which she says brings more oxygenated blood to muscles, allowing them to relax. Once Anne mastered this, she was slowly guided through a routine cleaning with Dr. Tar Chee Aw, who says, “TV goggles, music, movies, I’ve found that all is nice—it’s distracting—but the main thing is building trust. Patients need to know they can trust you’re not going to hurt them.” Though sedatives are offered, the clinic doesn’t really cater to people who just want to come in and be knocked out while they get work done.

Fear of dentistry commonly stems from childhood experiences like being forcibly held down in a dental chair, or being ignored by a dentist who fails to stop working or administer more anesthetic though the child is in pain. As adults, some patients are so traumatized that they won’t even come into the building on their first visit. When they later do, Heaton walks them through basic procedures, like Novocain injections, which can provoke cold sweats and adrenaline-surging terror in dental phobics. Sometimes several sessions will be spent practicing just the injections, in small steps, while the patient focuses on diaphragmatic breathing and tensing and relaxing one muscle at a time. Such “systematic desensitization” techniques have long proven successful at treating a wide variety of anxiety disorders, and at the UW clinic they’re applied whether a patient is afraid of injections, a rubber dam in the mouth, or lying supine in the dental chair.

Gary E. Heyamoto
1729 208th St SE, Ste 101, Bothell
425-485-8885

Mike Higashi
Second and Vine Dental
200 Vine St, Seattle
206-441-4707

John J. Hoag
Hoag and Dotsch
17900 Linden Ave N, Shoreline
206-542-4344

Philip N. Hodge
19221 108th Ave SE, Ste 4, Renton
253-852-4746

Susan Hollinsworth
13210 SE 240th St, Ste B3, Kent
253-631-8286

Robert L. Horchover
2101 Fourth Ave, Ste 2330, Seattle
206-770-0260

George R. Hussey
Boulevard Dental
16825 Smokey Point Blvd, Arlington
360-653-5197

Chuck Ingle
Comprehensive Dental
14300 SE Petrovitsky Rd, Renton
425-226-2348

Bret H. Jacobson
1718 S 288th St,
Federal Way
253-839-4111

Gayle K. James
22232 17th Ave SE, Ste 208, Bothell
425-485-4010

Mark A. Janczakowski
Dental Care Design
18905 33rd Ave W, Ste 201, Lynnwood
425-771-9090

Don Jayne
Seattle Center for
Cosmetic Dentistry
1119 Fourth Ave, Seattle
206-623-4400

Robert Lee Jenkins
10700 SE 174th St, Ste 102, Renton
425-226-9280

Howard P. Jensen
Bellevue Family Dental
11 105th Ave SE, Ste 11, Bellevue
425-454-7690

James E. Johnson
1233 Cole St, Enumclaw
360-825-5527

Bruce A. Johnson
7311 NE 141st St, Bothell
425-823-4343

Lynn A. Jones
Bellevue Center for Cosmetic and General Dentistry
10500 NE Eighth St,
Ste 208, Bellevue
425-688-1345

Perry J. Jones III
1700 NW 56th St, Seattle
206-784-0343

Gretchen E. Jorg
6319 24th Ave NW, Seattle
206-784-7171

Stacy R. Kanda
2335 SW 320th St, Ste 1, Federal Way
253-661-2222

Robert B. Kane
Valley Dental Group
17900 Talbot Rd S, Ste 103, Renton
425-271-1727

Michael C. Kang
4100 Factoria Blvd SE, Ste D, Bellevue
425-747-8888

Patti C. Kashiwa
Thrasher’s Corner
Family Dental
20615 Bothell Everett Hwy, Ste A, Bothell
425-485-2942

Katie H. Kim
2505 S 320th St, Ste 330, Federal Way
206-400-0800

Christine Kirchner
6451 Fauntleroy Way SW, Seattle; 206-938-4540
Eric Kitts
1860 NW 195th St, Shoreline
206-546-5151

Karla M. Kreger
601 S Carr Rd, Ste 340, Renton
425-277-0204

Paul B. Lederman
14575 Bel Red Rd, Ste 101, Bellevue
425-746-6020

M. Virginia Lee
Creekside Dental Arts
600 NW Gilman Blvd, Ste C, Issaquah
425-392-1239

Stephen J. Lee
10810 19th Ave SE, Everett
425-337-4200

Steven R. Lee
1620 Duvall Ave NE, Ste A, Renton
425-271-6002

Melissa Leone
500 Aloha St, Ste C1, Seattle
206-352-5886

Jonathan Levey
22725 SE 29th St, Bldg B
425-391-5511
Sammamish, WA

Christopher S. Lewis
Lewis and Gibson
7419 SE 24th St, Mercer Island
206-232-2623

D. Andrew Lewis
2101 N 34th St, Ste 160, Seattle
206-632-0675

John T. Linvog
3802 Colby Ave, Fl 3, Everett
425-252-0311

Garrick J. Lo
Redmond Parc Square Dental
8435 161st Ave NE, Ste 2, Redmond
425-885-1151

Andy Marashi
901 Boren Ave, Ste 1733
Seattle; 206-624-9943

Nichole C. Martin
1500 Fairview Ave E, Ste 302, Seattle
206-322-7706

Patrick J. McCoy
8299 161st Ave NE, Ste 200, Redmond
425-881-7574

Mark K. McDaniels
4033 Talbot Rd S, Ste 260, Renton
425-271-1515

Kate McKinney
5726 Lake Washington Blvd NE, Kirkland
425-284-0515

D. Kent Moberly
2450 33rd Ave W, Ste 107, Seattle
206-283-2400

Alan Moritis
509 Olive Way, Ste 1520, Seattle
206-682-7900

Michael J. Mulick
Dental Care Seattle
600 Broadway, Ste 330, Seattle
206-325-0166

Jerome G. Murphy Jr.
3819 NE 45th St, Ste C, Seattle
206-522-6954

Camille D. Murray
1426 35th St, Everett
425-258-3509

George F. Naden
4000 SW Admiral Way, Seattle
206-935-2632

Byron M. Nakagawa
4520 42nd Ave SW, Ste 33, Seattle
206-935-3161

Roger W. Nakanishi
Northwest Family Dental
15955 NE 85th St, Ste 101, Redmond
425-883-2933

Jacy C. Nelson
Nelson Family Dentistry
19221 108th Ave SE, Ste 2, Renton
253-852-0206

Marvin R. Nelson
209 Dayton St, Ste 101, Edmonds
425-775-7325

Rhonda Newton
707 228th Ave NE,
Sammamish
425-868-0123

Russell K. Nomi
Bridle Trails Family Dentistry
6507 132nd Ave NE, Kirkland
425-881-9333

Steven J. Olson
Normandy Park Family Dentistry
136 SW Normandy Rd, Normandy Park
206-244-3921

Mark N. Osterberg
1426 35th St, Everett
425-258-3509