Dentist Mark Boulcott uses animal magic at Herbrandston clinic (From Western Telegraph)

Dentist Mark Boulcott uses animal magic at Herbrandston clinic

11:20am Saturday 27th December 2008

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Dentists traditionally work in a clinical environment where the only species from the natural world are neatly displayed in a colourful aquarium.

That was until Herbrandston dentist Dr Mark Boulcott introduced an assortment of animals to his patients, including his latest addition, Matilda the pot-bellied pig.

The rescued pig now wanders around the practice’s grounds, restricted only from the car park and clinical areas, and is kept along with a family of ferrets, terrapins, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Dr Boulcott, the principal dental surgeon at Herbrandston Dental Health Practice, believes the animals are effective in helping patients overcome their anxieties when visiting the dentist.

“Patients, particularly children, often come to this practice with a heightened anxiety towards dental treatment,” he said.

“Many of these fears stem from a previous bad experience with the dentist or doctor so when they arrive they view us with suspicion.

“This makes them very difficult to treat and gaining trust is very difficult within a clinical environment.”

Psychological tests support Dr Boulcott’s claims that showing children an unusual animal can help calm anxieties and build trust.

“What we do here at Herbrandston is try to break the cycle of mistrust by taking the child out of the surgery to see the animals and showing them that dentists can be nice people.”

Pembrokeshire’s resident Dr Dolittle said he stumbled across the technique in showing his ferrets to curious children at the surgery.

“It may not work with every anxious child, but for those that it does work for, it is far better than drugs or even general anaesthetic,” he added.

“As far as I’m aware, I’m one of the very few dentists within the UK who uses such techniques and both patients and I greatly enjoy the experience.”

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