I first became anxious about amalgam fillings during pregnancy several years ago. A large amalgam filling broke and I swallowed a piece of it, I was six months pregnant at this stage and became very worried about any harm this filling might have done to my unborn child. I started to read online about the mercury in these fillings and most of what I read made me very, very anxious about having all these fillings in my mouth. I started to chew only with my front teeth, as a result I had a very painful jaw and had to restrict the types of foods I ate. Also at this time, I became aware that I was clenching my teeth during the night and my gums were burning a lot during the day. I tried various different dentists about this problem, but did not feel able to tell them how anxious I was about the mercury. I didn't feel I was been heard about how much this problem had taken over my life. After three years, I came across the Whatfear website and decided I would contact Dr Gow, who I then went to see. I was very scared to even walk into the dental surgery because of the mercury vapor. For the first few appointments we just discussed the problems I had and I felt for the first time a dentist was listening to what was really going on. I gradually started to get some dental treatment, the burning mouth and the jaw pain started to lessen. I have now had three of my eight amalgam fillings removed and I feel that Dr Gow has given me the support and patience to get this far. I feel that any dental anxieties I have are listened to and it is all done at my own pace. I don't think I could have done any of this without the help of Dr Gow.