Claustrophobia and dental work

My husband has a condition that baffles me and his dentist. He cannot tolerate any permanent crowns or bridges. The dentist put one in and before the night was over, my husband got out the pliers and pulled it off. It makes him panic to have anything cemented permanently in his mouth. So, as a result, he has to put a temporary glue on everyday to keep the crowns in place. He has three of them now. This is a big pain in the neck. He has also swallowed them from time to time when eating. He has tried to have his teeth permanently fixed but each time, he pulls it off with pliers before the night is over. It seems to be related to his claustrophobia. My husband is very well educated and cannot contribute his claustrophobia to any significant event in his life. Any help or suggestions?

Hi Dixie, that's an intriguing question... the usual treatment for phobias is gradual and controlled exposure to the thing that frightens you, coupled with positive feedback and relaxation. Before your husband pulls off the permanently fixed crowns, does he panic? It might help him to work through this with the help of a clinical psychologist who specializes in anxiety disorders and phobias, to come up with a workable plan of gradually getting used to having something "foreign" in his mouth permanently.

As you said, it seems to be related to his claustrophobia, and it might be worth finding a solution to that as well, because the claustrophobia may become pretty annoying for him in the long term. Phobias are unrelated to level of education or intelligence (or emotional stability for that matter), and there is no shame in seeking help. It's important to find a therapist your husband clicks with (studies have shown that the actual approach or theoretical orientation is less important than the interpersonal relationship between therapist and client). So he shouldn't be afraid to shop around and find someone he gets on well with.

If he wants to go it alone, I suppose he could try keeping the temporary crown in for longer periods each day, then keeping them in overnight (or setting the alarm clock for sometime during the night at which time he takes it out, gradually increasing wear time over a period of several weeks or months).