06 • Profi le


R


Sports dentist Fiona Davidson talks about the challenges of caring for the Scottish


International Rugby squad


ELUCTANCE to visit the dentist isn’t confi ned to the timorous.


In fact some of our greatest


exponents of brute force and raw courage have been dragging their feet when they should have been


knocking on the surgery door.


That was Fiona Davidson’s discovery when she was appointed offi cial dentist to the Scottish International Rugby squad six years ago.


“Compared to the general population they


are nearly all terrifi ed of needles,” says Fiona. “It is a bit of a standing joke, considering the collisions they get involved in on the pitch. They are all terrifi ed of me. It is quite amazing.” Perhaps her biggest challenge came when


one of the largest members of the Scotland squad needed to have a wisdom tooth extracted before a major tournament. “He is a huge guy, and we were terrifi ed he


was going to faint,” she says. “We had to give him three times the usual dose of local anaesthetic. I have never given anyone that much. I didn’t worry because he was huge – half the weight again of a normal person, and solid muscle. We still joke about it every time I meet him, and the story gets more elaborate every time he tells it. “The interesting thing is that they don’t like


dental treatment – the main problem is having the needle. Maybe it is a phobia that has developed because they have to undergo stitching very quickly if they come off the pitch injured. “There is a lot of banter about it in the squad. I always enjoy that. They take every opportunity to kid each other on – I think it is an attempt to get over their own fears.”


Preventive care Initially taken on to provide emergency cover for international matches, Fiona has grown her role in Scottish rugby to ensure that players have regular screening and that problems are tackled before they become a threat to their game. She has also developed a strong sporting dimension to her SmilePlus Dentalcare practice in Edinburgh. Fiona’s active involvement with rugby began in 2007 when she was approached by James Robson, Medical Director of the Scottish


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