Dentists

[Rowan]

Who actually enjoys going to the dentist? I booked in an appointment for a check up and clean but im still terrorfied of going. Perhaps its some deep seeded childhood trauma with dentists that make me fear them the way that I do today, or maybe its because I dont trust them. Use this thread to share your opinions/views on dentists, whether or not they scare you, if you trust them and/or just some general horror stories.

[Pete]

I don't mind the dentist or any health care professionals for that matter. I do my research when looking up doctors, and my dad had enough awesome doctors for me to know where to go if I get sick.

Long story short, my teeth are pretty damn awesome, and I've never had any real problems other than when my wisdom teeth came in. They started to impact the rest of the squad, and so they had to go. They hooked me up with some kind of IV, I was out cold in seconds and about an hour later my wisdom teeth were out and my cheeks were stuffed with gauze. I got some good drugs and got to be lazy for a week.

I was more concerned with the idea of not waking up from the anesthesia. I guess I didn't have anything to worry about... or maybe I'm still in a coma and this is all a dream.

[Xanatos]

One of my upper molar teeth needs fixing, I'm experiencing slight pain in that area recently, and all I've been doing is postponing my visit to the dentist which is kinda strange as I have rather pleasant experience with dentist. My sister recommended me a good one couple of years ago, I've been seeing him ever since. The worst I went through were dental implants, heard some scary stories about those, turned out to be bunch of bullocks as everything went fine, hardly felt a thing.

[Rowan]

my teeth are pretty damn awesome, and I've never had any real problems other than when my wisdom teeth came in. They started to impact the rest of the squad, and so they had to go.

How can you be sure? The back molar tooth is the strongest tooth in the mouth and cannot be moved. Any crowding of teeth is a natural occurance and has nothing to do with wisdom teeth. It is known.

[Order]

I doubt its trauma related.
I had four teeth knocked in when I was a kid and the dentist pulled them without anisthetic because I was bleeding enough that it wouldnt take effect.
The fragments came right out, but most of each tooth had to be plied out.
I was 8.
It was painfull and terrifying.

I have no fear of going to the dentist.
You may have a phobia, but I doubt its trauma related.

Find a dentist you can trust. One with patients who dont have to get fillings replace every week.

[Sasquatch]

Actually, I just had a root canal today. And I had heard all the horror stories about root canals, but it really wasn't that bad.

A filling, obviously, is where they drill out decayed tooth and replace it. A root canal is where the decay is getting close to the nerve, so they numb the entire thing and drill the nerve all the way out. Most people only notice this when their tooth is hurting very badly, which means that the decay has already gotten into the nerve -- it also means that they can't properly numb the nerve. So of course it sucks to drill out the damn thing. But with mine, they went in (it was number 13, whatever that means -- a pre-molar on the top left side), drilled in all the way through the root (it actually had two, and they drilled about an inch -- no shit, 25mm -- into it), and put a temporary filling in. I go back sometime to get that drilled out (might not even numb it for that, it'll be pretty simple) and a permanent one put in, which shouldn't take long. Not sure why they don't just put the permanent one in right away, but oh well.

I also had my teeth cleaned today, which was actually pretty cool. I don't enjoy it, since they have to get under the gumline and such, but they used a hyper- (or ultra-, not sure which) sonic pick. Instead of the weird rubber toothbrush thing they used to use, they just rooted around with this thing, and apparently it does a much better job than the old way.

I'm also scheduled next month to get my last three wisdom teeth plucked. I got one taken out while I was in Afghanistan, and that was quite possibly the most horrific pain I've ever felt in my entire life. For almost three hours, I had a 120-pound black woman with a knee in my groin, an elbow in my chest, and a pair of pliers in my mouth, just wrenching on this damn thing. She finally got it all out (after breaking one of the roots off inside, removing the rest of the tooth, then digging around until she got that one root out as well), and I was back on mission the next day, though it hurt so back I could barely see straight. The lesson from that is: if you need to get something removed, get good pictures. You probably won't have to worry about it anyway, but don't let them go in until they've taken X-Rays that can see everything they'll need to see. (When they did mine, they could see that the back root curved a bit, but lost it after that and figured it would be fine. Nope. It went down a little, then made an 80-degree turn straight back. Certainly doesn't help when somebody's trying to pull it up, and it's got a root stuck nearly perpendicular.)

Anyway, yeah. I've seen a dentist quite a few times (not a huge amount, I suppose, but probably slightly more than the average person, as it's rare to find people who do the while every-six-months cleaning that we're all supposed to), and from what I've seen, it's almost a social phobia. Not many people LIKE visiting a dentist, though not many people are actually afraid of it, but most people aren't comfortable. And why should we be? Somebody's got their fingers, at least -- if not metal spikes and whiny little power tools -- all up in yo' mouf. Not a natural thing.

And, last but not least ... I noticed that I used quite a few parenthesis in this post. Which brings to mind one other good result of dentist visits: Vicodin. Of course, I'm not sure if I'm actually using more than usual, or if I just believe that I am ... ah, well. I've got an early morning, time to get a beer or two and get to bed.

[Mystyrion]

I had a pretty bad time at the dentist when I was a child.
Our dentist that was recommended to my parents was awful. So awful in fact that almost all of our cavities had to be redone in half the time they normally would.
He would skip the numbing sometimes because "my cavities were small enough it wouldn't hurt". My ass it didn't hurt.

Anyways, I have a new dentist. He is actually my mothers cousin. Really nice guy, really cares about every patient (even if it is a false sense of caring). Always tries to take care of you the best he can.

Funny story (not really). I haven't been able to use gas since I was like 7. They gave me the wrong dosage? They gave me what would normally be used on adults. I ended up vomiting on my dentist twice. Never been able to use it since that day. It just makes me sick.

[Pete]

Well, Rowan, when they started to come in, they hurt like a bitch and were causing some pretty severe discomfort. I went to my dentist, she took xrays and said they had to go. Later that week, they were out and I've felt great ever since. Turns out my mouth wasn't big enough for the extra teeth.

I would also prefer to keep my smile as it is. Some people, including myself, like it.

[NikkiLinkle]

I have no problem with the dentist. I just lie there and they do whatever and I don't flinch or anything. In the last two months I've had a tooth out and a cleaning. I didn't like the feeling after the tooth extraction, but it healed pretty quickly. The only problem I have with the dentist, is the cost.

[OceanEyes28]

I just lie there and they do whatever and I don't flinch or anything.

.......*COUGH*




I've gone to the same dentist all my life, actually. He's a good guy. Does good work. I've undergone procedures that were uncomfortable, but nothing malicious. Also I'm fairly obsessive about flossing at least once a day, so teeth cleanings are pretty painless.

I dunno. I like my teeth and my dentist helps keep them likeable. No problems here.

[Lily]

I liked going when I was a kid, I remember 2 really nice women and stickers... that's about my only memory, the older I got the more I hated it, and after an accident involving knocking a tooth out I started to hate needles. Can't say I'm scared of going, and I very rarely need anything done, other than the quick check up and polish, it's just a necessary inconvenience... Im going next week actually... urgh.

[Halie]

I have to go fairly soon for a check up. I was quite scared the last time I went, but I don't really have a real reason why. I think my mum has passed on her fear to me, she is absolutely petrified. I also don't like needles, so if something was wrong with my teeth and I ended up having to have a needle for something, I'd be a mess. I do, however, have a very good looking dentist so this makes me feel a bit better about going. ;D

[Dranzer]

i just lie there and they do whatever and i don't flinch or anything.

.......*cough*

ROFL.

I'm due for a cleaning again, but I need a new dentist. Honestly, the only thing that bothers me about the dentist is the fact that if they don't wear a mask completely over their nose or something you can see their nose hair...

Oh, and my wisdom teeth surgery was the recovery from hell; mine were really impacted. =[

[Clint]

Well, Rowan, I will tell you the kind of people who actually enjoy going to the dentist. Yuppies.

Yuppies, or Young Urban Professionals, have to look, dare I say, "professional." So they need perfect teeth. That's why they like the dentist.

I, on the other hand, am not a fan of dentists, because all doctors are crooks who only want your money. I will repeat; all doctors are crooks who only want your money. All doctors are idiots, as well.

My teeth are slightly crooked, and I am missing a few of them, but that doesn't make me any less bad ass. In fact, some might argue that missing teeth makes one even more bad ass. If I went to a dentist, he would have made me less awesome.

[Jecht]

They're someones that actually have some horrors around of that
but for me after met one...
well...


...
...
...

i particular love go -w-

more because they're fixing some tooth and actually... removing 3 of 4 wisdom tooth, one removed in second with 0 pain~


so, mm i don't mind go (more in my case that i ITS FREE XD)

[Pete]

It's a kind of funny cycle with the dentist. The less often you go, the more likely that it is that problems can occur and go unnoticed. Things can slowly shift around and cause problems if they're not monitored.

The more you know!

[loaf]

If you don't "trust" the dentist, then you went to the wrong, found the wrong and need to keep looking for a dentist. Trust is the number one thing when it comes to any type of doctor.

But in 3 years, having only 1 cavity, turns into having 4-5 showing up. Maybe if I went once a year I would have know. But I can take care of those easily.

[che]

It is known.

[Maridia]

I find dentists to be fine. I've never had any major work done on my teeth other than filling cavities and cleaning. But that being said I find it relaxing in a weird way. Anytime I've gone to the dentists, barber, or doctors it's never been bad.

Well except when the doctor is grabbing your balls. That ones just weird. Otherwise though it's all good. And if the dentist tried to go there I know there'd be a problem.

[seanb]

I don't 'like' the dentist, but its not the worst thing for me reall, though I've had no major work done...

Im more scared of the hairdresser.....

[RamesesII]

It hurts my wallet more than it hurts me physically. I went for a clean it was quite unpleasant, I very rarely go, but my dentists if you go for your first time they do an x-ray etc and a check and they found one of my wisdoms is impacted and the root is close to vein, he said it would be a table job under general which I think in round figures was going to cost an arm and a leg.

I have stopped going only because our private health was a bitch and wasn't going to help cover any dental work even though it wasn't cosmetic, I do need a new filling in my tooth because it is an old metal filling that keeps expanding and breaking my enamel on my tooth which hurts a bunch so they want to put in a new epoxy one.

But in general I am not afraid of the dentist it hurts but so do a lot of things in life deal with I say.

[Catalana]

I was never afraid to go to the dentist ... but it's a little intimidating when you have to lay down and have a blinding light in front of you !