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I'm going to take this moment to rant at dentists! Going to the doctor they get the excuse that they rarely do anything that could possibly hurt. Dentists on t

I'm going to take this moment to rant at dentists! Going to the doctor they get the excuse that they rarely do anything that could possibly hurt. Dentists on the other hand are practically doing minor surgery every time you visit them. I know many of you will never have had any bad experiences at the dentist but I've had tons and what's extremely frustrating is many of them are preventable but dentists seem to have almost zero standards. Examples: Lukewarm water please. Many dentists just have tap water (maybe filtered) squirting into your mouth for rinsing. If that water happens to be cold gawd help you if you have a cold sensitive spot. Similarly they have that suction hose which creates a draft. A draft that can cool sensitive teeth to the point they scream in pain. One of the last dentists I went to connected something to my right cheek of my mount the hold it open. He'd turn around in his chair to get something behind him and yank my head off the headrest. Another dentist I went to recently started cleaning my teeth. It felt like she was taking an ice pick and stabbing my gums. Needs to say I stopped her after about 30 seconds and left. Went to a dentist that was supposed to specialize in painless-ness. He didn't have any kind of topical to numb you gums before injecting the anaesthetic. Not that it helps. It always burns like crazy when they inject that stuff for me. It does eventually make that part of my mouth numb though often not numb enough so when they get deep and they have to do it again. When they hit pay dirt it feels like someone took a 6 inch white hot nail and using a hammer pounded it 4 inches deep into my head. The pain is searing. I'm not exaggerating. On a scale of 1 to 10 it's a 45 in pain. I have lots more horror stories. And yes I brush twice a day, floss, and do other things to maintain my teeth. My teeth aren't normally painful but every visit to the dentist is hugely scary for me. Someone PLEASE fix dentistry.

Aron 9y ago
What other things do you do to maintain your teeth? Are you talking about avoiding chewing popcorn kernels and ice? While I find these kinds of steps a decent start, the real and best method is to convert to the slurping of heated animal flesh slurry (or allowing their functioning cardiac system to deliver you the calories passively). These have the benefit of avoiding all excessive wear and tear that presents from grinding on high-silicon content plant life.
fractallyte 9y ago
Sounds like you have some gum recession ('sensitive teeth'). Brushing vigorously can erode gums, exposing the sensitive parts of teeth. It's very important to brush gently (but thoroughly); not back and forth, rather up and down. Flossing isn't particularly good for gums, either, so best to do it sparingly.
- Zitrax 9y ago
  My dentist tells me to floss specifically because it's good for the gums.
- emddudley 9y ago
  Excuse me? Flossing is critical for gum health.
  - anilgulecha 9y ago
    You'd be surprised, but above is not the commonly accepted truth, and is debated amongst dentists. (research across countries also lends credible data to both sides in the debate). Source: married to a dentist.
  - Sleeep 9y ago
    Maybe. The recommendation for flossing comes from tradition and anecdotes, not good evidence. Flossing isn't evidence based[1], though that doesn't mean it's useless and we shouldn't do it, just because something isn't evidence based doesn't mean it doesn't work. We probably should floss because it's probably helpful, even if the evidence is weak, it has a plausible mechanism of action, it's low cost, low risk, and teeth feel good after a proper flossing. A big issue is many people have poor flossing technique though, which is (probably) not great for gums and may actually cause problems. Flossing shouldn't hurt and you should talk to your dental hygienist about proper (recommended) technique. Also have him or her actually floss your teeth if they don't already during a cleaning (mine does) so you can get a feel of what the recommended technique feels like. Also try different types of floss. My hygienist can floss me just fine with the "normal" type floss but I can't replicate that for some reason, I need to use the "glide" type floss. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-evidence-for-flossings-benefits-is-not-good-enough-but-its-all-weve-got/2016/08/12/fbded8e6-5e6f-11e6-9d2f-b1a3564181a1_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-evidence-for-flo...
kwhitefoot 9y ago
Which country/state/etc. are you in? None of what you complain of ever happens to me here in Norway. Nor have I heard of any such scary events here in the 30+ years I've lived here. Of course I only have direct experience of a few dentists all in the same practice.
barking 9y ago
How many dentists have you gone to? Regularly changing dentists is just a bad idea. Get a recommendation from someone you know who says they were nervous, chose a particular dentist and now would go to no one else and give that dentist a decent chance. You need to develop a relationship with one dentist and over time you will become more comfortable with them and they with you. Everyone can be a little nervous in a new relationship. They will also have reminders on your card re your sensitive teeth etc. You are also likely to have fewer procedures as dentists are more comfortable to keep stuff under observation with patients who they know will come back. Because you're nervous they also will be more likely to go down the advise and keep under observation route especially if your overall decay rate is low. And that crappy amalgam that looks like it needs replacing? Your long-term dentist knows it's looked like that for ten years now. All those kinds of things.
- notheguyouthink 9y ago
  Any advice for finding a good dentist? I'm severely in need of a dentist after years upon years of neglect, mainly due to not being able to afford it, but now I'm in a position where I can at least work towards something proper. Yet, I've got no idea where to start. Thoughts?
  - Sleeep 9y ago
    Personal recommendations are usually how people find their dentists, I'm not sure there's any better way. Ask several colleagues and friends to talk to you in depth about their experiences. Make sure you ask if they recommended extensive expensive treatments, routinely recommending such treatments is a bad sign the dentist is doing unnecessary work for profit (which happens). Don't hesitate to call up different offices with any questions you may have. If they won't or can't answer your questions they aren't worth your time. Don't hesitate about getting a second opinion if you're not sure about their treatment plan.
    - barking 9y ago
      Really it's about recommendations, ask lots of people who they go to and why. I'd avoid a practice that's part of a chain like the plague, they are more likely to have a high turnover of dentists, who are under pressure to produce. I'd go for a small practice with at most a few dentists all ideally partners who are there for the long haul. Definitely avoid quick jobs like combining a holiday with treatment packages. If you've left things a long time, the first task may just be to stabilise things and then you can gradually get the things you want, done. There are always options and some cost a lot more than others. It's a trade off off involving satisfaction in terms of aesthetics and function, cost and the amount of time you'll need to spend in the chair. Sorry that all sounds a bit wafflely as i write it but it's true really.
tux1968 9y ago
Have nothing but absolute rave reviews for dentistry here in Canada. They take great care of you and are always aware of how you're doing and if you're feeling the least bit of discomfort. The only problem is it's stupid expensive; I get annoyed when my current dentist keeps talking about his yacht. But they're sure trained to provide a high level of care.
shubb 9y ago
I don't actually agree with your examples but I wanted to add one of my own. I went to a dentist complaining of sensitive teeth. He identified the problem as small cavities caused by chewing in my sleep, drilled them out, and added fillings. A few months later those fillings fell out and I went to another dentist to get them replaced. "You've had large holes drilled on top of your teeth so I'll have to replace them, but these fillings were totally unneccesary. If you get sensitivity like that again, just use a sensitive toothpaste. With your chewing you'll lose these fillings after about a year, and each time we'll need to drill out a little more, until by the time you are 40 you'll lose the teeth"
- Simon_says 9y ago
  What on Earth does it mean to agree with his examples? He's not saying those stories happened to you.
- justinclift 9y ago
  Chewing in your sleep (or even when awake), called Bruxism, is extremely common for many people in stress causing professions. eg probably many people here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruxism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruxism Did your dentist discuss getting a mouth guard/splint to wear at night? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruxism#Dental_guards_and_occlusal_splints https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruxism#Dental_guards_and_occl... Asking because that's what I went with, and for me it works well. Without it when I wake up I feel as if I've not slept all (very unrested), with it I can actually feel rested after sleep. That's only during stressful times though. ;)
- cableshaft 9y ago
  I lost two teeth over the course of three years because the fillings kept falling out and they had to drill more to get it back in. I hate the current practice of dentistry being to 'make things worse to make things better'. I can't wait for those things that grow enamel back naturally to fully work and become mainstream.
hycaria 9y ago
>Lukewarm water please. Cold helps vasoconstriction. Warm equals vasodilatation equals more bleeding, and increasing the bloodflow makes it easier for the bacteria that will eventually come through microlesions to go around etc. Things are in a specific way for a reason most of the time. > It felt like she was taking an ice pick and stabbing my gums. Yes because that's where calculus accumulates. It's not a pleasant feeling but it's not an unbearable pain either in my experience.
- freeflight 9y ago
  > It's not a pleasant feeling but it's not an unbearable pain either in my experience. Indeed, the way worse version of that is having your gum bags cleaned out, it's literally scrapping everything out between your gums and your teeth, one of the more painful things I went trough in my life.
- greggman 9y ago
  expletive deleted I've had my guns cleaned 50+ times in life. when I tell you it hurt I'm saying it hurt unlike any other time . you're assuming all pain is the same, all procedures are the same , and that all people experience the same amount of pain for a given proceedure. not cool. your attitude is actually part of the problem.
dsego 9y ago
Don't be such a wuss. My dentist is this older lady and she always strokes my head and tells me to be brave and it's gonna be over soon. I only ever got an anesthetic for a root canal. Nothing for ordinary fillings. Oh the pain when that drill hits the nerve.
freeflight 9y ago
Sounds like a combination of you just getting unlucky and having very low pain tolerance. Personally I don't mind it hurting a bit sometimes, for smaller stuff I usually even opt out of the local anesthetics because I don't like running around with a mouth that feels like it's full of cotton. Those are medical procedures after all, they are not supposed to make you feel amazing (at least during the process) they are supposed to "fix you", as such the process can be quite uncomfortable like many other medical procedures. If pain is your issue you should try looking for dentists offering less-conventional methods, like hypnosis or electric anesthesia. But I doubt there's anything anybody could ever do to make a visit to the dentist "comfortable" for you, short of full anesthesia so you don't even notice what's happening. I guess I got lucky because I don't really mind, never did. As kid I would hate going to the haircutter, but I loved visiting the dentist because of all the cool tools he had. Being weird sometimes has its advantages ;)
- greggman 9y ago
  sorry but I hate this attitude. your comment of "I don't really mind, never did" makes it clear you think we're both experiencing the same amount of pain it's just that you're tougher. let me assure you we are NOT going through the same amount of pain. if we were I am 1000% sure your attitude and reaction would be far different
lettergram 9y ago
Speaking of horror stories. I've had a dentist straight up leave the room and not come back half way through a cleaning. I complained and didn't get charged, but WTF. I sat in the room with no explanation. The only thing they did do was create a 3D model of my mouth from some 25 exrays they took.
- iends 9y ago
  In the US, it's uncommon for dentist to do cleanings. Are you sure it was t a hygenist?
erroneousfunk 9y ago
I've been to dentists in Boston and Washington state, and I've never had experiences like this. My dentist in Boston (who is awesome) I found off of Yelp reviews. You should ask around for someone better.
NTripleOne 9y ago
Also, can get get less dentists that are condescending pricks? Like seriously, your job is to deal with this shit, deal with it, don't complain about it - that's my job and I'm not getting paid for it. You are, shut up.
wahern 9y ago
You might be relatively insensitive to lidocaine. For the past 15 years and 3 dentists, I've almost always had to get additional lidocaine, sometimes 2 or 3 rounds of injections over a 20 or 30 minute period, even for simple fillings. That time might be split between the initial injection and subsequent injections midway through the procedure. Occasionally the dentists (certainly at least my latest one) breaks out a special alternative, which is injected with a much bigger needle from a comically huge injector. A few years earlier I had a horrible root canal experience. For years I thought there was a mix-up and they had just forgotten to numb me. I went through the procedure without complaining because I thought it was normal, but I was soaking wet afterward from the sweat. Now I realize it's probably just that I was insensitive to the lidocaine (or whatever they gave me), and they weren't paying attention or didn't care. I don't usually ask for the additional injections. But sometimes the pain is lightening quick, incredibly intense, and I can involuntarily jerk.[1] Unlike that first dentist, the past three refuse to continue without numbing me more if they sense I'm uncomfortable. I feel bad because sometimes I spend more time in the chair sitting alone, waiting for the injections to soak through and taking up a valuable patient slot than for the procedure. And I'm also a little worried that I'll become increasingly insensitive to these injections. One trick I've learned that I think helps a little is to take some ibuprofen an hour or two before the appointment. [1] I handle constant, dull pain much better. Though for all my teeth problems I've never had serious tooth pain outside a dental visit.

Aron 9y ago

What other things do you do to maintain your teeth? Are you talking about avoiding chewing popcorn kernels and ice? While I find these kinds of steps a decent start, the real and best method is to convert to the slurping of heated animal flesh slurry (or allowing their functioning cardiac system to deliver you the calories passively). These have the benefit of avoiding all excessive wear and tear that presents from grinding on high-silicon content plant life.

fractallyte 9y ago

Sounds like you have some gum recession ('sensitive teeth'). Brushing vigorously can erode gums, exposing the sensitive parts of teeth. It's very important to brush gently (but thoroughly); not back and forth, rather up and down. Flossing isn't particularly good for gums, either, so best to do it sparingly.

Zitrax 9y ago
My dentist tells me to floss specifically because it's good for the gums.
emddudley 9y ago
Excuse me? Flossing is critical for gum health.
- anilgulecha 9y ago
  You'd be surprised, but above is not the commonly accepted truth, and is debated amongst dentists. (research across countries also lends credible data to both sides in the debate). Source: married to a dentist.
- Sleeep 9y ago
  Maybe. The recommendation for flossing comes from tradition and anecdotes, not good evidence. Flossing isn't evidence based[1], though that doesn't mean it's useless and we shouldn't do it, just because something isn't evidence based doesn't mean it doesn't work. We probably should floss because it's probably helpful, even if the evidence is weak, it has a plausible mechanism of action, it's low cost, low risk, and teeth feel good after a proper flossing. A big issue is many people have poor flossing technique though, which is (probably) not great for gums and may actually cause problems. Flossing shouldn't hurt and you should talk to your dental hygienist about proper (recommended) technique. Also have him or her actually floss your teeth if they don't already during a cleaning (mine does) so you can get a feel of what the recommended technique feels like. Also try different types of floss. My hygienist can floss me just fine with the "normal" type floss but I can't replicate that for some reason, I need to use the "glide" type floss. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-evidence-for-flossings-benefits-is-not-good-enough-but-its-all-weve-got/2016/08/12/fbded8e6-5e6f-11e6-9d2f-b1a3564181a1_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-evidence-for-flo...

kwhitefoot 9y ago

Which country/state/etc. are you in? None of what you complain of ever happens to me here in Norway. Nor have I heard of any such scary events here in the 30+ years I've lived here. Of course I only have direct experience of a few dentists all in the same practice.

barking 9y ago

How many dentists have you gone to? Regularly changing dentists is just a bad idea. Get a recommendation from someone you know who says they were nervous, chose a particular dentist and now would go to no one else and give that dentist a decent chance. You need to develop a relationship with one dentist and over time you will become more comfortable with them and they with you. Everyone can be a little nervous in a new relationship. They will also have reminders on your card re your sensitive teeth etc. You are also likely to have fewer procedures as dentists are more comfortable to keep stuff under observation with patients who they know will come back. Because you're nervous they also will be more likely to go down the advise and keep under observation route especially if your overall decay rate is low. And that crappy amalgam that looks like it needs replacing? Your long-term dentist knows it's looked like that for ten years now. All those kinds of things.

notheguyouthink 9y ago
Any advice for finding a good dentist? I'm severely in need of a dentist after years upon years of neglect, mainly due to not being able to afford it, but now I'm in a position where I can at least work towards something proper. Yet, I've got no idea where to start. Thoughts?
- Sleeep 9y ago
  Personal recommendations are usually how people find their dentists, I'm not sure there's any better way. Ask several colleagues and friends to talk to you in depth about their experiences. Make sure you ask if they recommended extensive expensive treatments, routinely recommending such treatments is a bad sign the dentist is doing unnecessary work for profit (which happens). Don't hesitate to call up different offices with any questions you may have. If they won't or can't answer your questions they aren't worth your time. Don't hesitate about getting a second opinion if you're not sure about their treatment plan.
  - barking 9y ago
    Really it's about recommendations, ask lots of people who they go to and why. I'd avoid a practice that's part of a chain like the plague, they are more likely to have a high turnover of dentists, who are under pressure to produce. I'd go for a small practice with at most a few dentists all ideally partners who are there for the long haul. Definitely avoid quick jobs like combining a holiday with treatment packages. If you've left things a long time, the first task may just be to stabilise things and then you can gradually get the things you want, done. There are always options and some cost a lot more than others. It's a trade off off involving satisfaction in terms of aesthetics and function, cost and the amount of time you'll need to spend in the chair. Sorry that all sounds a bit wafflely as i write it but it's true really.

tux1968 9y ago

Have nothing but absolute rave reviews for dentistry here in Canada. They take great care of you and are always aware of how you're doing and if you're feeling the least bit of discomfort. The only problem is it's stupid expensive; I get annoyed when my current dentist keeps talking about his yacht. But they're sure trained to provide a high level of care.

shubb 9y ago

I don't actually agree with your examples but I wanted to add one of my own. I went to a dentist complaining of sensitive teeth. He identified the problem as small cavities caused by chewing in my sleep, drilled them out, and added fillings. A few months later those fillings fell out and I went to another dentist to get them replaced. "You've had large holes drilled on top of your teeth so I'll have to replace them, but these fillings were totally unneccesary. If you get sensitivity like that again, just use a sensitive toothpaste. With your chewing you'll lose these fillings after about a year, and each time we'll need to drill out a little more, until by the time you are 40 you'll lose the teeth"

Simon_says 9y ago
What on Earth does it mean to agree with his examples? He's not saying those stories happened to you.
justinclift 9y ago
Chewing in your sleep (or even when awake), called Bruxism, is extremely common for many people in stress causing professions. eg probably many people here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruxism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruxism Did your dentist discuss getting a mouth guard/splint to wear at night? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruxism#Dental_guards_and_occlusal_splints https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruxism#Dental_guards_and_occl... Asking because that's what I went with, and for me it works well. Without it when I wake up I feel as if I've not slept all (very unrested), with it I can actually feel rested after sleep. That's only during stressful times though. ;)
cableshaft 9y ago
I lost two teeth over the course of three years because the fillings kept falling out and they had to drill more to get it back in. I hate the current practice of dentistry being to 'make things worse to make things better'. I can't wait for those things that grow enamel back naturally to fully work and become mainstream.

hycaria 9y ago

>Lukewarm water please. Cold helps vasoconstriction. Warm equals vasodilatation equals more bleeding, and increasing the bloodflow makes it easier for the bacteria that will eventually come through microlesions to go around etc. Things are in a specific way for a reason most of the time. > It felt like she was taking an ice pick and stabbing my gums. Yes because that's where calculus accumulates. It's not a pleasant feeling but it's not an unbearable pain either in my experience.

freeflight 9y ago
> It's not a pleasant feeling but it's not an unbearable pain either in my experience. Indeed, the way worse version of that is having your gum bags cleaned out, it's literally scrapping everything out between your gums and your teeth, one of the more painful things I went trough in my life.
greggman 9y ago
expletive deleted I've had my guns cleaned 50+ times in life. when I tell you it hurt I'm saying it hurt unlike any other time . you're assuming all pain is the same, all procedures are the same , and that all people experience the same amount of pain for a given proceedure. not cool. your attitude is actually part of the problem.

dsego 9y ago

Don't be such a wuss. My dentist is this older lady and she always strokes my head and tells me to be brave and it's gonna be over soon. I only ever got an anesthetic for a root canal. Nothing for ordinary fillings. Oh the pain when that drill hits the nerve.

freeflight 9y ago

Sounds like a combination of you just getting unlucky and having very low pain tolerance. Personally I don't mind it hurting a bit sometimes, for smaller stuff I usually even opt out of the local anesthetics because I don't like running around with a mouth that feels like it's full of cotton. Those are medical procedures after all, they are not supposed to make you feel amazing (at least during the process) they are supposed to "fix you", as such the process can be quite uncomfortable like many other medical procedures. If pain is your issue you should try looking for dentists offering less-conventional methods, like hypnosis or electric anesthesia. But I doubt there's anything anybody could ever do to make a visit to the dentist "comfortable" for you, short of full anesthesia so you don't even notice what's happening. I guess I got lucky because I don't really mind, never did. As kid I would hate going to the haircutter, but I loved visiting the dentist because of all the cool tools he had. Being weird sometimes has its advantages ;)

greggman 9y ago
sorry but I hate this attitude. your comment of "I don't really mind, never did" makes it clear you think we're both experiencing the same amount of pain it's just that you're tougher. let me assure you we are NOT going through the same amount of pain. if we were I am 1000% sure your attitude and reaction would be far different

lettergram 9y ago

Speaking of horror stories. I've had a dentist straight up leave the room and not come back half way through a cleaning. I complained and didn't get charged, but WTF. I sat in the room with no explanation. The only thing they did do was create a 3D model of my mouth from some 25 exrays they took.

iends 9y ago
In the US, it's uncommon for dentist to do cleanings. Are you sure it was t a hygenist?

erroneousfunk 9y ago

I've been to dentists in Boston and Washington state, and I've never had experiences like this. My dentist in Boston (who is awesome) I found off of Yelp reviews. You should ask around for someone better.

NTripleOne 9y ago

Also, can get get less dentists that are condescending pricks? Like seriously, your job is to deal with this shit, deal with it, don't complain about it - that's my job and I'm not getting paid for it. You are, shut up.

wahern 9y ago

You might be relatively insensitive to lidocaine. For the past 15 years and 3 dentists, I've almost always had to get additional lidocaine, sometimes 2 or 3 rounds of injections over a 20 or 30 minute period, even for simple fillings. That time might be split between the initial injection and subsequent injections midway through the procedure. Occasionally the dentists (certainly at least my latest one) breaks out a special alternative, which is injected with a much bigger needle from a comically huge injector. A few years earlier I had a horrible root canal experience. For years I thought there was a mix-up and they had just forgotten to numb me. I went through the procedure without complaining because I thought it was normal, but I was soaking wet afterward from the sweat. Now I realize it's probably just that I was insensitive to the lidocaine (or whatever they gave me), and they weren't paying attention or didn't care. I don't usually ask for the additional injections. But sometimes the pain is lightening quick, incredibly intense, and I can involuntarily jerk.[1] Unlike that first dentist, the past three refuse to continue without numbing me more if they sense I'm uncomfortable. I feel bad because sometimes I spend more time in the chair sitting alone, waiting for the injections to soak through and taking up a valuable patient slot than for the procedure. And I'm also a little worried that I'll become increasingly insensitive to these injections. One trick I've learned that I think helps a little is to take some ibuprofen an hour or two before the appointment. [1] I handle constant, dull pain much better. Though for all my teeth problems I've never had serious tooth pain outside a dental visit.