6 ms·

Your teeth. Pay attention to your dental health.

jasonv 6y ago
I had mediocre dental care for most of my life. Not bad, but I never liked it. I got my first crown, was supposed to get two. It was traumatic. It didn’t feel good. I was depressed. I found a dentist recommendation. Visited him, he looked at my teeth and said while it all met “the standard of care”, some of the old work would eventually need to be replaced, and the crown fit could be improved, and the other crown I needed could be replaced with an alternate procedure. I got a good feeling from him. I spent the next 3 months having him re-do everything in my mouth. i was terrified and uncomfortable but I just went into it headlong. I was a bit flu$h, but it didn’t actually cost a lot. It made all the difference in the world. My bite felt better. My teeth felt good. The tooth sensitivity to temperature vanished. I never think about My teeth anymore. They work, they are comfortable. I think of myself as someone who is scared of dental visits. He cured me of that. I plan and attend each visit diligently. I have a new dentist now.. I moved. I found someone I like. Understanding that my dental dissatisfaction was rooted in work that “met the standard of care” but which wasn’t satisfactory with each bite and sip I took was transformational. I also floss diligently.
- ethbr0 6y ago
  I asked a dental hygienist about this: "Why is there a focus on relaxed, spa-like dental practices? Who are these people who are scared of the dentist?" She said it absolutely came down to past experiences. Apparently there are some really shitty dentists out there, in the sense of causing unpleasant experiences. If you didn't get one of those as a child, you have no problem with visiting the dentist. If you did, dentists terrify you. I never really thought about it that way before.
  - jasonv 6y ago
    Yes, I had a rough-handed dentist as a child, and in one year, had to have a bunch of cavities filled. It felt like a horror show to me. I don't care about the facilities themselves... but when looking for a dentist now I've put it out directly that I have a past fear of dentistry, and I've been assigned a hygienist who has a more careful bedside manner than others. It says right on my chart that I'm anxious about dentistry. The newest doc I've had to switch to was diligent about noting it and talking me through, acknowledging where I was coming from. Metal on teeth is also a thing for me. I'm pretty much over the hump now, but it was an effort to work through it. A few good offices who where explicit in their response to my feelings did wonders, too.
Lammy 6y ago
And sunscreen. Taking care of your skin (especially your face!) is one of the easiest passive ways to help yourself age gracefully.
quickthrower2 6y ago
Take care of the big 3: Dental, mental and genital.

I had mediocre dental care for most of my life. Not bad, but I never liked it. I got my first crown, was supposed to get two. It was traumatic. It didn’t feel good. I was depressed. I found a dentist recommendation. Visited him, he looked at my teeth and said while it all met “the standard of care”, some of the old work would eventually need to be replaced, and the crown fit could be improved, and the other crown I needed could be replaced with an alternate procedure. I got a good feeling from him. I spent the next 3 months having him re-do everything in my mouth. i was terrified and uncomfortable but I just went into it headlong. I was a bit flu$h, but it didn’t actually cost a lot. It made all the difference in the world. My bite felt better. My teeth felt good. The tooth sensitivity to temperature vanished. I never think about My teeth anymore. They work, they are comfortable. I think of myself as someone who is scared of dental visits. He cured me of that. I plan and attend each visit diligently. I have a new dentist now.. I moved. I found someone I like. Understanding that my dental dissatisfaction was rooted in work that “met the standard of care” but which wasn’t satisfactory with each bite and sip I took was transformational. I also floss diligently.

ethbr0 6y ago
I asked a dental hygienist about this: "Why is there a focus on relaxed, spa-like dental practices? Who are these people who are scared of the dentist?" She said it absolutely came down to past experiences. Apparently there are some really shitty dentists out there, in the sense of causing unpleasant experiences. If you didn't get one of those as a child, you have no problem with visiting the dentist. If you did, dentists terrify you. I never really thought about it that way before.
- jasonv 6y ago
  Yes, I had a rough-handed dentist as a child, and in one year, had to have a bunch of cavities filled. It felt like a horror show to me. I don't care about the facilities themselves... but when looking for a dentist now I've put it out directly that I have a past fear of dentistry, and I've been assigned a hygienist who has a more careful bedside manner than others. It says right on my chart that I'm anxious about dentistry. The newest doc I've had to switch to was diligent about noting it and talking me through, acknowledging where I was coming from. Metal on teeth is also a thing for me. I'm pretty much over the hump now, but it was an effort to work through it. A few good offices who where explicit in their response to my feelings did wonders, too.

Lammy 6y ago

And sunscreen. Taking care of your skin (especially your face!) is one of the easiest passive ways to help yourself age gracefully.

quickthrower2 6y ago

Take care of the big 3: Dental, mental and genital.