4 ms·

This is sort of embarrassing to admit publicly, but I had a fear of going to the dentist for several years and decided to go recently. After a 10 year hiatus, I

by asow92 3y ago

This is sort of embarrassing to admit publicly, but I had a fear of going to the dentist for several years and decided to go recently. After a 10 year hiatus, I was shocked to learn that I didn't have a single cavity or any other apparent issue! The dentist and hygienists were as astonished as I was. In my hiatus, I would brush every single day and occasionally pick plaque off myself with a tool similar to what the hygienists use at the dentist office. Needless to say, I bucked my irrational fear of the dentist and I'll be going back in a few months for another regular cleaning. This isn't to say that going to the dentist for regular cleanings isn't worth it, but maybe it isn't as required for some people as we think granted they keep up with a regular at home regimen?

CyberDildonics 3y ago
And some people who smoke live to be 100 years old, but if you go by actual statistics and data and not just some random anecdote off the internet, people get cavities. If cavities are untreated the tooth rots, infections occur, teeth need to be pulled and there are lots of negative consequences.
- asow92 3y ago
  We agree about all that, so what's your contribution to the conversation exactly?
  - CyberDildonics 3y ago
    You realize when people go in for cleanings they are getting checked for cavities right?
    - asow92 3y ago
      Nope, I didn't realize that. Thank you for informing me. You are so wise. Next time maybe try engaging with the actual topic of the conversation? Like how some people are more or less prone to cavities and why that might be biologically or something? Obviously we all know that dentists are checking for cavities and people should go. I had an irrational fear of going to the dentist and opened about up about that here and all you can think to do is berate a point everyone here already knows?
      - CyberDildonics 3y ago
        You said "maybe it isn't as required for some people as we think granted they keep up with a regular at home regimen?" I'm saying you not having cavities has no bearing on the overall benefit of people in general going to the dentist to get checked more often than every 10 years.
        asow92 3y ago
        Did you know that "some people" has no bearing on "people in general"? Like I said, we agree about this, but you still want to argue? I feel like you're here to argue about semantics and not what we're actually talking about at this point, or did you have something else to add?
        CyberDildonics 3y ago
        I'm not sure what your point is. You were saying some people don't need to go to the dentist because you didn't have cavities, but that's not a generalization that holds true and it doesn't really go anywhere because someone only knows if they didn't need to go to the dentist in the past. Again, it's like someone smoking their whole life and living to 100 then saying "some people can live to 100 while smoking all the time". You don't know until it has already happened, it doesn't help anyone.
        asow92 3y ago
        I had said: “This isn't to say that going to the dentist for regular cleanings isn't worth it, but maybe it isn't as required for some people as we think granted they keep up with a regular at home regimen?” My point is that I find it interesting that some people get cavities despite going to the dentist regularly and some people never go to the dentist and never get cavities, that’s all. Could there be variables beyond genetics at play here? I don’t know, which is why I’m interested.
Pigalowda 3y ago
I also use the little $10-15 kit off amazon. Like you I did that for a long time as well as brushing. Unfortunately when I went back to the dentist I had a single cavity but a bunch of calcified plaque between my teeth that I had to pay like $800 to get cleaned out. Obviously I’m a big flosser and picker now. I must have had some pretty bad halitosis with that calcified plaque because now I’m not habituated to the smell. For those in my family that are clearly not flossing and have shit breath i thought about buying them dental kits and floss for Christmas stocking stuffers. My SO said no and it’s their wives and dentists who should tell them. I kinda disagree but I’ll leave it alone. Someone had to tell me - what if no one ever tells them their breath is horrid because of the calcified plaque? They’ll just wander through life like that?
- asow92 3y ago
  I have a friend like that and I didn't have the heart to tell him. Coming from your perspective, how did someone telling you that feel?
  - bozhark 3y ago
    It helped them. Be helpful.
  - Pigalowda 3y ago
    I was confused because i just kept brushing and rinsing with listerine and it wasn’t getting better. I thought I just had terrible breath. But then I realized after I read online about calcified plaque being the culprit and it builds up behind the mandibular incisors. I looked in the mirror and it was there. I removed it by chipping it off and my SO told me how much better it was. And now I just do it every morning and its just soft plaque rather than calced.
ffsm8 3y ago
Dental Care is just like everything else related to your health: it's complicated. If you're eating healthy and have good hygiene, doctors ain't gonna help whatsoever unless you're unlucky and get a rare disease that they can actually diagnose and treat correctly. The likelihood of that is probably around 0.0%, rounded. The average person drinks soda, eats lots of sugar, drinks alcohol etc. That adds up over the years. especially soda in the context of dental care, as that's an acid and destroys the enamel over the years. once that's damaged, things get worse. Kinda relevant: is the 92 in your username your birth year? If it is, you not having any issues is to be expected. Most people develop their Dental issues in their late 30 and later
- asow92 3y ago
  That all makes a lot of sense, and yes your assumption is correct regarding my username. I’m glad to have corrected this behavior of mine before it got too late.

by asow92 3y ago

CyberDildonics 3y ago

And some people who smoke live to be 100 years old, but if you go by actual statistics and data and not just some random anecdote off the internet, people get cavities. If cavities are untreated the tooth rots, infections occur, teeth need to be pulled and there are lots of negative consequences.

asow92 3y ago
We agree about all that, so what's your contribution to the conversation exactly?
- CyberDildonics 3y ago
  You realize when people go in for cleanings they are getting checked for cavities right?
  - asow92 3y ago
    Nope, I didn't realize that. Thank you for informing me. You are so wise. Next time maybe try engaging with the actual topic of the conversation? Like how some people are more or less prone to cavities and why that might be biologically or something? Obviously we all know that dentists are checking for cavities and people should go. I had an irrational fear of going to the dentist and opened about up about that here and all you can think to do is berate a point everyone here already knows?
    - CyberDildonics 3y ago
      You said "maybe it isn't as required for some people as we think granted they keep up with a regular at home regimen?" I'm saying you not having cavities has no bearing on the overall benefit of people in general going to the dentist to get checked more often than every 10 years.
      - asow92 3y ago
        Did you know that "some people" has no bearing on "people in general"? Like I said, we agree about this, but you still want to argue? I feel like you're here to argue about semantics and not what we're actually talking about at this point, or did you have something else to add?
        CyberDildonics 3y ago
        I'm not sure what your point is. You were saying some people don't need to go to the dentist because you didn't have cavities, but that's not a generalization that holds true and it doesn't really go anywhere because someone only knows if they didn't need to go to the dentist in the past. Again, it's like someone smoking their whole life and living to 100 then saying "some people can live to 100 while smoking all the time". You don't know until it has already happened, it doesn't help anyone.
        asow92 3y ago
        I had said: “This isn't to say that going to the dentist for regular cleanings isn't worth it, but maybe it isn't as required for some people as we think granted they keep up with a regular at home regimen?” My point is that I find it interesting that some people get cavities despite going to the dentist regularly and some people never go to the dentist and never get cavities, that’s all. Could there be variables beyond genetics at play here? I don’t know, which is why I’m interested.

Pigalowda 3y ago

I also use the little $10-15 kit off amazon. Like you I did that for a long time as well as brushing. Unfortunately when I went back to the dentist I had a single cavity but a bunch of calcified plaque between my teeth that I had to pay like $800 to get cleaned out. Obviously I’m a big flosser and picker now. I must have had some pretty bad halitosis with that calcified plaque because now I’m not habituated to the smell. For those in my family that are clearly not flossing and have shit breath i thought about buying them dental kits and floss for Christmas stocking stuffers. My SO said no and it’s their wives and dentists who should tell them. I kinda disagree but I’ll leave it alone. Someone had to tell me - what if no one ever tells them their breath is horrid because of the calcified plaque? They’ll just wander through life like that?

asow92 3y ago
I have a friend like that and I didn't have the heart to tell him. Coming from your perspective, how did someone telling you that feel?
- bozhark 3y ago
  It helped them. Be helpful.
- Pigalowda 3y ago
  I was confused because i just kept brushing and rinsing with listerine and it wasn’t getting better. I thought I just had terrible breath. But then I realized after I read online about calcified plaque being the culprit and it builds up behind the mandibular incisors. I looked in the mirror and it was there. I removed it by chipping it off and my SO told me how much better it was. And now I just do it every morning and its just soft plaque rather than calced.

ffsm8 3y ago

Dental Care is just like everything else related to your health: it's complicated. If you're eating healthy and have good hygiene, doctors ain't gonna help whatsoever unless you're unlucky and get a rare disease that they can actually diagnose and treat correctly. The likelihood of that is probably around 0.0%, rounded. The average person drinks soda, eats lots of sugar, drinks alcohol etc. That adds up over the years. especially soda in the context of dental care, as that's an acid and destroys the enamel over the years. once that's damaged, things get worse. Kinda relevant: is the 92 in your username your birth year? If it is, you not having any issues is to be expected. Most people develop their Dental issues in their late 30 and later

asow92 3y ago
That all makes a lot of sense, and yes your assumption is correct regarding my username. I’m glad to have corrected this behavior of mine before it got too late.