Sound of a Dentist's Drill
Drill, dental, shudder, torture, tooth, scary, pain ~ that’s what comes to mind when you think of that horrible sound in the dentist’s chair, or was that a scream?
One thing I realize now, having a good dentist, one that cares not only about the health of your teeth but also about the mental comfort of the patient, is incredibly important.
From childhood experiences I used to despise going to the dentist. I could write a book on those times, having permanent teeth with holes in them (caused by an extreme high temperature that I had when I was a baby). Braces were nothing in comparison to those holes in the teeth or the four wisdom teeth I had taken out (some from surgery where the tooth was wrapped around another trying to come down).
Needless to say, going to the dentist was not a priority in my adult life. I shunned the appointments as much as possible. Then one day my brother, who is of the same nature towards pain and dentists as me, said, "Aleta, I found a good dentist."
Call me a coward, because there was no way I believed him. But he went back and had a lot of work done on his teeth. That was convincing for me and I gave it a shot.
Well, today, the doctor gave me 6 shots. Two on the upper left and 4 on the bottom left. I have to get crowns, because the work that was done when I was a child was in need of fixing.
Did you know that you have 3 nerves on the upper lip and only 1 in the bottom lip that goes from the corner to the center of your lip? I like this dentist, because he explains things and doesn’t treat you like a child. Ugh, that was another thing, my brother and I both agreed that our childhood dentist continued to give us lectures and make us feel like we were 7 years old.
I was curious why this person chose the field of dentistry. What causes a person to work on teeth? He replied that after having his own painful experiences with braces and bridges, he wanted to learn more. His father was a physician and he liked the scientific field. Yet he went to college, majoring in art and working with ceramics, so when you put all three together, there you go ~ Dentistry. Good thing too, because his good.
Yes, indeed, find yourself a dentist and staff who are kind to you and are up on the technology. This staff takes pictures and x-rays and everything is logged and typed into the computer and put on a screen for easy viewing. They have glasses that you can wear if you want to watch a movie while they are doing work on your teeth. And the latest is some type of test that they do on the bones in your teeth to have an early detection of various cancers. (Something I might consider if the insurance helps to pay for it.)
Anyway, my mouth still feels like it’s sliding off my face, but I’m glad I went. 3 more weeks till the permanent crowns come in and no fear of going back.
One thing I realize now, having a good dentist, one that cares not only about the health of your teeth but also about the mental comfort of the patient, is incredibly important.
From childhood experiences I used to despise going to the dentist. I could write a book on those times, having permanent teeth with holes in them (caused by an extreme high temperature that I had when I was a baby). Braces were nothing in comparison to those holes in the teeth or the four wisdom teeth I had taken out (some from surgery where the tooth was wrapped around another trying to come down).
Needless to say, going to the dentist was not a priority in my adult life. I shunned the appointments as much as possible. Then one day my brother, who is of the same nature towards pain and dentists as me, said, "Aleta, I found a good dentist."
Call me a coward, because there was no way I believed him. But he went back and had a lot of work done on his teeth. That was convincing for me and I gave it a shot.
Well, today, the doctor gave me 6 shots. Two on the upper left and 4 on the bottom left. I have to get crowns, because the work that was done when I was a child was in need of fixing.
Did you know that you have 3 nerves on the upper lip and only 1 in the bottom lip that goes from the corner to the center of your lip? I like this dentist, because he explains things and doesn’t treat you like a child. Ugh, that was another thing, my brother and I both agreed that our childhood dentist continued to give us lectures and make us feel like we were 7 years old.
I was curious why this person chose the field of dentistry. What causes a person to work on teeth? He replied that after having his own painful experiences with braces and bridges, he wanted to learn more. His father was a physician and he liked the scientific field. Yet he went to college, majoring in art and working with ceramics, so when you put all three together, there you go ~ Dentistry. Good thing too, because his good.
Yes, indeed, find yourself a dentist and staff who are kind to you and are up on the technology. This staff takes pictures and x-rays and everything is logged and typed into the computer and put on a screen for easy viewing. They have glasses that you can wear if you want to watch a movie while they are doing work on your teeth. And the latest is some type of test that they do on the bones in your teeth to have an early detection of various cancers. (Something I might consider if the insurance helps to pay for it.)
Anyway, my mouth still feels like it’s sliding off my face, but I’m glad I went. 3 more weeks till the permanent crowns come in and no fear of going back.
Comments
I sympathise with the dislike of the dentist, I don't know what the system is where youa re but in Ireland you get free dental care until you are 12, but it is given by students. I've had some awful experiences, most memorably having a filling with no anesthetic when I was 10, that's nearly 15 years ago and I haven't been near one since, i break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it!! But i will have to bite the bullet at some point and go back (i'm lucky that i have very good teeth anyway!
Best of luck with the blogging, i'll drop back again soon! :)
Thank you for posting. I always find it fascinating when someone from another culture shares about their own.
That's scary to think students would perform fillings and such on children! I realize they need experience, but not that way and on children.
That said, most people are aghast with the America's health coverage. Individuals have to pay for our own health and dental insurance. If you have a job and the employment offers insurance, you are lucky if the company covers a portion of the insurance premium. And when you pay for your insurance each month, you still have to pay for part of the bill.
For instance, dental coverage might cost 40 a month out of each paycheck, but then you still have to pay a percentage of whatever procedure you are having done.
Now, that might not seem like a great deal, considering many countries have health/dental for free, but at what cost? How much is the working middle class taxed to cover the whole? It's a catch 22.
Lucky for me I have now got a dentist that really understands my fear, and is brilliant...even when I walk into his room and start shaking ...ok...and I admit sometimes even before I have sat in the chair I have been known to have a little cry (the fear just takes over), but hey at least I still go for all my checkups (LOL).. :-#