First time at the dentist in 11 years

Hammer89

Let me start off by saying that dental hygiene isn't my thing. It's just not. Don't get me wrong, I brush regularly and although my teeth aren't whiter than Peruvian cocaine, they're not yellow either. But I hadn't been to the dentist in about a decade. I know, mental, but I didn't have a single problem with my teeth in that time so, you know, there wasn't as much urgency.

So I walk in, shake his hand and go, 'Good to see you, Peter. Long time.' I was slightly embarrassed over the lengthy absence, so why not address it straight away. 'Yes, 11 years,' he goes, really deadpan like, but he already had his mask on so I couldn't tell if he was smiling. 'You're joking!' I respond, feigning surprise because I guess it seems more excusable if you play dumb and act like you were there before Christmas or something.

I lie down on his bed thing (no idea what it's called), open my mouth and the first thing I hear is a pretty deep and desperate sigh. If I open my eyes, I'm fairly sure I'd see him and his assistant - who, by the way, was very, very attractive, making it worse - shaking their heads at one another. Midway through the semi-painful scaling procedure I hear him say, 'Christ'. I'm thinking, 'Oh god what's he found?', but he's drilling into my gums and your one is hoovering my tongue, so I'm not in a position to investigate. The entire thing lasted about 20 minutes, and at the end he goes to me, 'Without a doubt that's the worst scaling I've had to do in at least five years'.

I believe him, because I spent the next two minutes pulling tiny bits of black matter out of my mouth. Since leaving, I can't help but run my tongue against the back of my lower teeth. There's lots of sharp edges now, which I can only assume is because there isn't 11 years worth of pizza, chips and chicken plugging the gaps any longer.

Just before I leave, I shake his hand and go, 'See you in 2028, Peter'. He still has that mask on so I don't know whether I tickled him, but I'd like to think so.

What's the point of this? Well between exciting beach stories, and extremely strange stories about hiking in Glendalough, I thought why not make it a hat-trick of mundane tales.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

That's scandalous. You need you teeth cleaned every 6 months my dentist says. If you do it regularly it's nothing, you barely feel anything

Casey78

I haven't been since secondary school. I'm 38 now.

Allinall

Was the appointment at 2.30?

posturingpat

So i shouldn't feel too bad about making an appointment 18 months after my last one?

9or10

I bought a "dental toolkit" on Amazon. It had loads of the hooky pointy yokes. I bought it for woodwork and stuff but reading the reviews there were people doing their own teeth :eek:

Pat Mustard

9or10 wrote: »

I bought a "dental toolkit" on Amazon.

Is it safe?

mad muffin

I haven't been in 34 years. And my teeth are fine. Not Hollywood fine but not hobo bad either. I've seen far worse teeth on people that regularly go to the dentist.

I won't be going unlesss I get a tooth ache or damage a tooth.

MuffinTop86

once ayear is enough for cleaning, they're scraping away the enamel and lecturing you on not regilarly flossing, even if you do!

MilesMorales1

Haven't been the dentist since 2003 :cool:

Hammer89

LexieOnRale wrote: »

That's scandalous. You need you teeth cleaned every 6 months my dentist says.

He would say that though wouldn't he :pac:

Agricola

I go every 6 months and hate it. Have this weird problem where the suction thing doesn't seem to work and I end up swallowing every 2 minutes while they are scraping away.

Atari Jaguar

If your mouth wasn't completely spotless after a scale and polish your dentist is fcuking ****e mate.

Akrasia

Is it wrong to be in your thirties and envy pensioners with store bought dentures?

Teeth are nothing but trouble. The sooner we evolve past needing them anymore, the better for everyone.

sonofenoch

Casey78 wrote: »

I haven't been since secondary school. I'm 38 now.

Neither had I till a few years ago, fking nightmare.....looking up like that at a dentist and he had not 1 but 2 fking assistants ....where to ****ing look? look them all in the eye or close your eyes like a big baby as you get prodded at in the most vulnerable position imaginable (for me anyway )

mickmac76

I have to say I hate going to the dentist. I avoided mine for 18 years at one point but had to go with an awful painful tooth then. Needed one out and two fillings. Have gone once a year since without any problems. Still don't like it though.

I've to get a cleaning soon as well, appt is booked
Had my first one in a long time last year and it was awful

Widdershins

Does anyone like going to the dentist?

LexieOnRale wrote: »

That's scandalous. You need you teeth cleaned every 6 months my dentist says. If you do it regularly it's nothing, you barely feel anything

I'm not an expert but I don't believe him. I'm sure he'd prefer to be getting his 60 euro from each client twice a year.

It shouldn't hurt.

jimmycrackcorm

I enjoyed the OP's story, I hope he will soon start another thread. I'm thinking maybe about a visit to Aldi and how funny it was that the till assistant asked him if he was over 18 when buying alcohol.

Cheerful Spring

People would be better off just having dentures, just pull them and be done with it.. Some people waste thousands fixing their teeth, waste of time. Nobody is going to care you had nice teeth when you buried and gone.

Surreptitious

Cheerful Spring wrote: »

People would be better off just having dentures, just pull them and be done with it.. Some people waste thousands fixing their teeth, waste of time. Nobody is going to care you had nice teeth when you buried and gone.

What about all the years that you're alive with nice teeth? Who wants to look at someone with messed up teeth. They won't take out healthy teeth and give you dentures.

Bambi985

Widdershins wrote: »

Does anyone like going to the dentist?

I do, love it in fact. love the sensation of freshly scaled and polished teeth and I always get compliments on how clean they are when I go in coz I'm fairly obsessive about the aul brushing and flossing.

Teeth are important folks, stop putting off the appointments and telling yourselves yiz are grand! there's nothing worse than poor dental hygiene or neglected teeth, they leave a lasting impression on people you meet and will cause major problems for you down the line.

Atari Jaguar

Widdershins wrote: »

I'm not an expert but I don't believe him. I'm sure he'd prefer to be getting his 60 euro from each client twice a year.

It shouldn't hurt.

Well it's good that you're no expert then. It is important to get your teeth cleaned twice a year. Brushing at home can't remove all the plaque and tartar that builds up over time, if your doctor advised having a check up twice a year you wouldn't tell them to piss off you're only looking for easy money :rolleyes: your 60/80 quid cleaning doesn't even count as a drop in the pond when it comes to running a dental practice, it's not all about money, it's a doctor making sure you're getting looked after.

Surely it would be more sensible to let you think there's no need for regularly cleaning and then have your teeth erode into needing fillings or extractions that go from 80 for a filling up to 200+ for a tooth removal...

This is a very Irish thing, "ah he's only codding trying to get money out of ye" never once a thought paid that perhaps they just want you to have healthy teeth and gums. Oh lord no it's all about trying to squeeze you for every penny.. frankly if I was a dentist and wanted to get your money I'd be telling you to come once a month not twice a year.

Surreptitious

I agree. The self defeatist attitude on here is scary. Sure you may as well be dead rather than look after your teeth. If you had a broken leg would you say sure what's a broken leg in the coffin. Teeth need to be healthy and looked after regularly or you'll get very bad problems with them. Some people have slightly crooked teeth and that's fine but there are some with broken knashers and very bad dental hygiene and as adults we should be aware of this. Why do so many people get braces? Because it's your face and one of the first things visible about you.

DrGreenthumb

Ain't that the tooth











I'll extract my self from the thread after that one

ceadaoin.

Cheerful Spring wrote: »

People would be better off just having dentures, just pull them and be done with it.. Some people waste thousands fixing their teeth, waste of time. Nobody is going to care you had nice teeth when you buried and gone.

Sure in that case there is no point in any preventative medicine or exercise and eating healthily? Seems a bit of a weird outlook tbh.

Lots of (most?) people care about having nice teeth when they're alive though? Not looking after them can cause bad pain and a host of other problems. Gum disease is even linked to heart disease and a higher risk of stroke. Why would you want to go through the pain and trouble of pulling out the teeth you were born with and getting false ones. I'm not sure how that is a better easier option than just having good dental hygiene and getting regular checkups?

Surreptitious

They don't take out healthy teeth. End of.

force eleven

Is it safe?

the_syco

Cheerful Spring wrote: »

People would be better off just having dentures, just pull them and be done with it.. Some people waste thousands fixing their teeth, waste of time. Nobody is going to care you had nice teeth when you buried and gone.

You won't care about the money when you're dead and gone.

mad muffin wrote: »

I've seen far worse teeth on people that regularly go to the dentist.

I won't be going unlesss I get a tooth ache or damage a tooth.

I go regularly, as I've a sweet tooth. I'd say most people who go regularly do so for the same reason. In Ireland, went once every 6 months for my free (PRSI) checkup. Get drilled the odd time, or pop in to have a cracked tooth fixed.

Graces7

Akrasia wrote: »

Is it wrong to be in your thirties and envy pensioners with store bought dentures?

Teeth are nothing but trouble. The sooner we evolve past needing them anymore, the better for everyone.

You beat me to it! I was one of the war babies in the UK whose teeth were poor and neglected ,and had dentures early on
.
Totally happy with my pink plastic and never a worry.

Old saying re teeth, "They are a trouble coming and a trouble going."

Deeply glad never to go near a dentist ever again..:D:)

NB I even got mine free on the NHS.

Loveinapril

I have never had my teeth professionally cleaned. I didn't know it was that common!

JupiterKid

That reminds me that I need to make an appointment with the dentist. I only go when I have bad cavities and toothaches.

I hate dentists.:(

Loveinapril

Loveinapril wrote: »

I have never had my teeth professionally cleaned. I didn't know it was that common!

My dentist took a mirror and showed me the tartar building up it was mad, and my teeth are in great shape otherwise

corner of hells

I win , I'm 47 havnt been to a dentist since I was 15.

pickarooney

I often wondered do the teeth of other primates go to bits early or does their diet ensure they don't get cavities, plaque etc.

9or10

Surreptitious wrote: »

What about all the years that you're alive with nice teeth? Who wants to look at someone with messed up teeth. They won't take out healthy teeth and give you dentures.

In Liverpool - it used to be a 21st Birthday present. Have all your teeth taken out and dentures made.

Careful what you wish for.

Kirby

LexieOnRale wrote: »

That's scandalous. You need you teeth cleaned every 6 months my dentist says. If you do it regularly it's nothing, you barely feel anything

You mean to tell me that the person who gets paid the more you come in is recommending you come in regularly? Surely you jest....

Kirby

Atari Jaguar wrote: »

This is a very Irish thing, "ah he's only codding trying to get money out of ye" never once a thought paid that perhaps they just want you to have healthy teeth and gums. Oh lord no it's all about trying to squeeze you for every penny.. frankly if I was a dentist and wanted to get your money I'd be telling you to come once a month not twice a year.

I know dentists and doctors personally. Quite a few actually. They are in it for the money. Most will tell you straight in social situations. They arent evil and will tell you how good it feels to help people, but there is a reason they charge 70 quid for GP visit and several hundred for a consultation. Some of the Dentists bills I've seen would make your head spin.

Think less Patch Adams and more Bob Kelso.

theteal

How much is an Irish dental visit these days? That's a massive factor in why I can't even remember my last visit to one

I go every 6 months over here. £16. I had to have a root canal the first year we were here, it came to ~£270 with the expensive crown (weird metal looking one would have been cheaper!)

nozzferrahhtoo

I have not been to a dentist in about 22 years. I have my first appointment with one at the end of this month here in Germany for a "Talk" first before I proceed any more.

And I am sure that there is so much plaque built up on my teeth that at this stage it is probably actually holding my teeth together rather than causing actual harm.

The problem for me is purely phobia. Total, complete, paralyzing, phobia. And intellectually I know this is stupid, but phobias are rarely an intellectual thing. Fully grown strong adults who can not bring themselves to walk within 1 meter of a tiny little spider will attest to that.

But two experiences do not help either.

The first was my first trip to a dentist at age 13 when he decided one tooth had to be pulled there and then. Before I knew it he was injecting my gum with anesthetic and I think he must have missed the mark because he appear to change direction while the needle was still in me. He just levered it around to the direction he wanted and pushed. It was excruciating in the pain it caused.

The second was when a completely different dentist also decided to pull a tooth. He just went for it. But the damn thing would not come. He literally had one foot up on the chair bracing himself he was pulling on it so hard. Despite the anesthetic it felt like my whole jaw was being ripped out of the socket and the pain of it permeated my entire skull. And in fact in the end the fecking tooth literally shattered leaving bits of tooth shooting up in the air, some of it back into my troath where I swallowed it, and half the tooth still remaining in my mouth with the roots completely intact. And his pliers thing went flying over my head at the same time nearly maiming his assistant. Who was also hot. Where DO they find these people.

So he referred me on to the dental hospital who did an xray and it turned out that A) I did not have an adult tooth under the tooth he was pulling so there was no erosion of the length of the tooth's root and one of the two roots was curved RIGHT around like a fish hook and not straight like roots should be so the tooth was really anchored in there and his pushing and pulling on my tooth to remove it was pretty much shredding my gums inside. So they put me under GENERAL anesthetic and performed a surgical removal.

So my phobia is compounded by these awful experiences, and the knowledge of the horror my dentist will likely express.... like in the OPs story..... at the poor condition of my mouth. But I keep trying to tell myself it will not be that bad, and sure of course dental technology is 20 years more advanced now than it was. But to say I am not looking forward to this appointment is..... about as large an understatement as I have made in my life.

jester77

theteal wrote: »

How much is an Irish dental visit these days? That's a massive factor in why I can't even remember my last visit to one

I go every 6 months over here. £16. I had to have a root canal the first year we were here, it came to ~£270 with the expensive crown (weird metal looking one would have been cheaper!)

that sounds very cheap.

I go twice a year here in Germany to get them professionally cleaned, €150 each time. Had a root canal before xmas, came to just under €500 and that was without a crown.

nozzferrahhtoo

jester77 wrote: »

that sounds very cheap.

I go twice a year here in Germany to get them professionally cleaned, €150 each time. Had a root canal before xmas, came to just under €500 and that was without a crown.

Ah I was hoping someone else in Germany would open the thread with some knowledge and experience. If you feel it is off topic to the thread please contact me in private and let me know all you know.

Myself I have a TKK Krankenkasse insurance AND also an AXA Premium-U Dental insurance. So I am not sure how that will work. I do not really know if I can use both together, or is it always one or the other, or how much TKK actually cover.

I know from work my girlfriend got that quite often some things are 100% covered if you take the cheaper option. But, say with things like crowns and fillings, there are materials you can OPT for (because they are more visually appealing, more realistic, or last longer before you need them redone or similar) that you pay for out of your own pocket that the Dental or health Insurance refuse to cover.

I also do not know how standards or technology is much different here than back home in Ireland. I am guessing there is differences because when my girlfriend had an x-ray her dentist was able to point at her fillings and say things like "Ah yes, this one you got in Ireland, this one you clearly got in the UK........." and was able to accurately identify where each piece of work she ever had done was performed.

I also do not know how they deal with "angst patienten" in general, let alone one as extreme as me. I am hoping to be able to identify a dentist who will be able to use GENERAL anesthetic options by request, rather than simply only using them in specifically surgical contexts where local ones are merely deemed not to suffice.

theteal

jester77 wrote: »

that sounds very cheap.

I go twice a year here in Germany to get them professionally cleaned, €150 each time. Had a root canal before xmas, came to just under €500 and that was without a crown.

NHS ftw!

theteal

theteal wrote: »

How much is an Irish dental visit these days? That's a massive factor in why I can't even remember my last visit to one

I go every 6 months over here. £16. I had to have a root canal the first year we were here, it came to ~£270 with the expensive crown (weird metal looking one would have been cheaper!)

Check up and xray is free with prsi one visit/year
I have a feeling a clean is around 50

I went a couple years ago for a check up and tooth pain, got the full works done, some kind of anti sensitivity thing for my gums and recommendation for dealing with it, walked out much better and happier without paying anything

Kaizersoze81

I paid €76 for a scale and polish last week in Dublin. As far as I know check up and X-ray no longer free under PRSI. It was announced that it would be reintroduced in the budget, but discussions are still ongoing with dentists.

Widdershins

Bambi985 wrote: »

I do, love it in fact. love the sensation of freshly scaled and polished teeth and I always get compliments on how clean they are when I go in coz I'm fairly obsessive about the aul brushing and flossing.

Teeth are important folks, stop putting off the appointments and telling yourselves yiz are grand! there's nothing worse than poor dental hygiene or neglected teeth, they leave a lasting impression on people you meet and will cause major problems for you down the line.

That's funny because my own dentist comments that my teeth are clean when I go in too. A lot less frequently than every six months.

Going for a polish is ok, but if you have to have something worse done, like the extraction of an impacted wisdom tooth, I'm sure it is understandably much more stressful.

Conall Cernach

LexieOnRale wrote: »

That's scandalous. You need you teeth cleaned every 6 months my dentist says. If you do it regularly it's nothing, you barely feel anything

Well if the man you have to pay says you need it done then that's fine I suppose. He couldn't possibly have a vested interest in it at all.

seamus

Glad I'm not the only one. I'm 35 and haven't been since I was 17. Even then, that was an orthodontist. I haven't seen a dentist since I was 14. Noticed some plaque buildup there a few months ago. Shifted right off with a week or two of focussed brushing.

I should probably go to the dentist, but I have no issues with my teeth. I don't go to the doctor when I feel fine.

Kaizersoze81

Kaizersoze81 wrote: »

I paid €76 for a scale and polish last week in Dublin. As far as I know check up and X-ray no longer free under PRSI. It was announced that it would be reintroduced in the budget, but discussions are still ongoing with dentists.

No way?
Checked citizens info and it just said from march 2017 it'll be extended to self employed

BunkMoreland

People go to the dentist without having an actual problem with their teeth???

I've been to the dentist 4 times in my life, to get fillings or a tooth removed.

jester77

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

Ah I was hoping someone else in Germany would open the thread with some knowledge and experience. If you feel it is off topic to the thread please contact me in private and let me know all you know.

Myself I have a TKK Krankenkasse insurance AND also an AXA Premium-U Dental insurance. So I am not sure how that will work. I do not really know if I can use both together, or is it always one or the other, or how much TKK actually cover.

I know from work my girlfriend got that quite often some things are 100% covered if you take the cheaper option. But, say with things like crowns and fillings, there are materials you can OPT for (because they are more visually appealing, more realistic, or last longer before you need them redone or similar) that you pay for out of your own pocket that the Dental or health Insurance refuse to cover.

I also do not know how standards or technology is much different here than back home in Ireland. I am guessing there is differences because when my girlfriend had an x-ray her dentist was able to point at her fillings and say things like "Ah yes, this one you got in Ireland, this one you clearly got in the UK........." and was able to accurately identify where each piece of work she ever had done was performed.

I also do not know how they deal with "angst patienten" in general, let alone one as extreme as me. I am hoping to be able to identify a dentist who will be able to use GENERAL anesthetic options by request, rather than simply only using them in specifically surgical contexts where local ones are merely deemed not to suffice.

You have the extra dental insurance, so you should have a look at what that covers, they are all different so impossible to guess. TKK would cover fillings and I am not sure but I think they might even cover one clean a year, but it would be a limited clean. The dental insurance might cover the extras of the clean. You would use both together, the dental insurance covers extra things that the public insurance does not cover.

I know my dentist has an offer for public patients where you can get 3 cleans a year for €150. As for the fillings, that is true, you would have to pay extra for the better material, but it is not that expensive. I'm not sure of the breakdown, I have private insurance so get charged more anyway. But I think it was around €100 for the better material.

I have only had good experience with dentists here, mine could tell that the Irish dentist didn't do a good job on a filling and slightly damaged the nerve, and this led to me having to get a root canal.

There is nothing to be scared about, it really is painless. If you get a filling without an anaesthetic then you will obviously feel some pain. The dentist will ask you if you want one, I usually do it without as I don't like the numb feeling I have afterwards.

But I recently got a root canal and had to get the anaesthetic and it was a totally different experience to that one I had in Ireland. But this is more likely do with time, as the last time in Ireland was 15 years ago, so procedures are better now. The one in Ireland left me with a numb jaw and droopy lip for hours after. The anaesthetic I got here was a little prick on both sides of the tooth and that was it, that prick was the only thing I felt for the whole procedure and my jaw, mouth and face were perfectly fine afterwards.