I have an appointment for a teeth cleaning in an hour. No xrays for me today. I am reprinting my account of a visit with this dental office last year.
GOING TO THE DENTIST
I have a 10:00 AM appointment to have my teeth cleaned. At 9:30 I will take two Tylenol. That should tell you something about my pain tolerance. I chose my favorite dentist because he had a big sign outside his office proclaiming himself “The Dentist for Cowards”. My kind of guy. He gave me nitrous before injecting my front teeth with the Novocain on the 8 inch needle. Well it always felt like an 8 inch needle. I lost him last year when he suffered detached retinas and could not practice. He sold his practice and I went to the new group.
We didn’t “click” like I had with my former dentist. Here is why. My 20 yr. old son was raised brushing well, drinking fluoridated water and he even flosses daily. He had no fillings. The new Dr. told him he had two cavities. I was surprised. My next oldest son also transferred to the new Dr. When he next went, he was told he had a cavity. He is 35 and has only had one cavity before. Actually it is a filling because there was an indentation in a tooth, not a cavity. Now I said “If I go in there and he tells me I have a cavity I am going to be pretty suspicious”.
I went in. Had my teeth cleaned. When the dentist came in the room he asked the hygienist how my teeth looked. She answered, “Fine”. He then proceeded to find a cavity! He said I needed a crown. That is kind of like planting roses by the outhouse when Shasta daisies would do. I thought I would find a dentist who would fill the tooth.
I didn’t feel a need to be loyal to this dentist, so I transferred to the dentist of a friend.
I was impressed with the friendly professionals in her office. Of course they did not like the panoramic x-rays my old dentist had sent,and said they had to do a new full mouth set. I no longer have dental insurance and could feel the bill mounting. But, okay. I’m new. The hygienist did her thing. The new dentist examined me and said I did have two cavities. On return appointment she filled them. While doing this she found two more cavities. What could I say? Fill ‘em up. Now I have a panoramic and a full mouth set of x-rays that did not show these. Watch me refuse those expensive x-rays next time. She was a very skilled and gentle dentist and I like that. But my bill was $900.00. I miss the old days when I went to the dentist as a kid and he let you pick a plaster of Paris statue of the seven dwarves after your appointment. It might soften the blow now. Dentists are you listening?
I have a 10:00 AM appointment to have my teeth cleaned. At 9:30 I will take two Tylenol. That should tell you something about my pain tolerance. I chose my favorite dentist because he had a big sign outside his office proclaiming himself “The Dentist for Cowards”. My kind of guy. He gave me nitrous before injecting my front teeth with the Novocain on the 8 inch needle. Well it always felt like an 8 inch needle. I lost him last year when he suffered detached retinas and could not practice. He sold his practice and I went to the new group.
We didn’t “click” like I had with my former dentist. Here is why. My 20 yr. old son was raised brushing well, drinking fluoridated water and he even flosses daily. He had no fillings. The new Dr. told him he had two cavities. I was surprised. My next oldest son also transferred to the new Dr. When he next went, he was told he had a cavity. He is 35 and has only had one cavity before. Actually it is a filling because there was an indentation in a tooth, not a cavity. Now I said “If I go in there and he tells me I have a cavity I am going to be pretty suspicious”.
I went in. Had my teeth cleaned. When the dentist came in the room he asked the hygienist how my teeth looked. She answered, “Fine”. He then proceeded to find a cavity! He said I needed a crown. That is kind of like planting roses by the outhouse when Shasta daisies would do. I thought I would find a dentist who would fill the tooth.
I didn’t feel a need to be loyal to this dentist, so I transferred to the dentist of a friend.
I was impressed with the friendly professionals in her office. Of course they did not like the panoramic x-rays my old dentist had sent,and said they had to do a new full mouth set. I no longer have dental insurance and could feel the bill mounting. But, okay. I’m new. The hygienist did her thing. The new dentist examined me and said I did have two cavities. On return appointment she filled them. While doing this she found two more cavities. What could I say? Fill ‘em up. Now I have a panoramic and a full mouth set of x-rays that did not show these. Watch me refuse those expensive x-rays next time. She was a very skilled and gentle dentist and I like that. But my bill was $900.00. I miss the old days when I went to the dentist as a kid and he let you pick a plaster of Paris statue of the seven dwarves after your appointment. It might soften the blow now. Dentists are you listening?
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