Dentist

Jennie · Guru

Dentist

kdrew · Guru

Jennie · Guru

kdrew wrote:

I know, I know.

Growing up we "never had the money" which was always utter BS. And as an adult the kids have always been our major priority that we put ourselves on the back burners. Unfortunately that resulted in impacted wisdom teeth that needed out 10 years ago etc etc. But DH said enough is enough and I'm going. I can run but I can't hide.

Juni · Guru

So, you've never been at all? How do you know you need all four wisdom teeth pulled?

I don't enjoy going to the dentist but I don't think it's all that bad to get a cleaning, x-rays, etc. I hate getting feelings but I have a tiny mouth so it is super uncomfortable to lay there with my mouth open so wide for so long.

daisy · Guru

WOW. never?!
i have to say, i adore the dentist. adore. i have always loved it and always thought i'd be one one day (and kick myself on a weekly basis that i am not currently a dentist).

youre going to love it. you're going to love the cleaning. they scrape the plaque away which is cool (but a little uncomfortable at times). they'll take xrays and put these cardboard things in your mouth, which is also uncomfortable but nothing extreme.
if they find cavities, they'll probably schedule you to come back at a later date.

but wait is this just a cleaning? youre getting the wisdoms pulled tomorrow? isnt an oral surgeon doing that? is this an all-in-one-shot thing?
i've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled, but not all at once. it's painful afterwards, but you get through it. it's not a big deal. your face will be swollen though, in a way that just SCREAMS "hi i just got my wisdom teeth pulled."

Jennie · Guru

daisy wrote:

WOW. never?!
i have to say, i adore the dentist. adore. i have always loved it and always thought i'd be one one day (and kick myself on a weekly basis that i am not currently a dentist).

youre going to love it. you're going to love the cleaning. they scrape the plaque away which is cool (but a little uncomfortable at times). they'll take xrays and put these cardboard things in your mouth, which is also uncomfortable but nothing extreme.
if they find cavities, they'll probably schedule you to come back at a later date.

but wait is this just a cleaning? youre getting the wisdoms pulled tomorrow? isnt an oral surgeon doing that? is this an all-in-one-shot thing?
i've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled, but not all at once. it's painful afterwards, but you get through it. it's not a big deal. your face will be swollen though, in a way that just SCREAMS "hi i just got my wisdom teeth pulled."

I have a cavity in one of my wisdom teeth so I know it has to go. And the other three aren't in great shape.
ashamed

Lordy be, if this was an all-in-one shot I think I'd have to go drunk! LMAO!

No, this is to get established and start addressing the issues that the dentist can address and then he'll refer me out to get the wisdom teeth taken care of.

What do fillings feel like? Can you like feel them putting them in? I don't think I have any cavities aside from the one on my wisdom tooth b/c I'm good about taking care of my grill.
biggrin

I also have to have a tooth pulled b/c of my all too bad for you jaw breaker habit from back in the day that broke a tooth.... Needless to say I learned my lesson but was too scared to tell my parents I broke a tooth.

ETA- I know about the other ones b/c I had an infection in one of my other wisdom teeth back in March and the dr. at the ER (we had to go b/c it was a Sunday and I was in so much freaking pain) said that at some point they were going to need to come out) Durh.

-- Edited by Jennie on Monday 7th of December 2009 08:03:30 PM

apies · Guru

daisy wrote:

WOW. never?!
i have to say, i adore the dentist. adore. i have always loved it and always thought i'd be one one day (and kick myself on a weekly basis that i am not currently a dentist).

youre going to love it. you're going to love the cleaning. they scrape the plaque away which is cool (but a little uncomfortable at times). they'll take xrays and put these cardboard things in your mouth, which is also uncomfortable but nothing extreme.
if they find cavities, they'll probably schedule you to come back at a later date.

but wait is this just a cleaning? youre getting the wisdoms pulled tomorrow? isnt an oral surgeon doing that? is this an all-in-one-shot thing?
i've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled, but not all at once. it's painful afterwards, but you get through it. it's not a big deal. your face will be swollen though, in a way that just SCREAMS "hi i just got my wisdom teeth pulled."

:brow:

you are sick.

daisy · Guru

Jennie wrote:

daisy wrote:

WOW. never?!
i have to say, i adore the dentist. adore. i have always loved it and always thought i'd be one one day (and kick myself on a weekly basis that i am not currently a dentist).

youre going to love it. you're going to love the cleaning. they scrape the plaque away which is cool (but a little uncomfortable at times). they'll take xrays and put these cardboard things in your mouth, which is also uncomfortable but nothing extreme.
if they find cavities, they'll probably schedule you to come back at a later date.

but wait is this just a cleaning? youre getting the wisdoms pulled tomorrow? isnt an oral surgeon doing that? is this an all-in-one-shot thing?
i've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled, but not all at once. it's painful afterwards, but you get through it. it's not a big deal. your face will be swollen though, in a way that just SCREAMS "hi i just got my wisdom teeth pulled."

I have a cavity in one of my wisdom teeth so I know it has to go. And the other three aren't in great shape.

Lordy be, if this was an all-in-one shot I think I'd have to go drunk! LMAO!

No, this is to get established and start addressing the issues that the dentist can address and then he'll refer me out to get the wisdom teeth taken care of.

What do fillings feel like? Can you like feel them putting them in? I don't think I have any cavities aside from the one on my wisdom tooth b/c I'm good about taking care of my grill.

I also have to have a tooth pulled b/c of my all too bad for you jaw breaker habit from back in the day that broke a tooth.... Needless to say I learned my lesson but was too scared to tell my parents I broke a tooth.

you might have more than that one cavity if you've never been to a dentist before ;)

you really rarely realize you have a cavity. i dont think i've ever, in my whole life, been aware of a cavity.

getting the tooth filled - well they give you a shot of novicane which is like a pinchy feeling, then you go numb...then you hear drilling and your face gets a little sprayed with water and whatnot (no big at all)....and then you feel pressure when they fill the tooth - they seem to be like pressing the material down into the cavity. then they smooth it over with this other instrument, and then youre done. once you arent numb anymore (like by night time), when you bite down you can sort of feel the filling a bit...feels like your tooth is a little higher than usual - but that wears down and you get used to it.

daisy · Guru

apies wrote:

daisy wrote:

WOW. never?!
i have to say, i adore the dentist. adore. i have always loved it and always thought i'd be one one day (and kick myself on a weekly basis that i am not currently a dentist).

youre going to love it. you're going to love the cleaning. they scrape the plaque away which is cool (but a little uncomfortable at times). they'll take xrays and put these cardboard things in your mouth, which is also uncomfortable but nothing extreme.
if they find cavities, they'll probably schedule you to come back at a later date.

but wait is this just a cleaning? youre getting the wisdoms pulled tomorrow? isnt an oral surgeon doing that? is this an all-in-one-shot thing?
i've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled, but not all at once. it's painful afterwards, but you get through it. it's not a big deal. your face will be swollen though, in a way that just SCREAMS "hi i just got my wisdom teeth pulled."

:brow:
you are sick.

what, for wanting to be a dentist? i know. it's seriously a major regret of mine.

Picture-Perfect · Guru

I am the opposite of Kelly. I don't like the dentist at all. I was in the same situation as you growing up we had very little money so until you had a toothache we didn't really see the dentist. I had all my work done a couple years ago but i've got two small cavities I need filled right now but it's just not in the budget, yes they will probably get worse but that doesn't find me the money. I don't love having my teeth cleaned, and I hate the sound of the drill when you get a cavity filled. I have had one wisdom tooth pulled it got a dry socket and it was pretty painful. I still have the 3 others and I don't know when those will come out, probably some day when I have money or they give me trouble right now I don't even know they are there. Honestly even when my teeth are perfect and i'm just getting a cleaning i'm anxious. I don't like the smells or the sounds. I dont want to make you anxious just sharing my thoughts since you asked. I can't imagine myself ever loving going to the dentist even though I do really like my dentist. I would say if you don't like your dentist and feel comfortable with him or her I would switch. The only thing that makes the dentist somewhat ok for me is the lady I have is so kind and caring and nice.

-- Edited by Picture-Perfect on Monday 7th of December 2009 08:07:36 PM

Jennie · Guru

daisy wrote:

Jennie wrote:

daisy wrote:

WOW. never?!
i have to say, i adore the dentist. adore. i have always loved it and always thought i'd be one one day (and kick myself on a weekly basis that i am not currently a dentist).

youre going to love it. you're going to love the cleaning. they scrape the plaque away which is cool (but a little uncomfortable at times). they'll take xrays and put these cardboard things in your mouth, which is also uncomfortable but nothing extreme.
if they find cavities, they'll probably schedule you to come back at a later date.

but wait is this just a cleaning? youre getting the wisdoms pulled tomorrow? isnt an oral surgeon doing that? is this an all-in-one-shot thing?
i've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled, but not all at once. it's painful afterwards, but you get through it. it's not a big deal. your face will be swollen though, in a way that just SCREAMS "hi i just got my wisdom teeth pulled."

I have a cavity in one of my wisdom teeth so I know it has to go. And the other three aren't in great shape.

Lordy be, if this was an all-in-one shot I think I'd have to go drunk! LMAO!

No, this is to get established and start addressing the issues that the dentist can address and then he'll refer me out to get the wisdom teeth taken care of.

What do fillings feel like? Can you like feel them putting them in? I don't think I have any cavities aside from the one on my wisdom tooth b/c I'm good about taking care of my grill.

I also have to have a tooth pulled b/c of my all too bad for you jaw breaker habit from back in the day that broke a tooth.... Needless to say I learned my lesson but was too scared to tell my parents I broke a tooth.

you might have more than that one cavity if you've never been to a dentist before ;)
you really rarely realize you have a cavity. i dont think i've ever, in my whole life, been aware of a cavity.
getting the tooth filled - well they give you a shot of novicane which is like a pinchy feeling, then you go numb...then you hear drilling and your face gets a little sprayed with water and whatnot (no big at all)....and then you feel pressure when they fill the tooth - they seem to be like pressing the material down into the cavity. then they smooth it over with this other instrument, and then youre done. once you arent numb anymore (like by night time), when you bite down you can sort of feel the filling a bit...feels like your tooth is a little higher than usual - but that wears down and you get used to it.

That doesn't sound too bad.

And shush. I'm trying to be optimistic here! I'm very routine about my teeth. I mean- the coffee, tea, and smoking never helped them look white but since my top set are perfectly straight and my bottom set are almost perfectly straight w/o ever having had braces I took pride in that and wanted to keep a pretty smile.
biggrin

I know an oral surgeon- his daughter and her husband are our good friends and DH knows the family from way, way back. I'd trust him to yank over any stranger any day.

Picture-Perfect · Guru

daisy wrote:

apies wrote:

daisy wrote:

WOW. never?!
i have to say, i adore the dentist. adore. i have always loved it and always thought i'd be one one day (and kick myself on a weekly basis that i am not currently a dentist).

youre going to love it. you're going to love the cleaning. they scrape the plaque away which is cool (but a little uncomfortable at times). they'll take xrays and put these cardboard things in your mouth, which is also uncomfortable but nothing extreme.
if they find cavities, they'll probably schedule you to come back at a later date.

but wait is this just a cleaning? youre getting the wisdoms pulled tomorrow? isnt an oral surgeon doing that? is this an all-in-one-shot thing?
i've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled, but not all at once. it's painful afterwards, but you get through it. it's not a big deal. your face will be swollen though, in a way that just SCREAMS "hi i just got my wisdom teeth pulled."

:brow:
you are sick.

what, for wanting to be a dentist? i know. it's seriously a major regret of mine.

My guess is she means the whole adoring the dentist thing. LMAO. That is so a word I would never associate with the dentist. I'm glad it's that good for you though I honestly wish it was like that for me!

daisy · Guru

Picture-Perfect wrote:

daisy wrote:

apies wrote:

daisy wrote:

WOW. never?!
i have to say, i adore the dentist. adore. i have always loved it and always thought i'd be one one day (and kick myself on a weekly basis that i am not currently a dentist).

youre going to love it. you're going to love the cleaning. they scrape the plaque away which is cool (but a little uncomfortable at times). they'll take xrays and put these cardboard things in your mouth, which is also uncomfortable but nothing extreme.
if they find cavities, they'll probably schedule you to come back at a later date.

but wait is this just a cleaning? youre getting the wisdoms pulled tomorrow? isnt an oral surgeon doing that? is this an all-in-one-shot thing?
i've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled, but not all at once. it's painful afterwards, but you get through it. it's not a big deal. your face will be swollen though, in a way that just SCREAMS "hi i just got my wisdom teeth pulled."

:brow:
you are sick.

what, for wanting to be a dentist? i know. it's seriously a major regret of mine.

My guess is she means the whole adoring the dentist thing. LMAO. That is so a word I would never associate with the dentist. I'm glad it's that good for you though I honestly wish it was like that for me!

ohhhhhhhhhhhh, yeah that makes more sense ;)

i dont know what it is. i love the smell in there. i love coming out and feeling like my teeth are beYOND clean. i love the xrays - i love examining them. i love the water sprayer and i love the rinse sink. i LOVE the weight of that xray smock. (lol, now i sound psychotic).

i really think it's just sort of a fascination of mine. the first time i ever went to a dentist - i was probably around 5 - i came out telling my mom that i wanted to be a dentist. :geek

Sara · Guru

i just went last week for a cleaning. cleanings do not bother me at all. but i despise even hearing the drill in the other room if i am there.

good luck.

john has been having a lot of work done due to his mother never taking him when he was young because she hated the dentist :brow anyways he still has a long road, and lots of money to be shelled out ahead but we have made lots of progress.

CoffeeQueen · Guru

Ok, Kelly is whacked,lol. I hate the dentist and the smell alone, but do not be afraid. Honestly not having healthy teeth can lead to all sorts of health problems. I think that is great you are finally going in.

Do you have dental insurance? Be prepared for $$$. Dental work is not cheap.

Most likely the first visit they will take the x-rays and find out what needs to be done and then go from there. They will not do it all at once.

I have not read all of what everyone else has posted, but I am sure they covered what it feels like, etc.

Good luck!

Supafly · Guru

I just can't get over that you have never been!!!!

I HATE going to the dentist. I haven't been in about 7 or 8 years because I hate it so much. It is a good feeling to have your teeth all clean and everything, but I hate hate hate having cavities filled. I have had some bad experiences with the Novocaine, so I stopped getting it. It SUCKS, but about the time that I can't take it anymore, they are done.

I think I may have had a crappy dentist though, because he also cracked one of my molars once and I ended up needing a crown.

Blah.

I hope your experience is more like Kelly's!!

CoffeeQueen · Guru

Supafly wrote:

I just can't get over that you have never been!!!!

I HATE going to the dentist. I haven't been in about 7 or 8 years because I hate it so much. It is a good feeling to have your teeth all clean and everything, but I hate hate hate having cavities filled. I have had some bad experiences with the Novocaine, so I stopped getting it. It SUCKS, but about the time that I can't take it anymore, they are done.

I think I may have had a crappy dentist though, because he also cracked one of my molars once and I ended up needing a crown.

Blah.

I hope your experience is more like Kelly's!!

Laura, this was me about a month ago. I now have a new dentist and love him. I no longer feel like I am going to vomit when I enter the dentist office,lol. There is hope for ya :)

Jennie · Guru

Supafly wrote:

I just can't get over that you have never been!!!!

We just "never had the money" growing up. Which, again, was complete and utter BS. We had no dental insurance but we had money. My mom always made it sound like we grew up poor which we didn't. My stepdad always made good money.

I was 16 when my wisdom teeth started cutting through and I was freaking miserable. She kept saying she'd take me but it never happened. A year later I cracked my tooth on a freaking jaw breaker but I never told them b/c it was bad enough I was in wicked pain from the wisdom teeth cutting through so it wasn't like she was going to take me for something I did to myself.

I also didn't get glasses until I was 18 and I needed them all through high school. That's another story. I could go on and on.

Every year I say, "I'm going to the dentist. This year I can't dodge it. I already had an infection in one wisdom tooth and I've got the cavity. Ugh. Grant's putting his foot down so I might as well concede and go.
I maintain that any one who delights in pulling teeth must be sadistic hence you might want to steer clear. But he points out I'll feel a lot better. Probably right. But I warned him that if I disappear and don't come back tomorrow we'll know why.

apies · Guru

daisy wrote:

apies wrote:

daisy wrote:

WOW. never?!
i have to say, i adore the dentist. adore. i have always loved it and always thought i'd be one one day (and kick myself on a weekly basis that i am not currently a dentist).

youre going to love it. you're going to love the cleaning. they scrape the plaque away which is cool (but a little uncomfortable at times). they'll take xrays and put these cardboard things in your mouth, which is also uncomfortable but nothing extreme.
if they find cavities, they'll probably schedule you to come back at a later date.

but wait is this just a cleaning? youre getting the wisdoms pulled tomorrow? isnt an oral surgeon doing that? is this an all-in-one-shot thing?
i've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled, but not all at once. it's painful afterwards, but you get through it. it's not a big deal. your face will be swollen though, in a way that just SCREAMS "hi i just got my wisdom teeth pulled."

:brow:
you are sick.

what, for wanting to be a dentist? i know. it's seriously a major regret of mine.

no no!

for ENJOYING the scraping and cleanings. BLECH!

apies · Guru

Picture-Perfect wrote:

daisy wrote:

apies wrote:

daisy wrote:

WOW. never?!
i have to say, i adore the dentist. adore. i have always loved it and always thought i'd be one one day (and kick myself on a weekly basis that i am not currently a dentist).

youre going to love it. you're going to love the cleaning. they scrape the plaque away which is cool (but a little uncomfortable at times). they'll take xrays and put these cardboard things in your mouth, which is also uncomfortable but nothing extreme.
if they find cavities, they'll probably schedule you to come back at a later date.

but wait is this just a cleaning? youre getting the wisdoms pulled tomorrow? isnt an oral surgeon doing that? is this an all-in-one-shot thing?
i've had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled, but not all at once. it's painful afterwards, but you get through it. it's not a big deal. your face will be swollen though, in a way that just SCREAMS "hi i just got my wisdom teeth pulled."

:brow:
you are sick.

what, for wanting to be a dentist? i know. it's seriously a major regret of mine.

My guess is she means the whole adoring the dentist thing. LMAO. That is so a word I would never associate with the dentist. I'm glad it's that good for you though I honestly wish it was like that for me!

:hi5:

ty!

i used to not mind going at all, but the last few years have totally changed it for me. i swear i need a xanax before i go!