No Cavities!

Sorry, had to brag. During Open Season '07, I finally took the plunge and signed up for the supplemental dental & vision. Today was my first check up/cleaning in about four years. :D Very little build up on my teeth, xrays were clear, and NO CAVITIES. I swear that Sonicare Toothbrush, daily flossing, and Act rinse are the secret. Best of all---I didn't have to pay a cent. No copay. Nada. And my dentist is awesome (doesn't try to hit you up for bleaching, etc).

Welcome good news after a spate of expensive, bad luck last week (new computer, new water heater, and some new plumbing). I almost canceled my dentist appt because I was afraid of what she'd find. If the promise of leaving work early hadn't figured in, I would have put off the appt. Now that I'm officially "in limbo" at work, any time out of the office is WONDERFUL. Hopefully, my luck is changing for the better and things will get back on track at work, too.

Did you get a lolli-pop, little girl? :D

Wait a minute. I just showed my age.

Are you old enough to remember getting candy at the dentist?

I remember getting a lollipop. Quite an irony, given that my childhood Dentist was a brute and a sadist. His hygienist was his sister. First time I ever saw a chick with serious makeup, including painted on eyebrows. Worse yet, her breath could take paint off of a car. Anyway, the brute dentist scared me off of novacaine -- jammed the needle in before pulling FOUR adult teeth. Please note that he had me in a HALF NELSON at the time. For years, I'd have cavities filled w/out novacaine.

Today, I saw some rad stickers, though, that The Awesome Dentist gives to the little ones. Dinosaur with "No Cavities Club" on it and others. Almost asked for one.

Congrats on the good checkup. I haven't been to a dentist in six years (or is it seven now) and I've been meaning to go but I keep chickening out.

Cool:)

I really like the Act mouthwash - seems to work well.

I'm a total dental phobe. I don't know whether I'm more scared of novocaine or tooth pain (esp since the novocaine doesn't work worth a flip for me). I have to have lots of fillings replaced soon (no new ones, they are just getting old and starting to shift a little), and I'm really dreading it. My last experience was having wisdom teeth pulled, and I woke up (wide awake) in the middle to a nurse saying "pull harder so you get them out before she comes all the way up"). They did put me out for a while, but the novocaine wasn't working.

I'm trying to get up my nerve, and I've tried to talk to my dentist (not the oral surgeon) about it (i.e. novocaine not working), but his response is just "they didn't do it right" and "the new stuff will probably work." I'm a wimp.

Yippee! Congrats on the visit, and no cavities. I was supposed to have a cleaning on Monday - went in and told them no way - I am SO SICK... Now I have to go back next week instead.

I, too, am a dental phobe. But, after not having been to a dentist in twelve years and needing a full four quandrant deep root scaling, I go whether I like it or not. I'm NEVER going through THAT again...

SheFly

My problem is gums.. whereas I have very few cavities..only 3 in last 25years. Just had to have 1 replaced 2 months ago, where metal filling was wearing out, replaced now with plastic.

And I've increased eating food with sugar in the past decade.

There are times I think a person's body chemistry, more specifically in the mouth, regardless of what they eat, affects probability of cavities.

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Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

Cool:)I'm a total dental phobe. I don't know whether I'm more scared of novocaine or tooth pain (esp since the novocaine doesn't work worth a flip for me). I have to have lots of fillings replaced soon (no new ones, they are just getting old and starting to shift a little), and I'm really dreading it. My last experience was having wisdom teeth pulled, and I woke up (wide awake) in the middle to a nurse saying "pull harder so you get them out before she comes all the way up"). They did put me out for a while, but the novocaine wasn't working.

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CA,

Have you thought about oral sedation (conscious sedation)? I am a complete dental phobic myself and have had several crowns/root canals in the past few years, using the oral sedation pills each time. It costs (at my dentist, Dr. Teresa Robinson in Chapel Hill) ~$400 (not covered by insurance), but they can do several teeth in one appointment. For simple filling replacements she might be able to do more than several in one shot. Dr. Robinson still gives novocaine and nitrous during the sedation, but I've basically slept through all my procedures. Very tolerable! Of course you have to have someone drive you there and back, and you can't go to work at any time that day, but it's nice to have a day off now and then.

Not all dentists offer oral sedation -- it requires special training/certification, but it's starting to become more widely done. Thank goodness! I truly know how you feel! :(

Emily

Emily-

Thanks for the suggestion! I had wondered whether it would work, since that's supposed to be what I had with the wisdom teeth. However, that was an IV drug (and I metabolized it very quickly). Maybe this would work.

I'm glad to know there's someone else out there:)

CA

Thank you for reminding me to make a dental appoinment. Had some dental work, post Katrina, and didn't like the new dentist. Found out my old dentist has returned, so will make an appoinment with him (his home and office flooded).

Any suggestions on getting DH to go to the dentist?

He had a horrendous childhood experience too, has massive teeth problems and just will not go.

The last time he went (for some extractions, since he'd let them get beyond where the teeth could be saved) he had IV sedation. They gave him Vicodin for afterwards, I made sure he took one before he was fully conscious, and he didn't even finish the scrip so I believe him when he says the pain wasn't that bad. But that's been 7-8 years ago and he won't go back, not even to get bridges made.

It's bad now and it's going to be a lot worse. I realize it's his mouth and his health... and I can live with the mouth noises he makes when he eats... but he's got a history of diabetes and kidney trouble in his family which I know chronic infection can be really bad for that. It seems like I ought to be able to do something more to encourage him to go??? :(


myself, I've gotten four crowns in the last three years... four more to go, thanks to an orthodontist who followed the fads when I was a kid, ruined my bite and resulted in my crushing all my back teeth.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Any suggestions on getting DH to go to the dentist?

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Unfortunately, it's difficult with an adult since it's totally his choice. I found out a few years ago that my step-sister hadn't been to the dentist in years, so I nagged at her a bit, but ultimately it had to be her making that choice. (She did finally go.) Same with getting a DH to go to the doctor. I may be his spouse and partner, but I am not his keeper.

As much as I hate the dentist (see my post above), I go...I just make sure to get the conscious sedation whenever I have to have more than a cleaning done. My DH hates it too, but goes, fortunately.

Good luck, Oakleaf!

It's that time of year again... the reminder card is sitting on my desk. Let's just say, I'm SO happy Dr. B. came back and rebuilt! He tries to be gentle, uses prenumbing goo before the shot. I think the better dentists are fully aware of the dental fear factor and do their best to be gentle. Then there are the brutes... Maybe if the brutes sat in their own chairs, and then in a chair of a gentle dentist and had to choose? Or maybe for some folks, there's no hope?

my cousin DIED because of not taking care of his teeth. He was 60 years old and in very good health, out working on a roof on Friday and on Saturday morning, dead in bed. Infection from tooth invaded his heart and killed him. Rotten teeth are nothing to mess around with.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

Wait a minute. I just showed my age.

Are you old enough to remember getting candy at the dentist?

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I am only 27, almost 28 and got candy at the dentist as a kiddo. You aren't showing to be too old unless late 20's is old to you like my co-worker who flipped out about turning 25. :rolleyes:

I personally hate the dentist, I have too many uppity dentists. When I was in College Station I had the best dentist, went to one in Austin who claimed I needed $6k of dental work (much of it drilling out "ugly" silver fillings and fixing a root canal he didn't think was done right). I haven't been in two years. It is only 2 hours to College Station, I think I may just go back to that dentist.

Both of my parents have gum disease, so I take I go to the dentist regularly myself because I don't want to go through what they went through. That's especially true now that I know that gum disease can cause heart disease. Plus, I'm in year number two of braces, so I'm currently getting cleanings every four months, rather than six. It would make little sense to get my teeth straightened and my bite fixed but neglect the actual health of my teeth and gums.

Luckily, I found a dentist about 13 years ago who is very sensitive to sensitive patients. She sat me down on my first appointment and talked about my anxieties and embarrassment (I was quite embarrassed about my crooked teeth). Both she and her employees couldn't be any nicer.

I got over my fear of dentists by being very very upfront w/the dentist about my fear. That way, she knew to be gentle w/me. ;) I was so afraid of novocaine shots when I was a teenager/young adult, I used to have cavities filled with NO novocaine.

If you already have a good dentist, take him to that person. If not, ask around for recommendations. My current dentist is just wonderful.

I've had a good bit of work done -- one root canal, four crowns, and several inlays (removed old fillings). The only thing that freaked me out was the shot in the roof of my mouth when I had the root canal.

With enough novocaine, he won't feel a thing.

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Best of all---I didn't have to pay a cent. No copay. Nada.

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Just like what would happen in most developed countries!! Sorry for the cynicism: I just watched "Sicko."

Congrats! I am in the same boat as the rest of the procrastinators, but am getting my rear in gear after watching my friend Nic who just spent thousands and thousands for laser gum surgery, then a root canal, after diligently brushing and flossing and having "perfect" teeth for 10 years but no dental visits!

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Originally Posted by lunacycles

Just like what would happen in most developed countries!! Sorry for the cynicism: I just watched "Sicko."

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I am lucky to now have the option of getting decent dental insurance. This is a supplemental plan, on top of my regular BC/BS and another plan for vision coverage (I pay three premiums every two weeks for this and it's not cheap because I opt for the plans that are designated "high" coverage).

For years, the Fed'l Govt did not offer decent dental plans to its employees - if at all, so I ended up paying for several crowns, inlays, and a root canal out of pocket.

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

My problem is gums..

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Water-Pik has done wonders for me.

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Originally Posted by Zen

Water-Pik has done wonders for me.

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My dentist says the electric toothbrushes help with gum health too. DH is a hard brusher, and the dentist says they help because they turn off when he hits too hard...

And yeah - I'm still rather scared. I have to have one of my fillings replaced at my next check up in March, and I'm already having nightmares about it:(

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Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

like my co-worker who flipped out about turning 25. :rolleyes:

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well y'know, I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with 50 next year, but so far, 25 has been my toughest birthday. "A third of my life is over and what have I accomplished?" Thirty and 40 were a breeze, but I think I cried for days over 25.


....ok, way off topic :rolleyes:

I don't mind visiting the dentist.

I do mind being 36 :eek:though..AHGHGGHGHG..Ian's going to be 40 next year :eek:

I'm old :(

CC, you're not old. Not by a long shot. I'm 34 so I'm not that far behind you and I feel like I'm getting younger on the inside.:D I was too serious and jaded in my earlier years. Dh is 40 and has the spirit of a 12 y.o. and the curiosity of a 6 y.o.:rolleyes::D:cool:

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

I'm old :(

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Just wait til you get your first white pubic hair. :D:p:o

god, I hate anything with the word "dent". It's been a money-pit for me. From 8 veneers to wisdom teeth to implants and crowns. Oh, and the beginning stages of periodontal disease where the dentist wants me to come in every 4 months for cleaning instead of 6.

I figured perio was easy to deal with, so I researched, and found that CoQ10 is very good for gum disease. I've been taking it for the past 3 months, and my gums don't bleed anymore when I floss or brush. I have an appointment in January, so I'll see what the dentist says.

I had extensive staining from being given tetracycline as a youngster, so the veneers were a must. I also had very small teeth. I paid $10K for the veneers but they were SOOOO worth it. I can smile now with my teeth showing, whereas before I smiled with my lips shut.