I'm a wuss...

[OakLeaf]

I love my dentist. He does really good work, I barely feel a thing, and on the rare occasion that I ask for another shot or a break, he responds immediately. He always gives me a topical before the shot, although I don't strictly need that.

Crowns don't do anything for my appearance though, since I brux too much to get porcelain ones (the whole reason my "real" teeth are crumbling). More gold in my grin every year or two.

DH had some bad childhood experiences and won't go near the dentist, and his teeth are terrible. He had to have a couple of extractions several years ago and never went back for a bridge or implants (even though the extractions went really well, he was able to find a dentist who would sedate him and I made sure he started taking the pain pills before either the sedation or the local wore off. But like anything, one bad childhood experience has a whole lot more effect on the psyche than any number of good adult experiences.

Glad you made it through.

[indysteel]

I used to hate going to the dentist, but now it doesn't bother me in the least thanks to a very kind dentist and her staff. My parents have horrible teeth (peridontal disease), so I made a commitment to try to take care of mine. I've also had braces since October of 2007. I had some extractions in September and since then--in an effort to get them off as soon as possible--I see my orthodontist every two weeks. So, I'm used to regular pain and discomfort at this point. Since getting the braces, I see my dentist every four months just to get a good cleaning. I love everyone in the office so much that I look forward to it. Weird, huh?

[badger]

Crowns don't do anything for my appearance though, since I brux too much to get porcelain ones (the whole reason my "real" teeth are crumbling). More gold in my grin every year or two.

I have 12 porcelain veneers on my top teeth, and I'm a MAJOR grinder, as in "I've never seen anyone grind so hard" (dentist). I have a special "balanced" grinding guard that was made by a bite specialist that supposedly puts the jaw in such a position that while I still clench, it doesn't stress the teeth or the muscles as much as the regular guards.

It was a stipulation by my dentist that he wasn't going to do the veneers if I didn't get a guard because otherwise I'll crack them (I did crack one, and that's why I had to get the "balanced" guard, which set me back $1000...)

[Blue_Fedora]

I have 12 porcelain veneers on my top teeth, and I'm a MAJOR grinder, as in "I've never seen anyone grind so hard" (dentist). I have a special "balanced" grinding guard that was made by a bite specialist that supposedly puts the jaw in such a position that while I still clench, it doesn't stress the teeth or the muscles as much as the regular guards.

It was a stipulation by my dentist that he wasn't going to do the veneers if I didn't get a guard because otherwise I'll crack them (I did crack one, and that's why I had to get the "balanced" guard, which set me back $1000...)

Badger, based on my experience the price of your balanced guard was about the same as if you had to have one of those nice veneers replaced! Not a bad deal. Better $1k on the guard than $12k to replace all the veneers And for the record, if the dentist says he's never seen anyone grind so hard then you, my dear, are one heckuva grinder =)

[badger]

yeah, you have to put things into perspective, but then you look at this small piece of plastic that looks just like all the other guards I've had before and wonder what makes it so much more expensive.

At first my boyfriend thought I was chattering my teeth incredibly fast while I was sleeping. It turns out that sound is the teeth rubbing against the guard making a "chattering" sound! I actually cracked my last one in two places.

[Miranda]

yep... a multiple thousands of $$$ s mouth here...

drugs and a driver...

two things that can help a lot