Every Tuesday I work as a dental hygienist at a practice it took me six years to find.
I’m shocked it wasn’t longer.
I’m extraordinarily selective what dental practices I’ll work in. I’ve treated patients in HMO practices that allowed me twenty minutes of treatment time – that included any radiographs taken, the scaling or cleaning, talking with the patient about proper dental home care, and the examination from the dentist. I always ran behind schedule – one dentist constantly ran 45 minutes behind schedule.
I was let go for speaking up about why HMO dentists can run 45 minutes behind schedule but dental hygienists are not allowed to.
“That’s just life in a dental practice, Eva.”
I’ve worked in “corporate dentistry”: a practice that employed a huge pile of dentists, dental specialists, assistants, and hygienists. The practice was open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm. I had a whopping forty minutes of treatment time with my patients. One afternoon, the dentist/CEO of the business had a “pep talk meeting” with every member of the staff explaining the reason he did not want to treat Medicaid patients:
“They don’t bring in enough production. We don’t want those losers in our practice.”
The “losers” that this dentist spoke of were financially struggling patients on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum and had challenges simply feeding their families, let alone paying for exorbitant dental treatment.
I quit a few days later. I never stepped foot into a “corporate dental” setting again.
The industry, as well as dental science, has come a long way. (Thank the gods. Protective gloves were mandated in 1981 – only 33 years ago. Scary.) It’s not easy trying to find the right dental practice that isn’t constantly stressful, truly cares for patients, not full of negative attitudes by staff hurled at each other or towards patients (you read that correctly), or so unethical they make me want to perpetually hork on myself for thinking of working for them ever again.
Why did I keep looking for the right home? Oh, yes, my lovely patients. Practicing clinical dental hygiene is a mentally tough and physically demanding field, but one I’m proud to be a part of.
The practice I now work in a couple of days a week is wonderful. I’ll die peacefully here; the staff will have to pry my corpse, with my dumb-looking, content grin, off of the comfortable operatory chair I adore. Until that day comes, they’re stuck with the strange, geeky woman that wants to bring in microscopes for each hygiene operatory so dental patients can look at the jacked-up oral flora that’s causing their gingivitis.
Come. Let me show you the bacteria that are causing your gums to bleed. Look! Sshh — there’s some now… squeeeee!
Our team consists of me, two other hygienists, our office manager, two dental assistants, and a dentist. We’re a cohesive unit and work very well together — provided there are no voids in our twelve-hour schedule – especially my schedule. I need to be busy all of the time and there’s no time to be bored.
I feel confident my nearly nine years as a dental hygienist has earned me the title of highly skilled. I like both that feeling AND giving myself titles, so I always need more teeth to clean.
*
One male patient I treated a long time ago in a practice I was temping at apparently had a THING for dentistry so intense that he licked my gloved fingers as I was palpating his intra-oral lymph nodes. That is not an embellishment or overreaction. This man’s tongue was wrapping around my gloved fingers as plain as day.
Some people like the feel of nitrile against their tongues and yes… that did screw with my head. Shudder.
The worst part of that experience was when I explained to the treating dentist what this patient had done, the dentist replied, “Yeah. He’s done that before. He’s weird but he pays out-of-pocket. I’m not dismissing him from the practice.”
That’s another dentist office I did not work for again.
*
For the most part, I like treating as many patients as possible. I prefer to be as busy as possible. The more mouths I plunge into head-first, the more I learn about patients’ reasons for not flossing, why some canker sores are more recurrent than others, and what possessed little Janey to remove her braces with pliers, a screwdriver, and her fingers (true story.)
I have the best Super-Sonic-Patient-Filled-Twelve-Hour-Tuesday schedule today. They range from simple, adult prophylaxes or cleanings to scaling and root planing therapies to removing subgingival (below the gums) calculus and endotoxins from the teeth roots of my HIV patients to exposing radiographs on emergency patients that present with a fistula (a soft bubble of exudate, indicating active infection at the root apex or failed/previous root canal treatment) to reevaluating a patient that presents with a recurrent, ulcerated lesion on the ventrolateral border of the tongue that is symptomatic, wakes the patient up during the night from the painful lesion, and will not heal.
The last example is…not good. That type of finding may indicate oral squamous cell carcinoma. I hope I never, ever see that in a mouth more than once in my hygiene lifetime. That worries me greatly but it’s uncommon I see malignant lesions of that sort – which is a great thing.
*
As a Registered Dental Hygienist, I cannot perform any kind of operative/restorative work, or crowns and fillings, in the state I’m licensed and practice in. That’s the job of dentists.
My dental powers are ensuring the foundation of mouths — the teeth, gums, and supporting alveolar bone — is kept healthy by disrupting and controlling the colonized plaque biofilms that cause gum disease and cavities.
How do I disrupt plaque biofilms? With the most badass, dental hygiene equipment I’m getting by UPS today, that’s how.
Formation of plaque biofilms – don’t get me wrong. They’re jerks but this process is totally interesting.
*
Today I received some brand-new, shiny, dental hygiene instruments. They are sleek and gorgeous. Their smooth metal and aluminum surfaces seem to sparkle when the sun hits them just right. The power behind their modern technology makes me blush. They could call me “toots” and I wouldn’t mind.
The feeling I get when I see new hygiene instruments is like…I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like receiving very expensive, razor sharp, pointy, water-squirty toys that I get to have fun with while having to act intensely professionally (i.e. without giggling like a dumbass.)
On the surface, my patients see nothing other than the highly-skilled clinician: not overly talkative, quite pleasant, gentle, and guiding them calmly and with care during the length of their hour-long appointment.
Inside my head, however, I’m saying, “Hey-hey! How YOU doin’, Mr. Scaler? You’re looking mighty sharp today, you are. I love you cuz you are my new toy… whee!”
There’s nothing normal about this, I’m aware, but to hold brand-new tools of my trade that will disturb microbial colonies of adverse oral bacteria is a rare delight; most dentists don’t want to pay for new dental hygiene instruments. They’re expensive, so today is a unique day.
My patient notices my sloppy grin as I ease my new ultrasonic scaler into his mouth.
He’s not completely calm. He clasps his hands together and prays before I began treatment. I won’t stop him. If that’s what makes himself feel safe and comfortable he may do that before the start of all of our treatment sessions. It’s crucial he’s as relaxed as he can be.
“Are you OK?” I ask.
I’ve only seen this patient once – years ago. I don’t know this patient well. It’s been a long time since his last prophylaxis so I quickly come to terms with the idea that he’s built up mountains of tartar. The poor man looks very nervous – like he’s going to have a full-on freakout from the new, scary-looking technology coming towards him.
I hope he’s OK. His teeth are going to feel so awesome when I’m finished. He’s in good hands. I hope he feels he can trust me at the end of the treatment. He needs to come back for subsequent re-evaluation visits so I can see if his gum tissue is healing properly.
That’s everything – trust. I don’t know why he’s been away from the practice for so long, but for some reason, his home care went completely downhill. There’s a heavy, generalized amount of plaque and tartar on his teeth. I wonder what happened to his home care compliance. Financial troubles? Depression? There are no changes in his medical history whatsoever. I don’t know.
“Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Is that thing in your hand new?” he asks with a cute, half-smile on his face.
He’s referring to my ultrasonic scaler. New toy, dude!
H20 and vibration are released from the tip to remove calculus and disrupt plaque
It’s the biggest dental toy in my playpen but it’s also vital for plaque biofilm disruption and breaking off the tartar away from enamel and the root surfaces of teeth. It delivers water and high-frequency, ultrasonic tip vibration that creates cavitation, or agitation bubbles, in the water released by the device. When the bubbles break down, energy is released. When that energy hits a surface – the surface of the bacterial cells that cause gum disease — kablamo.
My dental toy just obliterated this fellow’s plaque bacteria in seconds.
This baby is also capable of removing tenacious, supra/subgingival (above/below gumline) calculus that has been stuck to enamel and roots of teeth for decades. I’ve denied it for years but truth be told – I’m a dental nerd when I watch ledges of ten-year-old tartar break away from teeth from the use of this device. It’s so cool… and so efficient!
After I use my ultrasonic scaler, I continue the calculus-removal process but with conventional hygiene instrument scalers that smooth out the enamel and roots of the patient’s teeth.
It’s imperative these scalers of various sizes, shapes, and density are incredibly sharp. The sharper the dental scaler, the less pressure I’ll have to place against the patient’s teeth; they’ll do most of the work for me without making the patient feel like I’m going to press their teeth down their throat.
His gingival tissue is bleeding a lot. I had a feeling it would. He’s going to be sore after this treatment. I hope he starts flossing again. I won’t ask him why he’s been away for so long but I can’t help wondering why he’s been away for so long. I’m just so pleased he’s here now and his gums can begin the healing process. I need him to floss morning, noon and night until his gum tissue starts shrinking and healing around the necks of his teeth.
I don’t know if he’s the kind of man that would get twitchy or embarrassed talking about any kind of ‘tissue shrinkage’. Some men should be made aware that shrinkage, in this case, is a good thing, but some men are easily offended and don’t take any kind of shrinkage anything to be a positive trait.
Calculus or tartar on root surfaces. Now you see why we tell you to floss? It’s because we love you.
As soon as the calculus is released from the tooth, I ask the patient what he feels.
“I feel… oh, wow… I feel spaces between my teeth. That feels strange… but good.”
This is the first time in a long while that he has felt his natural teeth not encased by dental calculus.
His eyes widen. The patient has a look like, “Wait… is this normal?” I let him just feel what teeth are supposed to feel like.
“Are you alright?” I ask.
“Yeah… it’s just weird. I feel like I’ve lost five pounds from my mouth.”
We both laugh. In a sense, he’s correct. His calculus is thick, tenacious, and dense — possibly indicating it’s been there for a very long time. How long is unclear but the dark brown color of his calculus suggests more than five years.
*
To be honest, and I can say this definitively, the adverse oral bacteria that cause these communicable diseases are a bunch of opportunistic jerks. Oh, yes. Plaque is transmittable, contagious. But what’s worse, these (gram-positive/primarily aerobic) microorganisms, such as Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis (gram-negative/primarily anaerobic), can be controlled and kept to a minimum, by us, every day, with electric toothbrush and floss use.
More work. I know. Tough love, my lovely patients. It’s good for you.
I’m not going to candy-coat this (bad pun, sorry); these bugs are prolific, little crappers that force us to work daily to diminish their colonization numbers so they don’t eat away at the bone that supports our teeth.
Loss of alveolar bone support means teeth mobility. Increased teeth mobility results in loss of teeth.
As I approach my ninth year of practicing clinical dental hygiene, I convince myself I have seen some of the worst cases of refractory periodontal/gum disease, rampant childhood caries, or some of the least aesthetically-pleasing and dangerous, restoratively-made dental work this side of the galaxy.
All of those concerns disintegrate, as if they never existed, when I see a new patient today, a seventy-five-year-old man that has not visited a dental practice in almost two decades and presents with the following:
Type IV Advanced Periodontitis with more than 30% Class III tooth mobility and bone loss; life-long smoker and alcohol drinker; diagnosed with Type II diabetes less than six months ago, undiagnosed hypertension with blood pressure reading at time of appointment of 188/99, his breathing is laboring even when he’s been resting in my operatory chair for twenty minutes while his legs and ankles exhibit swollen and edema-like signs, possibly indicating undiagnosed Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Apart from all of his oral and physical manifestations he wrote down on his medical history form that may be killing him…he’s lonely.
He talks to me about the recent death of his wife of thirty years who he misses smoking cigarettes with, how his adult kids don’t visit him anymore, and that he only watches FOX News, all day, by himself, until he goes to bed.
He tells me the only reason he came to the practice is his next door neighbor telling him his “breath smells bad.”
I find I interrupt his casual talk frequently, though in as friendly a manner as possible, as I attempt to take full-mouth radiographs of his teeth and alveolar bone.
*
Some of the worst dental-neglect cases I’ve seen were my first year out of school at an HMO practice. There was so much calculus on a particular patient’s mouth’s upper right quadrant that I had no idea how to approach breaking down the tartar mass that covered up nearly all three of the molars in question.
(This visual is important: try to imagine three of your teeth completely encased in calcified, dark brown and black, cauliflower.)
*
Back to present day: the worn, lonely, but friendly patient in front of me that idolizes Bill O’Reilly has dental calculus that encases almost every tooth in his mouth, sans his top two front teeth.
This is now the worst case I’ve ever seen.
I hold a mirror up to his mouth to show him the calculus that has been building and building up over the years. Upon inspection, he states, “Ohhh…that’s not supposed to be there?”
My patient doesn’t even realize there is anything wrong. All he does is smile and laugh.
I have so many concerns about this new patient I honestly don’t know which to address first. He recently had his left knee replaced with a prosthetic so he’ll need to be premedicated with an antibiotic prior to any scaling/root planing therapy he must have. I need to contact his general physician to find out when his last physical took place, double-check if he has any medication allergies, when or will this patient be prescribed medication for his hypertension, blood tests to determine if there is liver damage due to chronic alcohol intake, how did the patient travel to the office: if he opts for sedation, who will pick him up and take him home?
And my concerns go on…
The dentist says we can’t start any treatment on him today due to my list of concerns and the doctor’s agreement. We’ll have to wait.
In the meantime, my new patient and I talk. We talk about how long he’s been a smoker, if he has any hobbies, his grandkids he rarely sees, and his favorite television shows.
As serious as this patient’s oral condition is, I couldn’t help but feel happy with him. It was strange.
Even with his teeth completely covered in plaque and tartar, along with the rest of his body decaying away, I feel he is simply pleased and tickled pink that someone, anyone, is validating his presence; giving him attention — feeling a connection with someone.
I don’t think he gives a damn about his teeth. I think he just wanted someone to talk to.
My hope is to continue treating this man for the rest of his days. I don’t know how long that will be but that thought makes me happy. I want to help him.
I’ll also need time to convince him flossing is good and Bill O’Reilly is a demon.
Tags: dentistry, eva watson, health, teeth, work, you should probably floss
I didn’t go to the dentist for seven years, and I went a couple of weeks ago and they did the ultrasonic cleaning and it was totally amazing. I looked like I had gone and gotten my teeth whitened. A++++ will go again in six months.
I haven’t been since I got my wisdom teeth out, mumblemumble years ago. The longer I wait, the more stressed I get about getting lectured. I think I should find an office where they do not lecture me. (Also I just really want that so fresh so clean clean feeling that you describe above.)
Thank you for letting me know that it probably will not be awful?
I did this. I didn’t have dental insurance or a steady paycheck so I just… didn’t go. When I eventually did get benefits and find someone through a recommendation, I told her how long it had been and she just said “well you’re here now!” and that was it. My dentist is a goddamn TOOTH NERD and I love her.
I HAVE NO EXCUSE, I have insurance and a steady paycheck and I just have no excuse. *shame*
No shame! It’s not like I ran right out and got my teeth cleaned as soon I passed the background check, it was years before I worked up the nerve. But it was fine, no lectures at all just “we’re glad you came”.
Gooooo, I did the same thing as you and they were great. Not a negative word.
I need this. My lecture expectations are super built in by how I went to the same dental practice for 20+ years as a kid on my parents insurance so they were experts at guilt tripping. Probably a new practice wouldn’t have that level of power. Also if they bothered me I could just never return.
I didn’t go to the dentist for multiple years once, and the people at my new dentist’s also were not judgy at all. And I had even screwed up some of my teeth with my non-dentist-going. So you can add that to your anecdata.
I do go to a fancy-pants dentist with TVs on the ceiling and a fountain-y thing in the waiting room. I don’t know if that made any difference. I only picked it because it was conveniently located and had a good website, and I mostly stay because I like the people. It’s a little more expensive than a non-fancy-pants dentist, but my insurance still covers most of it, and they reduced my cleaning schedule to every nine months because it’s what my insurance covers, even though I didn’t ask about that.
Yeah, my dentist’s basic response was “you’re here now!” and also I was relieved because while I needed a deep cleaning, the worst-case scenario I had built up in my head (needing all my teeth pulled) was not the case. I didn’t even have any new cavities (I did need some replacement fillings). And when she saw that I was crying a little, the dentist literally wiped the tears off my face herself.
I think a lot of dentists really get that people have had unpleasant dental experiences, are afraid of the dentist and that if they get lectured or shamed at the dentist they are unlikely to come back.
I got lucky and had a friend who also works at my office recommend her dentist to me, and now I will recommend her practice to anyone in the DC area. So ask around, someone has a dentist that they like!
I was so relieved when my first dental team* — hygienist, dentist, dental assistant — after a long absence didn’t scold me. But it now occurs to me that I was approaching that with a child’s fears. I am an adult who made a choice based on financial necessity, and if they had lectured me, I could have shut it down with a polite “I understand this wasn’t good. I’m here now.”
*They didn’t scold me and they took such good care of me, even with my dental panic, that I still go to them ten years later and recommend them constantly. My hygienist in particular has been so great: a few years back, I asked her to teach me the basics of home care as if I were a child — because I was not properly taught when I was a child, and she did it with patience, kindness, and clarity. She’s the greatest.
I was SO NERVOUS about going to the dentist that I didn’t go for 5-6 years. When I finally went the dentist was SO FRIENDLY and SO NICE and immediately put me at ease even though they had to do a bunch of below-the-gumline scraping.
I moved away from him and I’m kind of sad about it.
So yeah, another nice dentist story for the pile.
My dentist does volunteer work once a year in foreign countries where she offers free dental cleanings for adults who have never been to the dentist. I’ve discovered that about two weeks after she returns is the best time to visit her because she is intensely complimentary of my teeth and less likely to recommend scary procedures.
YESSSS. I hadn’t gone for nearly ten (10!?!?) years because I dreaded the inevitable dressing down and shaming from from the hygienist, and I didn’t have dental insurance. But my work, for one blessed year, finally got us dental, and I went to a new dentist who was covered by my shiny new insurance, and they were so nice and non-shaming! It took two cleanings and five fillings and OMG never again am I waiting that long between visits. Clean teeth are awesome.
Dental horror stories are the best.
Since I learned the phrase “do you you offer dental sedation?” my life has been a lot better. An hour before your appointment: one Halcion. When you arrive: one Halcion.
I hear you, Nicole. It does help patients greatly. I truly believe cannabis oils would be a healthier alternative but… oh, crap. Is that not cool to type here?
My God, why haven’t I heard of this? Dental nirvana at last!
This made me appreciate my dental hygienist even more (Thanks Fran!) and also my parents for instilling in me the habit of twice yearly dentist visits.
Oh man, I absolutely adore my dental hygienist, even though I need to floss more maybe every night, and she’s the greatest, and she and my dentist give me printouts of whatever gross holes my terrible attitude has resulted in lately.
Dental hygienists! A+.
I need this ultrasonic cleaning!!!
I told my hygienist, “it’s a day at the spa for my teeth,” last time I went. Which isn’t nearly often enough. It does cost a lot. I know, I know. Not in the long term.
I love your passion for teeth and mouth health. Now to find someone like you in my new city.
That’s so nice of you to say. Thank you. 🙂
Little Janey sounds like my kind of girl!
This post reminded me that I haven’t been to the dentist in about 4 years. Yes, yes, I know. I really should. But then my lizardbrain says, “You want to take time off work in order to pay a complete stranger to poke sharp metal objects into your mouth?” One day I will overcome the lizardbrain.
And maybe even start flossing.
OH MAN, flossing works wonders. I finally tricked myself into doing it every day by turning it into an accomplishment: I get to check it off as a task completed every day and my brain gives me a little ping of satisfaction.
A+, best essay I’ve read in a while. Tempted to forward it to my husband who avoided the dentist for FIVE YEARS, and is in the process of getting multiple root canals (MULTIPLE) and one tooth extraction. Dentistry is so fascinating!
SECONDED.
So do you think it’s a bad thing that my dentist doesn’t have a hygienist or assistant working with him? It’s just him and the receptionist. I’m in and out within half an hour. I’ve always had my concerns about this set up and reading this has only added to them…
I can say, for myself only, I cannot do adult scalings in 30 minutes. If I didn’t want to be thorough, on the other hand, then I could most definitely do them in half an hour.
Thanks, I think it’s time to go with my gut and find a new dentist!
YES THIS IS A PROBLEM.
I defend dentists. The shit they can get up to is whack. Seriously, check your jurisdiction’s discipline reports before going to a dentist. I’m happy to defend complaints about dental work and billing fraud, but I don’t defend the molesters. And there are, unfortunately, lots of them. More than you would imagine. I like my dentist, but I also like the hygienist and the CDA and the other dentist around in his office, and the fact that there aren’t any doors. Makes me feel better when going under sedation.
oh wow I’m concerned about the thoroughness of his work not his behavior. Not that I doubt what you saying – this world is full of the worst. But all my gut is saying about my dentist is that my teeth could be getting cleaner.
My uncle’s a dentist. His practice is just him and his assistant/receptionist. He does all the cleanings himself. A cleaning can be completed in 30 minutes if there’s nothing wrong, a little longer if it’s time for an x-ray; at other dentists’ offices, where the hygienist does the cleaning, I feel like most of the visit is spent waiting for the dentist to come check your teeth once the hygienist is done. Believe me, he’s incredibly thorough and would never do a bad job on his family members (I’ve had other dentists since moving and they all say my dental care is perfect, never a problem), and I’m definitely done in 30 minutes or less.
Little Janey, noooooo! I puckered my lips around my teeth like someone was coming after me with pliers.
Anyway, I loved this, especially the discussion of Medicaid and sleazy offices. My friend is a dentist and has told me some stories of sketchy practices, and I just had no idea – I naively thought the dentist was the dentist. One practice she worked for (very briefly!) was straight-up scamming Medicaid.
This was great, I love seeing people dork out about their jobs. I also just want to put in a plug for good eating habits, which saved my teeth even when my dental hygiene wasn’t so great. I’m always surprised that the dentists don’t emphasize this now the way they did when we were kids.
Good eating habits like not sucking on a honey drop during the late-afternoon hunger period at work?
Now I just want to feed you. Eat, dahhhhling, eat!
It’s my own fault, I did not cut an adequately-sized piece of uber-quiche* for lunch. I will remedy this situation when I get home. ALL THE QUICHE, etc.
*Homemade crust, with bacon pieces, fresh sweet corn sauteed in bacon fat, caramelized onions, give it to me nowwwwww.
holy crap, do want
I feel like I should let you know that I made a beast of a dinner and will pack extra quiche for lunch tomorrow. <3
<mom voice>
Don’t forget to eat your greens!
</mom voice>
At my old job, I used to have to write abstracts for the articles in “Communicator,” the newsletter of the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration (AADPA) and the pictures in that thing were FASCINADISGUSTING. People’s mouths are gross; bless you for being so enthusiastic about cleaning them.
It was either feet or teeth. Feet gross me out. Bleh.
I hate flossing so much, but I do it, because I hate fillings more. (Filling free for 2 years now! :D)
This is exactly what started getting me flossing too. Once I had to spend some money and time and pain on my mouth, I became pretty invested in making sure I wouldn’t have to do so again. 😀
“He talks to me about the recent death of his wife of thirty years who he misses smoking cigarettes with, how his adult kids don’t visit him anymore, and that he only watches FOX News, all day, by himself, until he goes to bed.” Oh ouch that’s my grandpa except we visit him a lot and he is not talkative at all.
I really need to visit a dentist but also need to get a job with dental insurance… I might break down and just pay for a cleaning though. Would I be able to negotiate price at all?
I’ve never known dental practices to negotiate their treatment costs. However, if you let them know you’re without insurance at this time, perhaps they would be kind enough to put you on a fair payment plan. Couldn’t hurt to ask on the phone before making the appointment.
That’s what we did for my husband. And it is now entirely paid off! *happy dance*
My dentist was useless on the payment plan front, but they did hold off on charging me for a chunk of the work until the new year (most of it was done in Oct/Nov), so my benefit maximum would roll over and I could set up an FSA to cover the balance. My mom’s dentist knows she doesn’t have dental insurance and so gives her a discount for paying cash up front. A good dental practice wants to keep their patients and will work with them to come up with a solution.
Exactly. Well said.
Is there a dental college in your neck of the woods? They may offer cheap dental services as part of student training (the students are supervised, obviously).
So, I have insurance, but when I finally went back to the dentist, I needed some deep cleaning that my insurance did not fully cover and that I could not afford all at once. They let me do one quarter of my mouth at a time, so that each payment was smaller. It meant more trips, but they understood that it’s a big chunk of change out of pocket. I imagine lots of places will be willing to negotiate payment plans or things like that. Also, depending on where you live and what your income level is, you may be able to find low-cost dental clinics in your area (e.g. the low income clinic I used to go to also had a dental practice attached).
I just got my teeth cleaned recently and actually found a Groupon-type deal for it. Obviously some of the places that offer these types of things are going to be a little shady, but if you do your research you can probably find someone legit. My experience was actually pretty great–if I had dental insurance, I would definitely stick with the place I went to.
I love my dental hygienist! She doesn’t have any fancy equipment (OMG any time we can get rid of the sound of metal scraping teeth is fine with me!) but we talk about knitting and medieval manuscripts and other weird stuff. The dentist has to come in to tell us to shut up. He is a man. He is…adequate. She is the only thing keeping me at that place.
Also, I feel this is important to say here, I threw up on my male dentist when I was 5. Just…all over. It was glorious.
I was thrown up on by a pediatric patient. Then his throw up made me throw up. But I didn’t throw up on him. That would have been pretty funny if I did.
That sound is so hard to take.
HEADPHONES! They are a lifesaver.
I have had to spend lots of time at the dentist (and will have to spend a lot more, because I have inherited terrible teeth) and good hygenists make the whole experience so much easier. Thank you for being gentle with my terrified self while pointy things are happening in my gross mouth.
(Wearing earbuds in the chair, when possible, also makes things easier. Especially when there are major excavations occurring. ugh ugh ugh ugh)
ETA: Oh, oh! This may be obvious, but it took me an embarrassingly long time to think of it; Flex Spending Accounts are great for setting aside money for major future medical expenses. So if you, say, know that next year at some point you will need a dental implant, or a crown, or a root canal, or even just an appointment with probably a lot of fillings, you can salt away some cash from your paycheck tax-free. Next year I’m saving up for braces! ::full-body shudder::
YES. FSAs are wonderful for dental treatment. Most dental insurance companies will not cover adult orthodontics. Totally do the braces.
I socked some away in there for my dental implant this year (first of three); braces are up next. I would complain more about braces not being covered, but my excellent work-based insurance covered half my first implant, so I’m counting my blessings.
I find going to the dentist very relaxing.
/things I did not expect to share in the proper context today
Me too. So weird. I fall asleep all the time.
ETA: I don’t find cleanings relaxing AT ALL though. And I really dislike my hygienist. She is always upselling me. The latest is Invisalign.
That is a real thing (the upselling)? I must have outrageous luck with dentists not to have run into it.
My dentist was ALWAYS trying to sell me on their whitening procedure, didn’t matter how many times I said I’m not interested. But then I started using a different guy at the same office and he hasn’t brought it up once.
I used to, too. I think it was because my mom is a hygienist and so going to the office and looking at the tools and all that was NBD for me.
But now I haven’t been to the dentist in at least five years and I am a horrible person and everything is awful and probably global thermonuclear war will result because of how awful I am for not having gone to the dentist.
Maybe this post is what will get me back in.
This was an interesting read! I haven’t been to the dentist in a year because I changed insurance and don’t know how to pick a new one. Do you have an advice for finding good practices for a layperson? I am a particularly skittish layperson because I grew up without insurance which led to my mom inadvertently teaching me that doctors and dentists were necessary evils who always try to steal your money.
That’s tough. There are lots of great dental practices and lots of shitty ones as well. If you have these assessments done by a hygienist first, before any treatment begins, it’s a decent practice:
*extra/intra oral examination (looking for signs of lumps or bumps outside/inside of mouth and neck
*periodontal probings (measuring/writing down numbers in your chart)
*bleeding on probing numbers(this indicates gingivitis or gum disease)
*mobility (if your teeth are moving)
*gum recession measurements (numbers written down in your chart)
*giving you a mirror to show you what’s going on in your mouth
*if the practice has an intraoral camera, even better. Cool stuff because you can see on a monitor what’s happening in your mouth
Hope this helps.
Assuming your insurance is through work, ask your coworkers or HR who they recommend.
Raise your hand if you just made an appointment for a dental cleaning for the first time in 5 years because of this article.
GONNA DO IT
omg they’re fitting me in TOMORROW. Fingers crossed no flossing judgement!
I don’t floss everyday. However, my rule for my own teeth is I don’t let two days go by without flossing. They feel like a sweater if I don’t. Does it always work? Most of the time. But don’t worry too much if this practice scolds you for lack of flossing. You have an appointment and that’s the important thing. You’re awesome.
They were amazing and I told them all about your article and they’re all excited to read it after work!
My teeth feel baller. Thanks, Eva, for the push to make it happen!
That’s so cool! I’m so, so glad you made that step. You conquered and totally made it happen. YOU did all of that. YOU made it happen.
Sounds like a Mariah Carey song but who cares!?
Also, I love that your teeth feel baller! Yes, I’m totally going to use that.
I could not read the whole thing without feeling vaguely panic-y. Also I need to go brush my teeth now. But I have to respect dental hygienists, that is a hard and thankless job. But I did not know until this year that dental dams were actual FOR dental work (I had to get a filling replaced and my mouth is apparently “juicy” so instead of using the dreaded vacuum, the dentist just busted out the dental dam).
THAT MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE. IT’S A DAM. IT’S HOLDING BACK THE SALIVAFALL.
I told my boyfriend about it and he was like “what did you think dental dams were for?” I thought they were for oral sex! I didn’t realize that they were pervertibles, I thought they had been designed for sexytimes.
PERVERTIBLES
Dental dams are awesome. I used one to make arts and crafts dolls for my daughter once. So cool.
Eva, I’m sure I speak for most of us here when I say that I love you and please stay here forever.
Well, thank you. I’ll stay here forever and ever. Provided Nicole and Mallory don’t kick me to the curb.
I’ve never seen a dental dam outside of a dentist’s office, but I have definitely thought “you’re supposed to have SEX through these? Eeeuh”.
I have not been to a dentist in a large number of years, but upon finishing this article I immediately got up, went to the work restroom, and brushed my teeth. So, there’s that.
Any hints or tips for finding a non-scammy, decent dentistry practice?
Ask a friend/coworker if they like their dental practice and perhaps they can refer you there. Word of mouth referrals are usually the best referrals.
I laughed way harder than I should have at “word of mouth,” considering I should have seen that pun a mile away.
This post reminded me that I STILL have a recurring dream in which I remove my own braces with pliers. I haven’t had braces since 1997. (My only other recurring nightmares involve my teeth crumbling in my mouth, so basically teeth are a whole subconscious horrorshow.)
I recently went to the dentist for the first time in at least three years because of tooth pain, which a) IS THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD and b) resulted in an emergency root canal, a crown, and an onlay, which cost THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS out of pocket, even with my (not fabulous) dental coverage. Now I cling to my dentist/hygienist like a barnacle and will return twice a year for cleanings even if I have to pay out of pocket, lest I have to go through that ever again.
Also, I really, really need to stop being a child about flossing. How do actual grownups just…do it, every day? I’m at a loss.
I’m not entirely sure how I started flossing every day. I did rearrange my bathroom storage so I couldn’t get my toothbrush out without moving my dental floss, but I’ve done things like that before, and up until the last time it never worked.
I’ve seen various things recommending people commit to flossing one tooth each day. The idea is that this is easy and quick and not very painful, and that you can work your way up to flossing all your teeth. So I guess you could try that?
It’s so fricking hard to floss every day when you’ve never flossed much to begin with. I don’t tell patients to floss every day. Build up to it.
Start with two days per week. Do that for a few weeks. Then add another day and do that for a month or so. Build up slowly. Nothing wrong with that at all. Flossing once a week is better than zero, ya know?
Routine. Brush, floss, waterpik, fluoride rinse. Boom boom boom, you’re done. The hardest part is making it a natural routine.
Experiment a bit. I found dental tape is ideal for me. I love it, it changed my flossing life. My husband swears by unwaxed floss, which I can’t use at all.
For the minute fluoride rinse, I time it on my mp3 player while listening to music. I make a game of it: which song do I feel like? What dance rhythm with a good beat?
You are awesome.
Our hygienist, Ashley, is awesome! She’s the one who basically got my husband from twenty years of calculus buildup, gingivitis, and severe dental phobia, to a guy who is the Dental Health Poster Boy.
I’m probably not the only person here who has some degree of sensory dysfunction, which can be triggered pretty hard by loud noises and bright lights (among other things). Two tips: a) Bring your headphones and favorite music. It helps amazingly in distracting me from the harsh sounds, and I’ve never had any dental practitioner object. Some have told me that they wish more clients would bring their own music. b) Dark glasses are okay! My husband made some off-hand comment about the dark glasses Ashley gave him during his cleaning, and I flipped. “What? They do this? This is a thing?!” This is indeed a thing, at least at our dental clinic, and I’ve made a point to request dark glasses ever since. It makes a HUGE difference in mental stress and wear and tear on the eyes.
Good dental practitioners really do want to make it as easy as possible for their clients. Thank you Eva! Thank you Ashley! It’s just that they’re human and don’t always know what we need, so it’s good if we can work together and find the best solution.
It’s definitely a team effort. And you are most welcome, Teka Lynn. 🙂
One thing that /really/ helped me was buying the little pre-strung floss picks, so I didn’t have to jam my hands back into my cheeks and cut off circulation in my fingers to try to get in between tight back teeth. The other things was making it part of my evening routine- I floss while I’m having my pre-bed pee. Gross, but effective.
YES. Those flossers are great. Best dental invention in a long time.
Does the texture of your crumbled teeth remind you of the bits of cement they used to attach your braces? When I have that dream (by with I mean ALL THE FRICKIN TIME) it’s like I have a whole mouth full of the stuff.
You know, I literally never made that connection until now, but…YES. That is exactly the texture.
After years and years and years I am finally at the point where I floss every day. I have relatively health teeth/gums, but I got so annoyed at the dentist once I decided to floss EVERY SINGLE DAY before my next appointment. I made it some kind of sick challenge like, I’ll show YOU – I’ll floss every day and you’ll still hassle me!
I actually don’t remember how it ended up, but now I floss so…hooray?
I only floss (almost) every day because my husband flosses everyday and we brush our teeth together at night. He flosses every day because it turns out when you don’t go to the dentist for five years sometimes not-awesome things happen in your mouth and then you have much greater incentives to floss.
I also recommend experimenting with floss to find one you like. We use Reach Gentle Gum Care, which is soft and fluffy and does not slice my gums apart like knives. Or children’s grape flavored floss.
In my 20’s, after several years of no care, I went to a dentist who took one look in my mouth and said, “Anything I do is going to hurt you because your gums are trashed and your mouth smells like garbage. Go home and floss every day for two weeks–take Tylenol, because it’s going to hurt and bleed a lot–then come back and see me.” He was a pile of crap human, BUT after that I had a TEN YEAR gap, went back to the dentist and all I needed were fillings for the same three cavities I stupidly didn’t get filled before. I go regularly now, and they always remark that, despite having teeth that could have their own horror movie franchise, my hygiene is on point. Totally worth it to just say “ugh” and do it.
I would have punched that dude in the nads after the garbage comment… ahem. Excuse me.
This is awesome, you are so cool. Thanks for writing it! My biggest complaint about the dentist’s is that they don’t tell and show me every single thing they do. I love it, I want to be in on everythiiiiing. One time the dentist gave me a mirror for a bit to show me something and then forgot to take it away, and when they finally remembered and were like “oh you can give me that” I was like NOOOoo. Is it okay to ask them to give me a play-by-play? Will that be super annoying and get in the way of their work??
Also, for the people who are scared that they’re going to get lectured when they go back after awhile away: some places might do that, but those places are kind of douches and if you encounter one you are 100% justified in leaving and finding another. I didn’t go to a dentist for awhile after getting insurance, and in the end it had been three or four years, and I was bracing to have to be like “YEAH WELL IT’S MY BODY YOU CAN GIVE ME ADVICE BUT DON’T TALK DOWN TO ME YA JERKS” because previous dentists had scolded me like total assholes, but at the new place no one said a goddamn thing. They were just all really friendly and fixed my shit and gave me a ton of free floss, which I am all about.
I’ve heard that from patients–the lecturing and demeaning aspect.
I can only speak for myself here when I say lecturing patients until they want to punch me in the face is not helping. I like my face so I kind of use a ‘non-alarmist’ view. You, the patient, are in the chair. That’s an awesome start.
I could barely get through this, as a person who had 5 teeth pulled by age 10 and will soon be getting braces again after my teeth shifted (thanks, ill fitting retainer!) but it was super interesting nonetheless!
Also,
DENTAL PLAN
LISA NEEDS BRACES
*drops a pencil in your butt crack*
There really is a Simpsons quote for absolutely everything. Yesssssssssssss
…I need to brush my teeth now. And find some floss. I am the worst at flossing. Wooooorst.
Anyway, i have two best/worst dentist stories. I once broke off the corner of one my front teeth by slamming my face into a swing set teeter-totter. That was the day I learned about inertia. The dentist (who I liked! At 6 years old!) went and bonded my tooth back together about a week after I broke it. I refused to smile that entire time. To this day, however, I’ve been curious how that process works. All I remember is blue light.
When I was 21, at the end of the semester, I started feeling some pain in my right canine and jaw. This had happened before, but my previous dentist thought it had to do with the way teeth hit each other, The pain got pretty bad, so when I got to my parent’s that day, we made an emergency appt. with the new dentist guy. Turned out I had a massive infection that resulted in an abscess IN. MY. JAW. I still maintain that the pain of waiting 24 hours for a root canal is the worst pain I’ve experienced in my life. I wanted someone to stab me in the face so I could feel something else. The dentist still isn’t sure what caused the infection; there had been no acute trauma, so our working theory is chronic trauma due to something the previous dentist did.
Holy shit, novel!
Oh my god, pre-root canal pain is easily the worst thing I’ve ever experienced, and I GOT HIT BY A CAR a couple years ago. I’m convinced root canals get a bad rap not because of the procedure, which in the age of modern anesthetics is completely minor, but because of the HORRIBLE PAIN of needing a root canal.
I didn’t need the pain pills they gave me afterwards; I needed them before and they wouldn’t let me have them. And I had to go christmas shopping. I was miserable.
…So yes, I agree re: pain.
For the second half of my only root canal, my endodontist (root canal specialist) had troubles with the anaesthetic, so I got occasional sharp stabby pains. Still easily worth it to get rid of the pre-root-canal-pain.
If I have to do that again, I’m definitely asking for a referral to a different endodontist. Though I guess part of the problem might have been long and curvy tooth roots, which are how I ended up at an endodontist with a half-done root canal in the first place.
WARNING: Body Fluids
Oh man, I winced hard core at that. My root canal didn’t hurt at all, but i could feel ALL THE PRESSURE up until the drill opened up the tooth and the abscess goo shot out. It was gross, from what I was told. Kind of bummed I couldn’t watch it, in a weird way.
Teeth are fucking weird. Roots and shit. What?
Um, so will you explain why some canker sores are more recurrent than others?
Sure thing.
If patients have an autoimmune disease canker sores may become recurrent. Also, if patients eat a lot of chocolate, citrus fruits and/or has a lot of stressors in their lives, canker sores may become frequent.
Thank you! I was hoping for the magical answer I hadn’t heard before, but thanks for replying!
You’re welcome, Lily.
Oh! Just thought of one, more thing: B complex. Check your diet if you’re getting enough:)
Also, I just realized that this particular post on this particular website is the perfect place to share the following story:
At age 8 or so, my mother and I went to an orthodontist appointment. I was a thumb-sucker as a child, and so there was some concern that my teeth wouldn’t come in straight. But I kicked the habit and/or got very lucky and my adult teeth came in nice and straight, everything where it’s supposed to be. So at this appointment, the orthodontist said, “well, she doesn’t NEED braces, but you might want to get them just in case, so she can smile pretty for the boys when she gets older.” My mother said, “Thank you for your time, goodbye.” And that was the last time we went to that orthodontist.
Your mother’s awesome.
I actually don’t remember this happening, I only remember my mother telling me about it several years later — probably when I asked why the other kids had braces and I didn’t. The best part is that she finished the story by noting, “but what I really wanted to do was slap him, that asshole.”
THAT’S what I’m talking about.
Lately, I always get (internally) grouchy with my dental hygienists. I swear, they never believe when I tell them that I floss regularly. Every night. No exception. The last time I was there, I was informed that I need to floss no less than fifteen times. It was so frustrating because lately my gums have been sensitive, and I was basically blamed for it because I was supposedly lying about flossing.
…the problem may stem that I still see my pediatric dentist, so they’re more accustomed to dealing with kids.
nobody ever flosses it’s a test to see how quick you’ll lie to their face
I get this, too! I have those flossers, and I floss every night before I brush my teeth, and the hygienist still tells me that I need to floss every time! I just nod, because I can’t figure out whether they say this to everyone, or they actually can’t tell that I floss.
Also they warn me about incipient cavities every single time they do x-rays, but these are the same ones they’ve been warning me about for the past ten years. They haven’t gotten worse! I’d say this is a win.
Here is my thing about dentistry. WHY is it separate from other medicine? Teeth: still part of your body! Like feet! Or ears! Mostly I get upset about this because dental insurance never covers as much as medical, so there is ALWAYS some extra that I have to pay later regardless of what the dentist office told me. I don’t blame them, insurance is stupid, but keeping track of two separate systems and never knowing how much I’ll really pay is a giant pain in the ass and a big part of why I tend not to go. (I do floss, though!)
That’s what I was taught by excellent professors at my school: dental health is not seperate; it’s full-body health. What’s facinating about dentistry is I can look in a patient’s mouth and based on clinical findings label this patient as Type 2 diabetes.
Guys, if you want a good dentist rec in NYC, I love mine. And here is where I brag that I have two random baby teeth that have hung on for 28 years and are apparently still going strong, because I am a mutant and/or a very minor superhero (my power is holding on to things–like baby teeth and grudges). Also I’ve never had a cavity, so electric toothbrushes for everyone!
I do want a good dentist rec in NYC! What is the name?
Alexandra Simpson. I love her! Make sure you ask for her, because her father works at the practice as well and I have no idea if he’s as awesome as she is. http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/2314171/Dr-…
HELLO OTHER MUTANT
I had two baby teeth for many years (both my parents had the same baby teeth too) but one of them got kinda iffy so it got removed and I think the other one may be joining it soon. I brush and floss daily but I have a huge sweet tooth so I’m not really surprised…
I still wish I had gotten a replacement gold colored tooth for it instead of a boring white one but apparently my dentist is big on the whole “everything must look natural!!” look instead of being awesome.
I’m not the only one!
I had two baby teeth that broke in half – one came out in pieces. The other one, half came out while the back half stayed in and my adult tooth grew in next to it. Mom finally had the dentist pull the half tooth when I was 11.
I still miss it sometimes, lol. I would use my tongue to jiggle it around when I was bored. Still have that space next the adult tooth too!
Hail, fellow mutant! Up until this year, I had 4 primary teeth that hung in there for a good long while; 2 now live in my jewelry box, the other 2 are still in going strong in my mouth. And I have ALSO never had a cavity. AND I’m moving to NYC next month. Thanks for the dentist rec and, who knows, I might see you in the waiting room sometime 🙂
My dentist and hygienist are awesome. Very kind and non-lecturey, which is just so wonderful after my LAST dentist who was a horrible human being–he’d berate his staff in front of the patients and this one time he made me chew those red pill things that are used with 5 year olds to show them how bad they are at brushing–I was in my mid-30s. Then there was the time they called me while I was driving to my appointment to tell me that if I was even one minute late that they wouldn’t be able to see me because the hygienist wanted to go home early–and then after I got there RIGHT ON TIME had me cool my jets in the waiting room for 15 minutes. The final straw was that they called to cancel one of my appointments and didn’t offer me another appointment.
My current dentist is AWESOME and my husband found her at random–her practice is near his work. They’re very kind and gentle and only minimally lecturey (mostly about the flossing; I just got one of those handle things that you snap the pre-strung floss heads into and it’s a LIFE-CHANGER because I can actually REACH MY BACK TEETH–my mouth is pretty small, apparently).
Natalie, I’ve temped in so many practices where a dentist berated his staff and his patients in front of other staff and other patients. I’m pleased to read you and your husband are with a new practice that you both feel safe and comfortable with.
I worked as a dental nurse (what we call dental assistants in Australia) for a year before heading off to law school and can understand the pure, unadulterated love one can feel in relation to an ultrasonic scaler and I’m delighted that this affection is now immortalised on the internet. My personal favourite job was squeezing brightly coloured (and flavoured!) fluoride gel into little dishes and arranging them in rows for the day.
It was the elderly patients who used to get me. They really just want someone to brag about their adult children to. There was a 90 year old lady who always used to compliment me on my smooth hands. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was wearing gloves!
Oh, wow. Isn’t the ultrasonic scaler just the best? I love it.
You know, working with seniors is gratifying. If I could fill their day with a genuine, pleasant conversation, I feel really good about that.
why is everyone concerned with their teeth after reading this when we should all be digging out our organs with spoons and leaving them on the ground somewhere soaked in tears because of that old man and thinking about lonely old people
Well, I hear you. For what it’s worth, he still sees me. We talk. We laugh. He’s actually a lovely person. I do what I can.
In other comments, it would be great if we could expand the ACA to cover dental care. Oral health is SO IMPORTANT to your overall physical health, but we often treat like it’s an optional luxury. When I did finally go back to the dentist I was so grateful for all my childhood dental exams; it is amazing what a difference having good dental care in your childhood/adolescence can make in terms of your long-term dental health. And having jacked-up teeth has such a negative effect not only on your health, but on the impression other people have of you, that it can be a significant factor in your employment and earning potential.
Yeah, the ACA had no intention of including dental as part of the coverage. That shit infuriates me to no end.
THIS THIS THIS. It’s honestly ridiculous, and feeds into such a huge class issue. Since dental health isn’t considered a part of one’s general well-being, and it’s goddamn expensive, it becomes something that people who need to cut costs are going to try to live without. Having bad/unhealthy teeth is an immediate indicator of your socioeconomic status, and it can be difficult to hide or repair even if you’ve moved up the ladder since the initial damage was done.
ETA: Read this relevant article recently: http://bitchmagazine.org/post/what-pennsatucky%E2… (spoilers for Season 2 of OITNB)
Thank you for citing this link. I’ll be reading this tonight.
Often times, families on the lower SES status depend on dental practices offering ‘free dental care’ days, once per year, because of the outrageous fees dental practices have. As a hygienist and employee only, I have no power to reduce these fees. If it were different and I was a practice owner, a sliding scale for patients would work well for them. Unfortunately, dental practices have a bottom line to be concerned with 24/7. It’s about production and that makes me very sad.
I’m sure I’d want to make appointments at your practice and only on Tuesdays!!
Great article!
Thank you! You would then meet my ultrasonic scaler. So handsome…
Eeeeeek. I only go to the dentist every two years when I visit my parents in Malaysia as it’s really cheap for a check up and a clean and any fillings and joining a dentist in SE London is impossible:
“Are you taking new patients?”
“No.”
[tries next number on list]
“Are you taking new patients?”
“No.”
etc etc etc for an hour.
But good god am I going to get better at flossing.
Build up to flossing. Start with a couple of days per week and add more days slowly.
This is probably a long shot, and late, but Eva, did you read that Bilfold article months ago about dentistry–this one http://thebillfold.com/2014/01/how-much-should-th… multiple commenters popped up defending the practice of asshole dentists and hygienists? Is this, like, common–for dentists and hygienists to be all jerkish and holier-than-though, something you encounter when doing Industry Talk and whatnot? Even reading that thread makes me all scared and nervous that what if I pick a practice with Jerk People?!?!? OH GOD DENTISTRY.
That article/comments did not encourage me to do anything. This post almost has!
Cool!
I haven’t read it but I’m sure as hell gonna read it later. Thanks for the link. There’s a lot of ego in the field. Some dentists think they’re gods, some hygienists act like know-it-all princesses. It’s pretty funny. Except when I’m on the receiving end then it sucks.
Is this an appropriate place to praise my former dental hygienist? Her name is Bridget and I started going to her as soon as I was old enough to need a dentist. Sadly, I had to stop seeing her when I moved away and got different dental insurance. I actually haven’t been to the dentist since, because she was the only thing that made dentist visits not-terrifying. In fact, she somehow made them enjoyable. She played soothing music and talked about her kids to distract from the teeth-and-gum scraping that was happening, and always explained precisely what the dentist was going to do once he came into the office.
Bridget, if you’re out there, thank you. And I promise I’m working on my anxiety about finding a new practice, and have set a deadline for myself to go for a cleaning (end of August).
You are so sweet.
Hey, Eva, do you have recs for electric toothbrushes that don’t cost all the money in the world?
I do! The best ones are SONICARE and Oral B. They’re expensive BUT you can find them cheap through COSTCO, Target, Amazon. Also, ask your dental office if they sell them. No tax included but they may charge you upwards of $95. I know but they’re worth every penny.
Super belated, I know, but I just made my monthly Target trip and bought a Sonicare electric toothbrush ($40 including a bonus brush head) and one of those floss-wand things, neither of which I have ever owned before, entirely because of this post. My poor gums are going to require some hand-holding, but I sense the beginning of a whole new dental hygiene frontier. So THANK YOU.
Melanie, do you realize what you’ve done? You just kicked gingivitis in its ass, woman!
Thank you for your kind words. I’m so pleased you found the article helpful. I’ll tell you a truth:I was ready to get out of the field until I landed at the practice I’m at now. I still have my opinions about today’s dental industry but knowing that I’ve helped someone makes me glad and proud I’m staying.
Also, my husband and I have bills too pay. Whee.
Have loads of fun with your new electric brush and assorted dental goodies. I hope you feel proud of yourself. You done good. 🙂
Thank you for this so much. My dentist is the coolest and I love the hygienists there but I know so many people that have this (what is to me) ridiculous fear of dentists that it makes me sad that they get such a bad rep. I like to believe it’s because they haven’t found a practice that has people like you and my doc in it.
Speaking of which, I’m about due for my annual cleaning…
Dental phobia is an awful thing. Just awful. Most patients had terrible experiences as kids which prevents them from seeking care as adults. It’s years if they ever overcome it.
This is why I’m so happy that I had a good, nice dentist that didn’t terrify me as a kid, despite the whole “me breaking my teeth” thing.
I haven’t been to a dentist in years but I had braces for 6 years (except for that glorious point where a girl on my soccer team headded me in the tooth and knocked a bracket loose right before picture day. That was 4 glorious days of no braces) and at one point was there every other week. I got to be VERY CHILL about the dentist. But that has worn off. Mostly because I don’t want to disappoint Peg. Who isn’t even my hygenist any more because she’s 2000 miles away. But she asks about me to my mother.
I also I hate mint. Like, nausea levels hate. No one believes me, but this makes most dental products the enemy.
I wish the polishing paste came in flavors like pizza and hamburgers.
I feel the same way. However, I found my favorite toothpaste flavor again after years of it not being produced (orange, for some some odd reason).
Is the orange back? I’ve been going for cinnamon but the red color is kind of unsettling.
It is! I was so excited it’s kind of embarrassing. I was resigned to ugh minty flavors (if they could use the orbit gum sweet mint flavor it’d be ok with it), but then I found the grail that is refreshing Orange Toothpaste. Again.
I looooove going to the dentist and getting my teeth cleaned. I also love flossing, and the feeling of my teeth after I’ve flossed/gotten a deep cleaning at the dentist.
Man it feels so good. I’m so happy too because I recently found a really cool dentist that’s cool with my crooked teeth and doesn’t pressure me into braces (again).
Crooked teeth are awesome. As long as you’re taking care of them you’re golden. 🙂
Sigh. This post is super timely for me as I just left a sizeable chunk of change at my dentist’s office. He has a very small practice, takes pretty much no insurance plans, and I am so torn about leaving him because 1. I have a dental plan as part of my medical insurance through my job, and also I am a broke person, and also am a person who is prone to tooth issues, BUT 2. He’s been my dentist since I was a kid, always recommends the least intrusive treatment (even when I had insurance that he did take, he never opted to do a procedure unless he was 110% sure I needed it- unlike some insurance-friendly practices I’ve heard about, who will tell you that you NEED that root canal/etc). The doctor will call you personally to check on you if you’ve had some complicated work done, he will come in on his day off to take care of you if there is an emergency. He’s awesome and really nice and super calm and patient and honestly worth every penny… but there is such a woefully limited amount of pennies 🙁
So your post made me feel better about how light my wallet is right now, and how well-tended my mouth is by the nice folks at his office. TL;DR the way we pay for medical care is stupid and broke-making, but also yay awesome dental office.
Your comment makes me very happy for you. If you feel comfortable and safe then stay. As for the money, ugh. I understand.
I’m so glad you wrote this! I’ve been in a happy, healthy relationship with my dental hygienist since I was in college, shortly after she finished her schooling. That’s almost 20 years of her taking care of my face! I’m always happy to see her, and I’m glad she bumped up my visits to every 4 months instead of every 6. I used to feel like such a dork for loving my dental hygienist so much (her dentist is pretty great, too: low turnover at the practice leads me to believe he is a kind and fair boss, and everyone seems so happy there). Thanks for validating my appreciation!
You are so welcome.
I bought floss and mouthwash for the first time in years because of this article. I have now learned, through flossing, that a number of my teeth are indeed slightly crooked.
Also, that shit that ends up on the floss? Gross.
I’m honored you read the piece. Really. But YOU made the step to take care of your teeth. You’re my hero today. 🙂
Aww, well now I’m blushing.
Your orthodontist is indeed shitty and a stupidhead. You poor thing. Now I'm all pissed off.
Permanent retainers do not fall off unless they are placed poorly. He may have released a freudian slip. Ugh.
There is good news, though. These are proxa brushes or interdental brushes:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a…
They come in different widths, sizes, etc., and are excellent to clean teeth that have those permanent retainers. I have two perm. retainers: front, top and front bottom. They are completely awesome.
I love going to the dentist because MY DENTIST IS MY DAD. It is so great. He wasn’t my dentist for most of my life, because he was in the Air Force and they aren’t allowed to use base facilities to treat civilians. But after he retired and went to teach at the medical university/work in the faculty practice, he became my dentist. All the receptionists are always like, “SHE’S HERE! DR. C, SHE’S HERE!” My dad dispenses hilariously awful dental advice to me and pretends all my teeth are going to fall out. Everyone is my best friend. It’s great!
“Dad, does this vest really protect me from the x-rays?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“I’m not getting zapped?”
“No, of course not. The vest is fine.”
“How come you guys all physically leave the room and go stand behind a lead wall before you push the button?”
“The vest is fine, don’t ask any more questions.”
“You have thousands of cavities in here. Every one of these teeth has, like, seven cavities. Oh my god, I’m going to have to take them all out. So young, such a tragedy.”
“Dad, do you think I should floss more?”
“Do you floss after you eat corn on the cob?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Eh, that’s probably good enough.”
“Dad, does this mouth rinse really do anything?”
“No, just swish some whiskey around in there.”
Oh, crap. I can’t stop laughing from your comment. Totally awesome.
Thanks for the article, and for the reminder to make more of an effort to remember to floss.
Oh hey, maybe you’ll know the answer to this: why does the dental drill always smell like raw onions? For a while I thought it was my dentist’s breath, but now I’m convinced it’s the drill itself. Is that a thing?
Raw onions? I love onions! I’ve never noticed, to be honest with you but I’m totally gonna find out this Saturday.
‘Eva, what the hell are you doing?’
‘SHUSH, Doctor. Does your headpiece smell onion-y?’
Oh, crap. I can't stop laughing from your comment. Totally awesome.
Raw onions? I love onions! I've never noticed, to be honest with you but I'm totally gonna find out this Saturday.
'Eva, what the hell are you doing?'
'SHUSH, Doctor. Does your headpiece smell onion-y?'
Handpiece. It holds the drill. Apologies.
Handpiece. It holds the drill. Apologies.
Super belated, I know, but I just made my monthly Target trip and bought a Sonicare electric toothbrush ($40 including a bonus brush head) and one of those floss-wand things, neither of which I have ever owned before, entirely because of this post. My poor gums are going to require some hand-holding, but I sense the beginning of a whole new dental hygiene frontier. So THANK YOU.
Melanie, do you realize what you've done? You just kicked gingivitis in its ass, woman!
Thank you for your kind words. I'm so pleased you found the article helpful. I'll tell you a truth:I was ready to get out of the field until I landed at the practice I'm at now. I still have my opinions about today's dental industry but knowing that I've helped someone makes me glad and proud I'm staying.
Also, my husband and I have bills too pay. Whee.
Have loads of fun with your new electric brush and assorted dental goodies. I hope you feel proud of yourself. You done good. 🙂
Are you seriously telling me that’s how it looks like when you don’t floss? Oh man, after seeing that I am for sure going to be flossing all the time. That is the last thing I want happening in my mouth. http://www.williamguthriedds.com/procedures/recei…
Hi Eva, I really like your article because it explains the importance of seeing the dentist on a regular basis and what can happen if you don’t. Even if people don’t have dental insurance, the best insurance is proper flossing and brushing your teeth every day. Next is seeing your dentist every 6 months for a checkup and a professional cleaning to remove any plaque buildup. Even the best flossing and brushing will not keep plaque away from eating away at your teeth. These two habits will ensure people have the least problems, and lowest cost dental care. Thank you so much for giving an outstanding explanation of what can happen when teeth are neglected:)
I discovered this is an educational and fascinating post so i suspect as much it is exceptionally helpful and learned.