Dantist

[Emily987]

Hey guys, how often do you visit a dentist? I have a toothache now, but I'm sooo scared :scared11: to visit dentist!! share your experience please :sad:

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The majority of dentists these days are incredibly skilled. I'm amazed at how steadily and accurately they can work on a person's teeth. I had a chipped front tooth repaired about 15 years ago and the repair recently broke off after I bit into a chocolate bar. I was impressed with the job the dentist did in 2001, but it was even better this time. He actually drilled into the exposed bit of tooth, then capped it using some kind of soft material that sets straight away. All this without anaesthetic. It wasn't needed. I barely felt a thing. Back in 2001, I'd never even been to the dentist as my mum was too scared to take me or my sister. She almost had a phobia of it. But having to have treatment opened up her eyes and mine. Now I happily go for check ups.

Bottom line is that modern dentistry is a far cry from the horror stories of old. And getting a check up is a good idea for your best oral health anyway.

[unsure_about_this]

I go every three months, but still don't enjoy going, my dentist prefers me to go every three months because I got a difficult mouth.

[J-P]

Hey guys, how often do you visit a dentist? I have a toothache now, but I'm sooo scared :scared11: to visit dentist!! share your experience please :sad:

Think of it this way, the longer you wait the more invasive the treatment will have to be. I visit the dentist too often, the most complex procedure I had done was a dental implant + bone graft and it still was a walk in the park. The sucky part was not being able to eat on that side of the mouth for months.

[generalblue.162]

After I turned 18 years old, I moved out and neglected my teeth. I would brush twice a day, but I wouldn't brush for 2 minutes, more like 30 seconds, and I didn't floss (and still don't). I liked to party and there were several nights and even weeks that I didn't brush at night. Well, when I turned 27 years old, my gums started bleeding and hurting like crazy. Blood was just oozing out of my mouth and kept spitting it out. It was uncontrollable. I had no choice to go see a dentist. I was scared because I haven't been to a dentist in 9 years. But I made an appointment and they were able to see me immediately the next day. When I walked into the office, I noticed all the rewards this dentist had, she was nominated for best dentist in the nation, and best dentist in our state for 3 years straight. It helped put my mind at ease somewhat. Well, my name was called, and did an examination and told me that I may have mouth cancer. When I heard that, I started freaking out. She performed a few test, and got the results right away and told me that I didn't have cancer, but extreme periodontal disease and 4 bad wisdom teeth. She said we are going to have to do a deep cleaning and 4 tooth extractions. I was scared. I was afraid of the pain that was coming. She asked me if I wanted to setup mulitple appointments or do it all in one day. I said let's get this over with. So she decided to do the deep cleaning first. She numbed my whole mouth and within a couple of hours she was done and surprisingly I didn't feel a thing. Then she said it is time to pull your wisdom teeth out. My heart started racing again, I knew this was going to hurt. I opened wide, felt pressure, and within 5 minutes they were out, and I was good to go with some pain meds. Then my mind started wondering about how swollen I would get, I picked up the pain meds, took it as prescribed and low and behold no swelling what so ever. Two weeks later, I had no pain and every 3 or 4 months I go visit her for PMC (Periodontal maintence cleanings - basically a regular cleaning with irrigation). My gums have healed within the last two years. Still have minor to medium gingivitis (gums bleed during irrigation), and my gum pockets are slowly healing. I was always afraid of the dentist, but now I don't mind. I don't fear them anymore and not afraid to approach them when I have other dental issues.

Edit: I also brush my teeth with a SonicCare toothbrush for 2 minutes, and use mouthwash for 1 minute. After using the mouthwash, I don't drink anything for 30 minutes after. I take much better care of my teeth now. :)