From a Dentist's Perspective (danger, gold)

[Momrobare]

RE: X-rays. I try to bite down like I should but I have a gag reflex that is in overdrive. When "you" tell me to bite down...I do but then I start gagging and have sometimes even vomited.

As for "clean your mouth before you come in"...unfortunately I have what I describe as a "mouth phobia". I cannot stand spit, dentures or anything like that. In fact, if I think about it just the act of swallowing will make me gag and vomit. So, unfortunately, I quit brushing my teeth. I used mouthwash but I don't know if that helped.

Thankfully now nobody has to worry about any of this with me as I've had all my teeth extracted (they've always been bad as far as I can remember and were getting abscessed on a regular basis). Not sure how my "mouth phobia" is going to affect my denture wearing but hopefully if I gag with them or can't take them out or put them in without gagging/vomiting...my gums will eventually be hard enough where I can chew most food!

[katie45]

It is not rare to receive a different diagnosis from each dentist.

One dentist said I needed to have every crown replaced, plus a long list of fillings on other teeth. He avoided any mention of cost and when I asked 'how much', his reply was, "We've already contacted your insurance company so don't worry about it." When I told him I would not begin treatment without knowing my out-of-pocket costs, he pretty much kicked me out of his office. Nice guy.

Another dentist gave me the news that I needed to have certain work performed, then he left the practice. His replacement said I didn't need all of that work performed.

A husband and wife dental team each gave different information about how to care for my teeth.

Not unusual for a patient to walk out with bubbles over their head.

[Utopian Slums]

Is this why dentists have some of the highest rates of suicide?

[SoCalTwinkie]

This thread is quite old, not sure if Dr Roxy is still reading. As I appreciate the value and expertise of dentists in our modern age, I dont understand why dental costs are more than some medical procedures. Ok, I understand the need for updated dental machines, increased staff costs, etc, (and I CAN do without the TV on the ceiling in every station, Doctor, really, I just want to get the work done and get out of there not be entertained as if I went to a theatre.) What happened to old fashioned teeth cleaning? Now we have 3 tiers of dental cleaning ($,$$,$$$). Since I have had to change dental offices frequently due to moving I have noticed that the newer dentists always recommend "deeper cleaning" and we are not talking root planing, just alittle extra cleaning for $500 a pop. I Thank them and off I go to another older dental practice and am told I dont need such a cleaning, my dental pockets are all 2s...so they give me the regular cleaning and I've saved 400 dollars and they keep a satisfied customer.

Ok, so now I've vented from a consumer point of view. So my final word to dentists lurking here is thank you very much to all of you dedicated and talented dentists who have done excellent work in saving our smiles, but not at the cost of you having a Porsche or Mansion but your clients having to pinch pennies before their next paycheck. You know who you are.

[jeepman91919]

I respect the dentist, I just fear the costs. $6k for one implant here, $2k for a crown there, etc. My dentist charges a lot and is not very thorough. But I feel awkward shopping around.

[toofache32]

Originally Posted by SoCalTwinkie

Ok, so now I've vented from a consumer point of view. So my final word to dentists lurking here is thank you very much to all of you dedicated and talented dentists who have done excellent work in saving our smiles, but not at the cost of you having a Porsche or Mansion but your clients having to pinch pennies before their next paycheck. You know who you are.

The Porsche/Mansion thing is tired and smells of class warfare. Everyone, including you, can buy what they want to with their own money. To you, it's not OK for a dentist to buy a $70,000 car, but why are you OK if he buys a $300,000 education, and then a $500,000 practice? Where is your uproar that so many of your dollars go to lining the pockets of bankers gathering interest from the dentist?

[SoCalTwinkie]

Originally Posted by toofache32

The Porsche/Mansion thing is tired and smells of class warfare. Everyone, including you, can buy what they want to with their own money. To you, it's not OK for a dentist to buy a $70,000 car, but why are you OK if he buys a $300,000 education, and then a $500,000 practice? Where is your uproar that so many of your dollars go to lining the pockets of bankers gathering interest from the dentist?

Simply put, the 800K benefits the consumer, the 70k car does not.

All jesting aside, I figured I would get backlash from my comments. Just as the original poster, the dentist was venting his frustrations, I was venting the consumer's frustration. Please dont turn this into class warfare, that was not my intention. By all means he is entitled to his or her, expensive toys, he/she worked for it, however, on the other hand, we the consumer are free to take our money elsewhere if we feel we are being taken advantage of.

[toofache32]

Originally Posted by SoCalTwinkie

Simply put, the 800K benefits the consumer, the 70k car does not.

The 800k comes at significant risk to the dentist....he has to pay it back, like any loan. When consumers start sharing in this risk by putting their names on the loan note, then those consumers have the right to influence those dentists' business decisions.

Originally Posted by SoCalTwinkie

All jesting aside, I figured I would get backlash from my comments. Just as the original poster, the dentist was venting his frustrations, I was venting the consumer's frustration. Please dont turn this into class warfare, that was not my intention. By all means he is entitled to his or her, expensive toys, he/she worked for it, however, on the other hand, we the consumer are free to take our money elsewhere if we feel we are being taken advantage of.

I agree the consumer should go elsewhere if he/she is not happy with the dentist's choice of automobile. Fortunately for the public, dentists are on every corner and consumers certainly have the right to go find the lease successful dentist they can.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by JohnRoxy

10 Reasons Your Dentist Probably Hates You Too

1.* The first thing you say when you sit down in my chair is, “I hate the dentist.”* Really?!?* Did your parents teach you any manners?* Did they ever teach you that it is impolite to tell someone you hate them the moment you greet them?* What I really want to say back is, “aww, I hate you too.”

Wow, that's just rude. I don't ever say that.

2.* You come to your appointment, and it’s obvious you haven’t brushed your teeth in days.* I’ve had some people with great hygiene come in and apologize because they’ve just eaten lunch and couldn’t brush.* This is not what I’m talking about.* I mean food and thick plaque*everywhere.* After 10 years of seeing blood and rotten teeth and some really nasty things, this is still the 1 thing that makes me dry heave.* You know, when you come to us, we have to be in your mouth.* Would you clean your home before having company?* Additionally, I have spent hours literally bending over backwards repairing your teeth.* Could you at least pretend that you are caring for the work that I have struggled to complete for you?

My dentist has disposable, pre-pasted, shrink-wrapped toothbrushes in the patient bathroom. I take the hint and use them before the appointment if I haven't brushed since my last meal.

3.* After we have spent hours of meticulously repairing your teeth, you complain about the bill.* Would you walk out of the grocery store with a bag full of groceries and expect not to pay?* I have a ton of bills also and my assistants aren't doing their job for free.* I’ve just helped you to continue to smile and*eat comfortably, two pretty valuable things that help your quality of life.

My complaints about the bill have everything to do with my insurance being crappy and nothing to do with you. And I don't complain a lot. I just make a mock "AAAAAAAAAAH" face, then fork over my credit card.

4.* I tell you that you have a cavity and you need a filling, and you wait months or even years to get the necessary work done.* Eventually the tooth starts hurting.* Two weeks of pain go by, and you call me on a Saturday night while I am at dinner with friends because your tooth that needed a filling a year ago and that started hurting 2 weeks ago is*suddenly*an emergency.

I never do that.

5.* You come to me so I can help you, but you make it hard for me to do a good job.* You wince and make faces when it’s not hurting.* The idea that I’m hurting you makes me just as uncomfortable and stressed as you are.* If it hurts, please tell me, and I can help you with that.* But if it’s because you don’t like the whole experience, you are only causing me to work in undesirable conditions, making it harder to do my best.* And when you push your tongue in the way, or you don’t open wide enough, it makes it physically impossible to get my work done.* Don’t you want it to be easy for me to do the best job for you?

If I wince, it's because you ARE hurting me. Or squirting water in my face. I have really sensitive teeth. Sorry. (Wait, no I'm not sorry.)

6.* You call and say, “my tooth didn’t hurt before you worked on it.”* You came to me with a cavity.* I did not put it there.* You did.* I am simply fixing a rotten hole that was in your tooth.* To do so, I must use a tiny drill to cut the rot out of your tooth.* If I took a drill, cut a hole in your femur bone, and then filled it in with a foreign material, don’t you think it might be sore for a while?* Same concept.

If I tell you my tooth hurts the day after a filling, it's because you called me and asked me if I had any "discomfort." I know why it hurts, and I know it'll stop hurting.

7.* When we try to take an x-ray, you won’t bite down on it.* We*have*to do this to see what is going on with your tooth.* Without knowing the problem, we can’t properly treat you.* I know, in some cases some people really can’t do it; but some people could and won’t just suck it up for 15 seconds.* I’ve had x-rays too, and they hurt and dig into my gums, but I just do it.

Who DOES that?

8.* You tell me that you bought my car for me after having a crown done.* Contrary to how it seems, you actually didn’t buy me a car.* You bought yourself a crown.* I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an education, and have spent hours making this crown fit precisely in your mouth, so maybe you helped me make a portion of a student loan payment.* But you certainly didn’t buy my car.

I joke that I'm putting my dentist's kids through college, but I don't make that joke AT the dentist's office.

9.* You no-show an appointment or cancel last-minute.* Some things are unavoidable, but when it’s because your hairdresser got a last-minute cancellation and you had to take that appointment instead, this is just rude.* Not only am I unable to fill the 2 hours of my schedule that I reserved specifically for you, but someone else who wanted to get in had to wait 2 weeks for his/her appointment.* And on that note, when you have the first appointment of the day, and you show up late for your appointment, I am late for every other patient the rest of the day.

The only time I ever cancelled an appointment (more than 24 hours' notice) was for a family emergency. Otherwise, I am EARLY for every appointment.

10.* When I tell you that you grind your teeth, you deny it, as if I am accusing you of having a horrible disease or being a baby murderer.* It’s not*that*bad to be a tooth grinder.* I’m just pointing something out and maybe offering a way to prevent more problems in the future.* This observation is concluded from signs or symptoms that are based on real science, not myth.

LOL that's ridiculous. My dentist told me I grind my teeth. I shrugged and said "Yeah, I know." I politely declined her offer of a $300 mouth guard that my insurance refuses to cover.

And along those lines… bonus #11. You tell me a diagnosis I make is simply wrong without listening to me.* If you know so much, why are you coming to me?* You do the filling or root canal yourself.* You obviously don’t need me.

Aaahhh… I feel much better now.

Yeah, I've never said that. Can't argue with the big fat cavity on the x-ray you're showing me.

And here's some feedback for any dentists who might be lurking: When I'm in the chair and you and an assistant are working on me, it's kind of rude to have a conversation about random crap or people I don't know, acting like I'm not even there or that I'm deaf. I really don't like that. I don't expect you to talk to ME (I can't answer with your hands in my mouth anyway) but can the chit-chat please.

[SoCalTwinkie]

I can relate to the chit chat. I had to listen to a gruesome conversation regarding a patient who died under anesthesia while I was plastered with my own relaxation drugs. Thank God they werent talking about someone who was cared for in their practice.