Your Teeth, or lack thereof?
02-11-2019, 03:56 PM
#11
^
OMG! That's awful! I don't have the best memories of a dental visits as a kid. The drill didn't spew out water back then....my dentist was pretty good about giving anesthetic if he thought it was needed. I do remember having an awful filling for a large cavity in one tooth (rear molar) at age 15. The tooth continued to hurt and ultimately was pulled. It was years before I tended to that space by having a bridge done. My family could only afford the bare minimums when it came to dental work. One sister almost lost her front teeth as she needed root canals. Dad didn't have that kind of money. The easy answer then was to remove and get a partial plate...YIKES! She had root canals done and I think paid for that herself.
I rarely will consent to dental work without anesthetic. I see no need. I've also learned if the first shot doesn't work, I'll raise my hand and tell them I need MORE.
OMG! That's awful! I don't have the best memories of a dental visits as a kid. The drill didn't spew out water back then....my dentist was pretty good about giving anesthetic if he thought it was needed. I do remember having an awful filling for a large cavity in one tooth (rear molar) at age 15. The tooth continued to hurt and ultimately was pulled. It was years before I tended to that space by having a bridge done. My family could only afford the bare minimums when it came to dental work. One sister almost lost her front teeth as she needed root canals. Dad didn't have that kind of money. The easy answer then was to remove and get a partial plate...YIKES! She had root canals done and I think paid for that herself.
I rarely will consent to dental work without anesthetic. I see no need. I've also learned if the first shot doesn't work, I'll raise my hand and tell them I need MORE.
02-11-2019, 04:17 PM
#12
I'm not sure why but I didn't have my wisdom teeth pulled all at once.
I don't know if it was an insurance / cost thing or something else but my folks never encouraged it.
I eventually had 3 of 4 pulled one at a time, one the day of the Blizzard of '78.
Once after a pitcher of beer on St Paddy's day wouldn't begin to touch the pain.
I had a few crown and a few root canals. Two in one week.
I had had a crown put in and was on travel. I was in agaony so the natural assumption was that teh new crown needed a root canal.
It didn't help. Back to the oral surgeon who progressively poked and prodded without success.
So she took a syringe with hot water and slowly squirted the hot water on each tooth in progression.
When I launched about four feet out of the chair she got a wry smile on her face and said "I think we found our culprit."
I wish I had been lucky enough to have my father's genetics when it came to teeth.
He had ZERO, nada, zip, nothing for dental care until he went in the service at 18.
Absolutely perfect teeth. In fact when he died at 40 he had yet to have cavity,.
My son who shares his name Keith, Has yet to have a filling despite awful dental practices of late.( not for lack of coercion I would add)
I don't know if it was an insurance / cost thing or something else but my folks never encouraged it.
I eventually had 3 of 4 pulled one at a time, one the day of the Blizzard of '78.
Once after a pitcher of beer on St Paddy's day wouldn't begin to touch the pain.
I had a few crown and a few root canals. Two in one week.
I had had a crown put in and was on travel. I was in agaony so the natural assumption was that teh new crown needed a root canal.
It didn't help. Back to the oral surgeon who progressively poked and prodded without success.
So she took a syringe with hot water and slowly squirted the hot water on each tooth in progression.
When I launched about four feet out of the chair she got a wry smile on her face and said "I think we found our culprit."
I wish I had been lucky enough to have my father's genetics when it came to teeth.
He had ZERO, nada, zip, nothing for dental care until he went in the service at 18.
Absolutely perfect teeth. In fact when he died at 40 he had yet to have cavity,.
My son who shares his name Keith, Has yet to have a filling despite awful dental practices of late.( not for lack of coercion I would add)
02-12-2019, 02:23 AM
#13
I have a bridge where I lost a molar many years ago. Now they would talk implants instead. I have plenty of other fillings, and two other crowns/caps. I have one "questionable" tooth. It has a ridge near the gum line. It doesn't bother me. IF/WHEN it changes (has not changed in 10 years) an implant would be the recommendation as the dentist doesn't feel it is a good candidate for a cap/crown.
Good luck!
Good luck!
02-12-2019, 03:27 AM
#14
I had a botched root canal done when I was in the Navy. I never got it replaced as it was in the back and the adjoining teeth closed the gap a little. I have a 4 tooth bridge upper front. We love our dentist and he did a great job on the bridge. 2 crowns and that is it. We do have dental insurance.
02-12-2019, 04:18 AM
#15
02-12-2019, 05:08 AM
#16
02-12-2019, 05:28 AM
#18
Had all my wisdom teeth extracted when I was 21. They were all impacted and had to be chiseled out...1 or 2 at a time over the course of a month.....NOT fun....!!!
Over the last 60 years I've had 8 root canals [the last about 15 years ago] and I've got eight crowns [the first two are gold so I'm worth something].
Except for the 4 long gone wisdom's, I've still got all the rest of my teeth and with all the crowns only one filling.
Over the last 60 years I've had 8 root canals [the last about 15 years ago] and I've got eight crowns [the first two are gold so I'm worth something].
Except for the 4 long gone wisdom's, I've still got all the rest of my teeth and with all the crowns only one filling.
Last edited by trapper; 02-12-2019 at 05:34 AM.
02-12-2019, 06:01 AM
#19
02-12-2019, 06:02 AM
#20
Ah, Dr. Salisbury. The dentist who lived down the street and was stingy with the Novacaine. In fact he would often skip it if he thought the cavity wasn't too deep. His opinion of need and mine were very different but I was a kid so my opinion didn't count. I've been lucky with my teeth. Plenty of fillings but I'm only down one wisdom tooth. And it came out fairly easily with only a dull ache for a few hours after the Novocaine wore off.
When I lived in the Mississippi Delta (oh, those were the years
) a coworker suggested a very inexpensive and, in her opinion, excellent dentist in a nearby small town. It turned out he practiced out of his barn. He had quite a setup including a "dentist chair", possibly from a failed hair salon and a spot light and lots of dental tools, He was dressed in a heavily stained t-shirt and jeans and had hands like baseball mitts. He poked around in my mouth for a while and pronounced me good to go, which I did as quickly as possible with much relief. The bill was ten bucks..
When I lived in the Mississippi Delta (oh, those were the years
) a coworker suggested a very inexpensive and, in her opinion, excellent dentist in a nearby small town. It turned out he practiced out of his barn. He had quite a setup including a "dentist chair", possibly from a failed hair salon and a spot light and lots of dental tools, He was dressed in a heavily stained t-shirt and jeans and had hands like baseball mitts. He poked around in my mouth for a while and pronounced me good to go, which I did as quickly as possible with much relief. The bill was ten bucks..