Do you avoid the dentist due fear or finances?
They want to do the teeth cleaning as often as possible. Not because it is necessary, because they earn a lot with it and only a helper do the work.
This infos count for germany.
But i don't expect that it is somewhere else, in the western countries, different.
I don't avoid the dentist visits because fear or my finances but i can't give her the ok for one of the needed repairs because i can't pay 4 digit € bills for it.
So not perfect/good, but much cheaper, alternatives are done but will not hold longer as 6-12 months and then i am back to the basic problem.
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That's my dilemma is it about making money for her or is it because i haven't been going for 10 years that it could really be that bad gum related? The dentist said i only had 2 cavities which at first made me actually relieved.
It's not really a thing you could check yourself.
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Thanks, no i never had any pain, only the below part became very discolored over 6 months or so, that made me wanted to go.
And well after i brushed my teeth and not rince it, it kinda smelled badly after a day (although if i blow in my hand it didn't felt like i had a bad breath) Nor did my pillow smell bad. The cleaning this morning for sure made the discoloring much cleaner again atleast.
I don't smoke, but i do drink a lot of coffee and tea, and well since i just celebrated my birthday here, discoloring also comes partially with aging.
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I spent six years without going to the dentist due to finances as well, and I just went last month. It wasn’t bad at all! No infection, no tooth decay. They did a clean-up, and that was it. I think that if you maintain basic dental hygiene and see a dentist once every year or two, you’re fine.
My dentist also said I should go back in six months, but I think it’s because she wants to make more money haha. I think they like to sell the fear of teeth falling out so that you go more often, but I don’t think it’s necessary to go twice a year.
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I find it funny that they ask you about having any pain from your teeth in your daily life, and then find cavities that weren't even bothering you. If it's bad enough to hurt, shouldn't they be able to find it without your guidance? It's like they want to know which tooth/teeth you are pre-conditioned to accept bad news about.
And then there's that article from The Atlantic.
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I can't read the whole thing but from what I can read, the patient was pretty dumb.
"He had no idea that it was unusual to undergo so many root canals—he thought they were just as common as fillings."
Seriously? NO idea?
"he paid a total of about $50,000 out of pocket."
Paying $50,000 (!!!!!) without asking someone or doing some research to see if this makes sense?!?!
There are bad dentists just like there are bad doctors, lawyers, car mechanics, accountants, etc. But if we're using this clown's experience to try to draw some sort of conclusion about dentistry in general... I don't know about that.
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Haven't gone since 2019 but only by lazyness.
Anyway I take great care of my teeth so no problem on that side.
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Hey Lugum!
I avoided the dentist for about six years. I also did not take great care of my teeth.
When I finally went back, the dentist recommended a root canal but I couldn't afford it. I did get quite a few fillings and those were mostly covered by my dental insurance.
Several years later I had to get an emergency root canal and a crown. But I had money by then, so I guess it sort of worked out.
Since I've been going to the dentist regularly I haven't had any major expenses.
I think if you take good care of your teeth at home, you could probably go to the dentist less often. But I wouldn't recommend avoiding the dentist entirely.
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Hey, offcourse.
But 3 things i apparently did wrong, brush 1 time per day (i think if i drink the whole day it just washes the toothpaste away anyway), i use floss but that apparently wasn't good, and i use mouthwater which apparently to her also just doesn't do a thing.
So i also thought i was doing good, but perhaps not.
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Brushing at night seems to be important, so that food doesn't just sit in your teeth overnight.
I'm not sure how floss and mouthwash could be bad, if they are supplementing your brushing. My dentist recommends all of it, but it has to be in the right sequence. Floss first, then brush, then mouthwash.
I forgot to mention, I also have gaps in my gums, they are not getting larger at the moment but I guess they probably will eventually. And for that problem specifically I am not sure there is much that can be done.
I wish you the best of luck, tooth problems are not fun.
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Brushing at night is what i always do, it's the mornings i skip (because i take so much tea/coffee already just waking up).
One would think brushing first (get most of it clean), then floss and then mouthwash.
But yeah most likely every dentist will say something different what's good and not.
There is no remedy for lost gum, although a google did say a transplant can be possible (but it's a long recovery) and i am sure it won't be covered by insurance nor cheap.
Thank you.
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You floss first so that everything that may have been stuck in between your teeth get removed, after that if you brush, the toothpaste and brush also get into those small places to clean them, if you brush first and then floss, you basically am brushing dirty stuff you remove after it... so yeah always floss first, also heard that normal floss can hurt your gum, same as these wooden tooth picks so I use soft picks now, from the brand Gum actually, they are way softer on your gum! Also mouth wash just washed away/destroy all your bacteria in your mouth but also the good ones you need so better to not use it and just use water after the brushing to remove all the toothpaste and that's it.
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I use these: https://www.amazon.nl/Tandzijde-tandenstoker-plastic-tandverzorging-Tandreiniger/dp/B0774FMGPD
When i last went 10 years ago i also used them and that dentist never said it was an issue, now i was told to absolutely use wooden toothpicks but i hate them, the taste, sometimes they break off bits and get stuck between your teeth, not with that thing in the link.
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Yeah that's why the wooden ones are a bad idea, they can break and get stuck so that's why I use these soft ones, they are safer for the gum and can't break off and my gum is a lot calmer then when I used floss since the floss can hurt the gum if you are not careful.
It just sucks since it seems like every dentist says something else, you would assume they would agree on that kind of stuff but nope!
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I floss every other day with Oral-B ProExpert Premium Floss (the one I linked is just for reference, it is way overpriced on Amazon.nl). Flossing (in the evening before brushing the teeth) has reduced buildup of tartar(?) a lot for me.
I would advise you to continue flossing, but maybe try other products. See if you get improved results.
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If you avoid going to the dentist because of finances, you will eventually need an emergency treatment which will be way more expensive and will affect you much more because it will be a huge unexpected cost. Also teeth is something super important that we often don't value that much, only when we start losing them and it's not possible to revert (unless you do implants which are also very expensive).
I'd say take care of yourself, your health is the most important thing!
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If your end of the month financially is already in your third week most of the time then things as this become an issue.
Let alone even save a jar for emergencies like a broken appliance.
Aside from healthcare just being free to all 20 years ago, we could atleast get an extra dentist insurance, but lately it's been so much to pay and you get so little in return, it's not even smart to take, even my dentist told me that last week.
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i live in europa (so health care is .. easier and dentist is most free)
they told me i should come twice a year for check
i only went there if i have some pain, and no problems with my teeth at all.
just clean them yourself with brush and toothpaste 1-2 times per day and some mouthwash and dental floss 1-3 times a week.
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That only works if you are lucky to not have any other issues. You could have receding gums or other gum diseases and wouldn't notice. So it's good to good check up. Also if you go when you have pain, it means you already went late and could've avoid it (less harm to the teeth).
Don't me to sound like I'm lecturing, only mean well.
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Yes and no. In France, social security provides very good coverage for basic healthcare, but if you need crowns or things like that and you don't have private health insurance... unlucky !
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I am in the netherlands we had good coverage for all basic healthcare until it went private (as did tv/internet/gas/electricity/water etc) and we had to insure ourselves, and while expensive most healthcare is covered enough, but for some reason dental healtcare is barely covered and you have to insure yourself more for it. But it only covers little so the extra insurance is pretty useless.
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When I was a little kid, I was the weird one who liked going to the dentist. Like, not just tolerated, I actually liked it. Having my teeth cleaned felt weird in a fun way, I liked the smell, and I was allowed to take home a little toy out of a box if I was good.
Well, one time I got a cavity, and the dentist decided she was going to drill 5-year-old me a filling. Without anesthetic. She drilled too deep, I bit down on the drill out of instinct, it was a whole mess...which I actually don't remember at all. Wasn't traumatic enough.
What I do remember, even 30ish years later, is that the next time I went in, I was afraid of opening my mouth. So I refused. The dentist got pissed off, grabbed my cheeks between her thumb and her fingers, and squeezed in an attempt to pry my mouth open.
Fortunately, my mother was in the room and put a stop to it, but I still had spectacular bruises, as well as moon-shaped cuts on my cheeks because the dentist squeezed hard enough to cut me with her fingernails through her gloves.
So...yeah, unlike Jerry Seinfeld, I am an anti-dentite. Made a vow that I'd let my teeth rot out of my mouth before I ever trusted a dentist again, and the horror stories I've heard in the years since have done nothing to change my mind. I've been back to one once since then, and only because my mother dragged me to it.
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When i was a kid i always cried getting a haircut and never at a dentist. :p
Can't you go under narcosis?
One thing is also what i find annoying when you almost gag in your own spit they want you to keep control of your tongue which in turn goes all the wrong ways they want it.
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At 35, you are at a fine age to correct this frightful thinking. You were 5 and had a bad experience. I do not like giving blood either. Still, I man up--look away. You are not required to enjoy the dentist--breath deep and with a much wider mouth the dentist has much better access. My mom pushed her fingers at the jaw joint too when I would not eat my vegetables--it mostly works.
Seriously, get a check up at least every once in awhile (every 2 years).
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Did she bruise you, make you bleed, and squeeze hard enough that your jaw ached for days? Because if so, that's child abuse.
Seriously, we filed a police report (not that anything came of it). We would have sued if we had the money to.
This is not reluctance based on "Oh, it was scary but it turned out fine," it is refusal based on "I was literally criminally assaulted," and "I keep seeing a ridiculously high proportion of similarly-horrific stories about other dentists."
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Yes. It really hurts. That is why the technique works, and seemingly my parents did not invent it. It causes the jaw to open, or it really hurts especially if you fight it. I am sure as a 5-year-old, you had already been someone frightened by the previous appointment and were fighting it. If it had gone well (w/o the finger pliers, you mom would have told the dentist: "TY for trying. Here is your $100 for a cancelled appt. Maybe I can convince my kid to come back in a few months. (or I need to find another gentler dentist w/o the associated memory-trauma)" It is child abuse when a professional doctor does it; it is good parenting when a parent is exercising some discipline. Drawing blood sounds like it was extreme. I am not contributing here to nullify your experience; you were traumatized by an awful experience.
You have focused on a few other bad stories that relate to your experience. It is a ridiculously high proportion if such things happen in 2% of all appts. She was bad; never go back to her. Nevertheless, dentists do not go to school at a place where they train them to torture 5-year-olds and adults. Notice that most EVERY comment here talks about financial consequences rather than a dentist assaulting them with every torturous technique at their disposal.
It turns out that the mouth is a vulnerable area. When I got contacts in high school, it took me over 6 months to put them in without flinching. MY OWN BODY would not trust my own finger coming at my sensitive eye. Also, you have teeth, so a decent dentist must watch h/her fingers from a formerly traumatized patient.
So, yes--hardly any dentists would behave like this again. But if you are convinced that it will happen again and will bite any instrument going in your mouth because of that memory and that the risk of that pain is too high even for a 0.01% chance--sure, never go to a dentist ever again.
In my estimation, if I had a 30% chance of my cheeks being cut to bleed by fingers and bruises on my cheeks for 2 weeks, yes I would still go. Right before my scheduled appt to remove my wisdom teeth 2 week later, they started impacting. It hurt like hell--I could not sleep. And that was during a normal growth process--not a festering cavity. Tooth ache is horrible--look it up. I will take bruises100% of the time over the alternate tooth ache.
Still, it is your life and your choice.
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I don't like going to the dentist because they tend to insist on removing the wisdom teeth and I honestly don't feel like going through that hell just because they didn't grow to full size, fuck that. Usually I avoid going for years at a time but I had to go early this year because one of my molars was pretty screwed up and it had started hurting, a lot, but since it was just one teeth in bad condition I got that one fixed and ignored the recommendation to do the other stuff related to the wisdom teeth.
There's a pretty good chance that I'm gonna end up regretting my avoidance, but for now I guess I'll keep doing it if I can get away with it, I'm already in my mid thirties and so far only one tooth got screwed up so it's not that bad of a run up to this point.
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It also depends on the roots of the tooth. Me and my wife have had no problems with pulling the tooths (its usually 10 or so minutes, absolutely painless). Wife has problem with healing properly though and she usually has to go for 2 or third time to do cleaning and closing the bruise again.
Two friends on the other hand had different experience - one friend had the surgery for a full hour and a lot of blood. BUT he has problematic teeth + he went to public clinic. Second friend had it easier but also hurt a lot and she doesnt want to go again.
It depends both on your teeth and on your doctor. I mean I was definitiely worried all three times and will be if I have to pull the last one as well, but it can really go either way. Although for pulling a tooth I think its worthwhile going to a more expensive clinic and experienced dentist/surgeon. Its not a regular dentist checkup afterall and I think its worth it to save a bit.
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I felt nothing. I had an impacted one surgically removed a few months back. My dentist referred me to a specialist clinic in Northern Ireland because it was a bit complicated to do (He advised that they were much cheaper than in Dublin). Took like 2 seconds and it was out. Now I cried and I was shaking because no matter how many times I go to the dentist, I have an irrational fear. But I felt nothing. I didn't even know she was done haha! They numbed it up really well. I had to have stitches then. It was incredibly sore for days afterwards, but I am glad I got it out. It had cracked due to whatever way it was impacted, or lying against the other tooth, I dunno, and it probably would have started to pain me.
The only way to get it out was to split the gum.
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they usually opt for extraction instead treating caries/pulpitis on those.
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I guess it makes sense if they actually have any sort of issue, but in my case it's literally just that they're smaller than the rest. Dentist are just like "there's nothing wrong currently... but just in case", and I honestly don't consider that to be enough of a reason.
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I got all 4 of my wisdom tooth pulled in one operation. They were all fully grown, in bad positions, and pushing against my other tooth. One of them grew so close to a nerve and the doctor told me there was a risk that I might not feel half of my face if they damage the nerve. Luckily the operation was successful but I had to be put under general anaesthesia. The healing was quite smooth for me.
You never know they might be a problem. The older you get, higher the risk with operation and longer it takes to heal. I am glad I got rid of them and never have to worry about them again.
The operation did cost a fortune even I had insurance. So I am taking extra care with my teeth now, spending almost 10 mins water flossing and brushing. My dad were avoiding dentist for years, now some of his tooth have fall off and need tooth implant. Those cost from $2,000 to $4,000 per tooth
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I'm going to dentist this Saturday cos one of my tooths think's that i like pain.
I gonna change it pretty soon.
I don't like to go to dentists only because i don't like other (random) ppl to go see inside my mouth.
I aint horse.
Luckilly i dont need to go there to often.
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on our plan we are covered for two visits a year, which we do.
They can't really judge your teeth's condition if you haven't been for 10 years; potentially you'll get good marks the next time you come in. Potentially. So extra visits may not really be needed, you could take a wait and see on that.
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Large pockets is the word she used i think, i have that rather then disappearing, that sounded scary still and i still don't really know what it really entails or how serious it really is.
And I wonder if there is like some special toothpaste that can help recover it, or it's all nonsense.
I did found on google about gum transplantation but i assume that doesn't go cheap either (or is even needed at this stage).
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I once held off on getting a crown since dental work is too expensive in the States. After waiting to visit my in-laws in Taiwan, we got my crown and root canals done by a dentist who was a professor at TaiDa (their #1 university) and the cost of the dental work plus my flight was still about $200-300 cheaper than being stuck back in the States and payiing exhorbanare fees for work of only average quality. Also, being back in Taiwan and getting to enjoy a month there made it all the better.
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I abhor the dentist. Always blood, always pain. But mom instilled in me to go twice a year, and lots of bad shit can start in the mouth that leads elsewhere, so twice a year I go.
USA, covered under insurance.
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I have a bit of a horror story. Few months ago, I got an impacted wisdom tooth surgically removed. It got cracked and had to come out. I was referred to a specialist clinic in Northern Ireland for that. That went really well actually and it recovered nicely.
Then my own dentist told me I needed a filling in another tooth. I had no pain, but I was like "okay." You know, if you need a filling, you need a filling. After the filling, I couldn't bite on that side or I'd have intense pain. He adjusted the filling, still painful. He eventually replaced the composite filling a few weeks back. I am still having some pain and have been taking ibubrofen in the hope that it settles. He said the next step would be a root canal and it will cost at least 850 euro. This is all because I had a small cavity. =(
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I am in the netherlands we had good coverage for all basic healthcare until it went private (as did tv/internet/gas/electricity/water etc) and we had to insure ourselves, and while expensive most healthcare is covered enough, but for some reason dental healtcare is barely covered and you have to insure yourself more for it. But it only covers little so the extra insurance is pretty useless.
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Most of the things at the dentist are covered for me under my insurance. I do a fairly good job at taking care of my teeth by brushing and flossing, so I haven't really ran into any major issues.
The first dentist you had the other day may have not have realized how bad things were because your teeth needed to be cleaned. Once they were cleaned by the second dentist it seemed to have revealed some things likely by plaque removal.
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The dentist was a 10 minute check, who found 2 cavities and a broken filling (i knew that one myself as i saw it came out of my mouth 3 years ago and yes i kept it that long since it didnt hurt).
The cleaning they are leaving to what we call mouth hygienists who aren't doctors and got a lower education.
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It really depends on clinic you got in. Since I stopped going to clinics that are covered by my insurance and found a good paid one not only I started saving more money on dental stuff I also have less issues with my teeth. In ten years I only do cleaning twice a year and only once I had a more complex stuff with two of my teeth.
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Since I switched to a good clinic 10 years ago I'm doing cleaning twice per year and only once had to do complex stuff with my teeth. So in 10 years I made 20 cleanings and one teeth repair (two teeth at once).
Hope this way it more clear :)
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My clinic not only cleans the teeth, but also do a lot of evaluation how I manage with my part. They tell me exactly where I do well and where I don't. They recommend brushes, pastes and small brushes for the spaces between teeth... Last time they even gave me a discount for cleaning, noting that I took into account many of their wishes from the last time :) And this approach, that they not only shame, but also praise and explain normally - this is just super for me :)
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I believe it depends on how good you are at doing your part. For example I was recommended to use curaprox prime handy at least two times a day. I'm usually using them couple of time per week... And I can see difference how long it takes to clean teeth when I'm using them on more regular basis. The more I used them - the less time needed for cleaning. Also how good you are with brushing the teeth overall... I think anyone who will use set of tools (irrigator, dental floss, specialized brushes) can do cleaning once per year.
Also take into account what you eat or drink. I'm type-1 diabetic, so I'm consuming sweets in modest amounts, avoiding "liquid sugar" at all - thay helps a lot to keep teeth clean :) On another hand I'm a smoker, smoking effected a lot. Now I mostly use GLO system thag "warms up" tobacco, it also effected a lot.
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For 10 years i didn't go because of lacking finances, until last week and today. The dentist was new and nice, didn't say my teeth were that bad. The woman who cleaned my teeth today not so much, on a scale of 1 to 10 on being bad, it was a 10.
And apparently i got some big gaps in my gum or whatever (which apparently doesn't grow back anymore unless you do transplantations?).
But she makes me want to go twice a year to her on top of a yearly dentist control when you explained your finances, and when i was 12 the dentist then told me at my rate i would have false teeth by 20 (which never happened) so i really don't know if i should also just take this with a grain of salt.
My logic would be to just take the yearly dentist checkup and if he finds the need for the teeth cleaning lady then i should go.
And how long have you not gone?
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