I hate when the dentist or assistant makes small talk and you’re like “I’d answer your question if your hands weren’t in my mouth.”

Haha, totally agree about the small talk bit. I also hate it when they’re taking a tooth out and telling you everything step by step. The dentist did that when I got a wisdom tooth pulled out and he couldn’t take it out in one go so he was like : “ I’m slicing your gum now” , “Ok so now I’m gonna break your tooth in a number of tiny pieces that will be easier to take out”. Dude, this thing is bad enough without having you telling me about it.

Maria, I’d probably say: “I’d answer but 1 you’ve got your hands in my mouth and 2, if I had the chance, I’d just hit you in yr face.” He’s a complete utter twat. Condescending to everyone, except, sadly, himself. He also tries to *sell* while he’s fixing my teeth. Urgh.

not himself double duh!

oh shit, i was right. not himself

first dentists appointments in january, after ten years of no visits. ended up needing 4 fillings and a root canal, which was less painful than it seemed. but i hated the novocaine, the taste of metal in my mouth, trying to stretch my mouth wide enough that all the tools could fit in. would much rather have been knocked out somehow before hand.

I just took my ten-year-old to the dentist last week and besides the fun-flavored toothpaste there are TV sets suspended above the chairs!

Really? I had to make do with Where’s Wally posters.

I also hate it when they’re taking a tooth out and telling you everything step by step.

i told my dentist beforehand not to tell me what was going on, but i realised that i could see it all clear as day reflected in the metal lamp, and it was actually scarier to watch them sticking loads of weird looking drills and scrapers in my mouth without knowing why...

i am really really glad its all over for another ten years...

I take off my glasses and close my eyes. I now have a completely numb lower left jaw. I was actually thankful while sitting there this morning that he didn’t tell me what he was doing.

Haha, it’s horrible when your dentist wears glasses and you can see it all going on reflected in his glasses.

I once vomited on my dentist, which was curiously less satisfying than one would think. (I was only about seven)

I got a crown last year and, at one point, informed my dentist that I was going to essentially pass out and asked him not to narrate the procedure as I was only interested in the result.

The dentist-in-glasses thing is especially horrible when the blood and enamel dust/tissue that are being ground out of your mouth end up on his lenses and it’s all hovering right in front of you. All in all, though, I discovered that I can let someone perform all kinds of painful, bloody operations that I can’t see and have no control over if a) I breathe deeply enough, and b) the alternative is months and months of dying nerves and abscesses and hardly being able to chew and eat.

Laurel, OTM

Also, DRUGS

I went home over Christmas break, went to the dentist, and was told I’d need a cavity filled. I said I was only home for another week and a half, since my classes started up soon, and they were like “um, the dentist’s vacation is during that week and a half. Sucks to be you.”

I suppose I could find a dentist up at school and make an appointment. But...it doesn’t hurt, can’t I just let it be?

I was embarrassed that I drank coffee on the way there and had coffee breath. That embarrassment paled when he ground away an old filling and the intense odor of decay came out of my mouth. He and the assistant didn’t flinch and it was soon gone.

I think if it’s not a huge cavity, you can let it be for a few months.

Do not let it be. Get it fixed now, while it’s small. The drilling will be less invasive, you’ll need less of the terrifying pricky needles with painkillers, and more of the tooth will be intact to withstand the ravages of time — because I’m starting to think that once a tooth has a filling it’s only a matter of years before it degrades further, I’m sorry to say; there’s no perfect way to keep bacteria and decay out of the joint between enamel & dental work.

I was embarrassed that I drank coffee on the way there and had coffee breath.

replace with “smoking” :-(

Also, take Valium/Xanax/Ambien before you go! With the first two you won’t care about the pain or tissue damaage, and with the third you’ll still care a little but but you’ll forget all about it by morning.