JediDefender.com Forums
Community => Watto's Junk Yard => Topic started by: Scott on January 28, 2004, 02:13 PM
-
I haven't been for a year and a half now (sorry Dressel) but I just have this sneaking suspicion that the "cavity" I had last time was just a quick way for the dentist to make a few hundred off me, I hate going, plus my inusrance doesn't cover anything besides cleaning. Add on top of that a constant badgering for new x-rays and teeth whitening and scraping, I avoid going at all costs...my teeth are OK, probably need a good scraping...
-
Its terrible to say, but I can't remember the last time I went to the dentist. I've never been a fan of going (like many), and I think I was in college the last time I went. I know for sure that I haven't been since we've been married, which is going on 4 years here soon. Not too good I suppose, although I do try to keep my teeth as clean as humanly possible. It wouldn't hurt for me to go in for a cleaning at least though sometime soon. It probably didn't help that I wasn't the biggest fan of my last dentist, and now we need to find a new one since we live somewhere else now.
-
Wow, that's a weird coincidence. Probably right as you were typing that up, I was discussing this exact question with one of my coworkers. It's been about 3 years for me, but before that, it was probably about 10. She said it's been at least 15 for her.
Almost seems like most of us just quit once we were no longer being "forced" to go by our parents while we were still under their plans and/or living at home. Pretty lazy of us!
I've got really good dental insurance here, but I'm completely wasting it, which is stupid. I also have the same paranoia Scott, that the dentist is "saying" I've got something that needs to be fixed, even if it really doesn't, just to make some extra moolah on me. Obviously that's completely unethical, and I'm sure that's not the case with 90% of the dentists out there, but you just never know. I guess it's the same concept with taking your car in, and they say all kinds of crap is wrong with it, when you're pretty sure they're just taking you for a ride. :-\
So Matt (Dressel), what's your take on how often, or what % of dentists do this? Also, when's your butt moving to SoCal? Maybe you can be my dentist... ;)
-
Orthodontist every 4-6 weeks and a cleaning and x-rays every 6 months. Proud to say, no cavities in over 20 years. ;D I cant imagine going for as long as you guys. Just a pet peeve, but I need my dental fix. Twisted aint it?
-
Part of it is laziness, I just don't go in, I hate that feeling the day or so after, the dull ache in the gums (which I pronounce gooms BTW)
I'd like Dressel's thoughts on the whole corruption angle though, how do I know I have a cavity, they can stick that sticker in pretty tough and say, hmm, a little stick here, lets give you a $200 filling
-
The last time I went to the Dentist was for a checkup and it was about a year ago, I'm overdue for a cleaning its been about 1 1/2 years. Seeing as I don't have insurance at the moment my teeth cleaning can wait. The longest I have gone between visits was propbally 4 yrs and I will hopefully never do that again. I had 4 cavities and when the lady was cleaning my teeth my gums were getting very bloody. :P
So after that I decided to go more often.
-
Haven't been for over 10 years. My dentist was an .... well I won't say. It seemed to me he actually liked inflicting pain!
Unless I am in agony I WILL NEVER GO BACK! No worries I keep a pair of figure skates (a la Castaway) around for home dental work.
Scott
-
my fiancee is a hygenist so I go every 6 months and get a deal on the work if I need some (like root canals OUCH!)
-
Wassup y'all.
The ADA recommendation for a "checkup and a cleaning" is every 6 months and for 2-4 bitewing X-Rays, which help detect decay much better than a mirror and explorer alone, every YEAR.
Most dentists that I know would not ever jeapordize their license by telling you that you need something done, or NOT done deceptively, and risk having you run to a 2nd dentist for another opinion; because that dentist and the patient may be so uphauled by the failure to diagnose or the incorrect diagnosis that they may take action against the first dentist, and then he/she risks losing their license. So, in my opinion, most dentists are on the up and up. But if you suspect that he's not, you can do 2 things:
1. Ask for a copy of an X-Ray and send it to ME, and I will give you my opinion.
2. Go to another dentist and have them do a checkup and treatment plan, WITHOUT mentioning what a previous dentist said, this way they come to their conclusion independently. And see if the 2 treatment plans match.
Holler at y'all later.
-
1. Ask for a copy of an X-Ray and send it to ME, and I will give you my opinion.
Yeah, but can we trust you, Matt?! :D
Thanks for the inside scoop. Figured that was probably the case, but we all like to be paranoid anyway! ;)
-
Hey MAC! My opinion's free and I have nothing to gain regardless of whether you get your tooth fixed or if the decay rots right through to the pulp of your tooth, enters your bone marrow, and turns your head gangrenous!!
:-X
-
Hey MAC! My opinion's free and I have nothing to gain regardless of whether you get your tooth fixed or if the decay rots right through to the pulp of your tooth, enters your bone marrow, and turns your head gangrenous!!
:-X
:o
Uh-oh...
:::runs off to call nearest dentist immediately::: :'(
-
Once a month for an Orthodontist appointment, and a Dental cleaning/checkup every 6 months.
-
Does anyone remember the movie with Dustin Hoffman Marathon Man?
that was my dentist as a child. Nuff said :-X
-
Does anyone remember the movie with Dustin Hoffman Marathon Man?
that was my dentist as a child. Nuff said :-X
lol... that's such an awesome movie...
as for me? i pretty much go to the dentist when i have to... like, say, when the advil stops working? when i'm in so much pain that i can't stand up... that's when i go to the dentist, and only then. i guess that's why i have as many teeth left as ken daneyko :-\
(j/k... i've got more than that... but not too many more :D )
-
Twice a year. I'm covered so not a biggy to me. Unless its a root canal then the buggers coming out! :-\
Hey, I'm getting to that age to have false choppers! :D
-
listen to Dressel Rebel, once every 6 months, or dentures are in your future LOL
-
at 105, I don't have my real teeth anymore so that's just more money in my pocket for toys ;)
-
My wife just got home from the Dentist, Root Canal, X-Rays...$700 :'(
-
$700 :'(
Damn. Don't you guys have any dental insurance? Or is this after whatever amount they picked up? Seems way high... :-\
-
Ouch, thats pretty high Scott. :o
-
All we have is preventative dental (cleanings and yearly x-rays), this isn't covered :'( :'(
-
My wife just got home from the Dentist, Root Canal, X-Rays...$700 :'(
Damn, which tooth?
-
Front middle top one...she broke it half when she was little, her parents didn't spend the money back then to fix it properly and we're paying the price now...I'm half inclined to send them 1/2 of the bill for being cheap asses back in the day.
I think half of it is fake...the top half is real
-
Front middle top one...she broke it half when she was little, her parents didn't spend the money back then to fix it properly and we're paying the price now...I'm half inclined to send them 1/2 of the bill for being cheap asses back in the day.
I think half of it is fake...the top half is real
Okay so she needs the root canal, which you already paid for, then a post and core which will run about $250 and then a Porcelain fused to metal crown which will run at least $800. She's probably got an acrylic temporary crown on there right now.
-
I hadn't been in 13 years until recently. I too need a root canal--not from new cavaties, but from an old filling that leaked. I'm pretty thorough in taking care of my teeth, but I've been a contractor for most of those 13 years, so I seldom have had dental coverage.
-
Well, it's that time of the year...
I'm off to the dentist this afternoon for my regular check-up. Things are feeling pretty good, so I hopefully I'm safe from the filling and/or crown monsters once again. :-\
My wife is dreading it because she knows she's due for a new crown (6 months ago she had the option of getting two at once or doing "1 now, 1 later" to save on the cost - she chose 1 and then "forgot" to schedule the second, so she knows she's in for it this time :().
-
Twice a year for cleanings . . . . I have two molars that have broken off parts of the tooth so I need to have 2 root canals, and two crowns. After dental coverage I'll pay around $500.
That is what sucks about dental insurance. It seems to cover preventative, but when it comes to big stuff, it is only partial. I guess the good thing is that by accepting the insurance the dentist has to accept the max. they can charge me and the insurane company.
-
I haven't been in two years - mostly because I was uninsured for quite some time. Now that I'm not working freelance it's near the top of my to-do list. But first I have to find a dentist in the area that I can trust.
-
I'm a once a year visitor for cleanings, although I did have my wisdom teeth pulled this year, so that was an unpleasant extra visit.
I guess the good thing is that by accepting the insurance the dentist has to accept the max. they can charge me and the insurane company.
I'm not sure that's necessarily true, although my experience is entirely Canadian, so it may not be relevant in this case. Up here, the dentist charges their rate no matter which insurance company is involved - if the insurance doesn't cover it all, you get stuck with the extra cost, not the dentist. This is also the case when dealing with medications at the pharmacy.
-
My insurance is set up so that the dentist has x amount he can charge. So for a porc. crown it is $250. So if I go to an in-network dentist, they can only charge me $250, of which 80% is paid by my insurance after my deduc. is met (deduc is $500 person or $1000 family which is easy to do). They can charge more but by accepting the insurance I am with, I cannot be held to pay it.
My medical works similiar except on prescriptions. With a generic prescription I pay either $5 or $10 depending on the classification of the drug. On a brand drug I pay a min. of $32 or some % of the total cost.
Insurance companies and how they manage the health profession is one reason why many doctors do not want to stay in medicine. I know one doctor who wishes he had done what I have done. Make enough money to secure retirement etc, then go and get a teaching certificate and teacah or a Phd and teach college.
-
I took a two year hiatus from the dentist and paid the price dearly! They spent an hour cleaning my teeth with a tool that was pretty scary!
Since then, I found a really cool dentist (an attractive woman) that has a nice touch. I'm not trying to be sexist, but I can't stand some big hairy hand in my mouth - not cool.
:-*
So now I go every six months. :-*
-
If I could find a hot lady-dentist I'd go every six weeks.
-
I'm not trying to be sexist, but I can't stand some big hairy hand in my mouth - not cool.
He's supposed to have latex gloves on...
Kevin
-
$500 ded is really rather high, are you sure? Yikes... The 80% cover for major- which is where crowns typically are covered, is pretty good though. $250 for a crown (porc at that) is REALLY cheap. Most of the time I see prices of $1000 for these in the NE/ West Coast. I hope with such a large deductible that you have a big max.
I used to work in dental insurance- customer benefits- sigh... One day I hope to return back to work... I think ;)
-
I go twice a year/my insurance is some change a month for my whole family I pay no extra money at the dentists for anything else/covered. However, when my daughter will be getting braces in a few years I'll pay 1/3 of it ::)
-
I go every 6 months.
-
Things are feeling pretty good, so I hopefully I'm safe from the filling and/or crown monsters once again. :-\
No new cavities, no need for a crown, no root canals required! Woot - safe for another six months! ;D
-
Nice work Jeff.
I'm every six months, just to piss off the oral hygienists :-X
Seriously, I learned my lesson from my $4000 molar. Left a cavity too long, got it filled, was warned it might be too deep and absess. It did - root canal. Year later the tooth broke - left that forever, tooth eroded, needed gum surgery (yep, think scalpel and gum) to resect the gumline so the crown could be placed. Yippee.
Ever see the movie Marathon Man with Dustin Hoffman? You should, the dentist in there was my childhood dentist. Iss it safffffffe? *shudder*
-
So after looking through this thread and not seeing any Tim Whatley/anti-dentite references (something for which you all should be ashamed of), I thought I'd look for a pic of the re-gifting doctor, and I stumbled across this site:
Dentistry on TV! (http://members.aol.com/sallongodds/comedy.htm)
If that's not living proof of just how expansive the internet has become, well, then I don't know what is.
(Oh, and by the way:)
(http://members.aol.com/sallongodds/seinfeld.jpg)
-
My favourite joke dentist is Steve Martin in Little Shop of Horrors... his mother told him when he was a child he liked to inflict pain, so she told him to be a dentist...
I haven't been to the dentist for a year... I can't go with a low white blood cell count in case of infection...
-
Shannon, if you're really missing going to the dentist, here's how you can make up for it. First of all, randomly poke yourself with sharp objects. Next, grind down a limb with an angle grinder. Oh, and be sure someone tries to have a conversation with you while your mouth is stuffed full of rubber, metal and cotton. And finally, hand over your check book and/or credit card so that they can be maxed out.
There, see all the fun you're missing?
-
"Son be a dennnntist... You have, a talent, for causing pain. HEY!"
I have to go to a guy in my hometown which is convenient but I'm not fond of him... I like my dentist I had when I was young under my father's insurance. He had a lot of nose hair but he was a good guy, really funny...
His nurse was his sister, and she was the first girl that gave me tingly feelings. To this day, she's a hot MILF (though she's not a mom, never had kids), and I still dig it when she's asked for more suction. I wanna scream out, "Yes, I concur!"
-
I go every six months. I was lucky growing up. I got to be friends with my dentist and he wound up never charging me for any work. When I moved to the West coast, he would always clean my teeth FOC when I flew into town. I finally found a great dentist out my way, but when I visit the East coast, I always make it a point to visit my old dentist and his family.
-
Oh jeez, maybe just talking about it will get my butt in gear.
I haven't been in *gulp* I don't want to say how many years. (4). The last time I went was to a new dentist, and I liked her, and she said this: you really have good teeth. These are fine teeth.I wish I had your teeth. So,obviously everything's ok and I'm top of the world. I wasn't frightened enough to make another appointment!
-
Every 6 months, and no Cavities :P.
-
Shannon, if you're really missing going to the dentist, here's how you can make up for it. First of all, randomly poke yourself with sharp objects. Next, grind down a limb with an angle grinder. Oh, and be sure someone tries to have a conversation with you while your mouth is stuffed full of rubber, metal and cotton. And finally, hand over your check book and/or credit card so that they can be maxed out.
There, see all the fun you're missing?
yeah, well, I've had my arm poked enough with a needle to make up for all the fun I've missed at the dentist for the last 7 months. :)
Actually, I've had my jaws broken twice- once to correct my bite, and the second time to do it again after I developed TMJ since it didn't work the first time. What fun! Braces? twice.
I had a molar root canal two years ago, so they got my money again there.
Now though I know exactly how much all the procedures cost before I go into their office and never overpay. Got the good insurance, and info to all my benefits since that's my job. It helps.
When you hear people complain all day long about going to the dentist because they have problems, you learn to take care of your teeth ;)
I've got bigger fish to fry currently then my teeth, though :)
-
I find it funny. most people hate going to the dentist , I don't love it, but I don't mind
-
I'm not trying to be sexist, but I can't stand some big hairy hand in my mouth - not cool.
He's supposed to have latex gloves on...
Kevin
When I was a kid, he didn't.
But even a big hairy hand covered in latex is not my idea of fun...
-
These days I go about once a month. I decided at 30 to get braces, and I'm not going to be done with them for another several months.
-
Not nearly as often as recommended and my teeth are the things I'm most self-conscious about. I've never worn braces, either. Now, I don't have a disgusting mouth, but it stand some serious improvement.
-
Had my Winter check-up/cleaning last night.
No new cavities, no need for a crown, no root canals required! Woot - safe for another six months!
See you again in August, Dr. Boo! :D
(Yes, my dentist's name really is Dr. Boo - strange, huh?)
-
I had my first cleaning in 3.5 years on Monday (spent some time uninsured after college). No cavities (I've never had one) and nothing wrong at all. I was quite relieved, I expected a lecture and an unusually painful scraping, but got neither. I'm back on the grid, my next appointment is already made.
-
i just went to the dentist a week ago for a cleaning and again yesterday for a couple of fillings. for the past few years i have been doing at least the cleaning and check up visits and until yesterday, i was on a roll of about 5 years with no cavities.
-
For years, my mom worked for a Dentist, so between the discount and insurance, I was able to get two cleanings a year at no cost. Now I go once a year. Last time I had to have a crown. Apparently I grind my teeth so bad that nearly every tooth has multiple fractures in them. The only teeth that didn't have fractures were the front ones, which she said were "picture perfect". Well, Valentine's Day, my five year old was flailing around and caught me square in the mouth with the back of his head. Now my two top front teeth are fractured, I'm not allowed to bite or chew anything with them for four weeks. Its a waiting game to see if they'll survive or not. I am taken aback at how painful it still is. How in the world do guys stand getting punched in the face?
-
How in the world do guys stand getting punched in the face?
We're better that way. :P
Though I've heard horror stories from Dentists who have had to go into the ER at night to repair some ones broken mouth because of a punch.
Kevin
-
How in the world do guys stand getting punched in the face?
We're better that way. :P
Though I've heard horror stories from Dentists who have had to go into the ER at night to repair some ones broken mouth because of a punch.
Kevin
I also treated a beer bottle, brass knuckles, and a baseball bat. The brass knuckles was the worst.
-
Who still uses brass knuckles anyway?
Jesus. That must have hurt.
Kevin
-
Who still uses brass knuckles anyway?
Jesus. That must have hurt.
Kevin
The "victim" who was undoubtedly assaulted while delivering canned goods to his local parish, came in wearing full upper and lower orthodontic braces. 3 of his lower teeth were avulsed out of their sockets, and still clinging to the orthodontic wire, except all 3 teeth were upside down with the roots sticking up into the air and the crowns down in the sockets, all neatly (but blood everywhere of course) attached to the wire still. I snipped the wire on both sides of the row of avulsed teeth and reimplanted all 3 into their proper sockets. Sutured him up and off he went.
There was something a little humorous though. When I asked him what happened he said, "Yo, they got me with the brass knuckles mang...."
It reminded me of that scene in "Half Baked" where their dog got whacked or something and one of the stoned guys says, "I think they got him with the nunchuks..."
I do not miss covering the Emergency Room.
-
Never one to pass an opportunity to learn a new word, I googled "Avulsed" which took me to a medical dictionary site.
a·vulsed wound
n.
A wound that is caused by avulsion.
so there you go. ::)
-
Whoops sorry. An avulsed tooth is one that has been knocked from it's comfy home within the bony socket by trauma. An avulsed tooth needs to be reimplanted where it belongs.
-
What exactly has to be done to re-implant a tooth? Can they be re-attached and have the same strength that they did before? I always figured when a few teeth were knocked out it was time for some dentures.
-
What exactly has to be done to re-implant a tooth? Can they be re-attached and have the same strength that they did before? I always figured when a few teeth were knocked out it was time for some dentures.
Basically if it's been out an hour or less there's a good chance that the ligament on the root of the tooth will take back to the ligament left in the socket in the bone. That's really the key, an hour or less. Also there are various transportation mediums that the avulsed tooth can be placed in from the site it was knocked out until you get to a dentist. There's something a lot of school nurse's offices have called Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (Save A Tooth) that has exactly the right mix of salt and nutrition to keep the cells in the ligament on the root of the tooth alive so that they'll be viable and reattach to the bone when it's reimplanted. If you don't have Hank's on hand, you can also use milk, saliva, or water with varying degrees of success.
Even if all goes well, and the tooth takes back to it's home, there's a good chance that the tooth will have to have a root canal at some point in the patient's life.
:P
-
I was always curious why it was that whenever I visit a dentist to have my false tooth piece fixed (Stepfather walloped me in the back of the head and I smacked my face off the back of the dining room steel chair and half went missing) they X-Ray it to see if it needs a root canal. Never has. Just always curious why. I guess now I know because of the trauma of impact?
Kevin
-
Uh next question.
-
;D Every 6 months
-
I was always curious why it was that whenever I visit a dentist to have my false tooth piece fixed (Stepfather walloped me in the back of the head and I smacked my face off the back of the dining room steel chair and half went missing) they X-Ray it to see if it needs a root canal. Never has. Just always curious why. I guess now I know because of the trauma of impact?
Kevin
When I was twelve, I got hit in the mouth with a baseball that I failed to catch. Broke my left front tooth clean in half.
They put a fake bottom half on using pins (which I later was told was a practice abandoned by most years earlier (this was in about 1992). They warned me that eventually I'd need a root canal.
Fast forward about 10 years.
The tooth dies. I know this because I have an abcess (sp?) and the fluid (correct me if I'm wrong doc) had drained out of my teeth into my gums creating a pocket of fluid. This required a root canal, and then a crown.
My guess is, that they're keeping an eye on your tooth because eventually you're going to go through what I did.
-
What exactly has to be done to re-implant a tooth? Can they be re-attached and have the same strength that they did before? I always figured when a few teeth were knocked out it was time for some dentures.
Basically if it's been out an hour or less there's a good chance that the ligament on the root of the tooth will take back to the ligament left in the socket in the bone. That's really the key, an hour or less. Also there are various transportation mediums that the avulsed tooth can be placed in from the site it was knocked out until you get to a dentist. There's something a lot of school nurse's offices have called Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (Save A Tooth) that has exactly the right mix of salt and nutrition to keep the cells in the ligament on the root of the tooth alive so that they'll be viable and reattach to the bone when it's reimplanted. If you don't have Hank's on hand, you can also use milk, saliva, or water with varying degrees of success.
Even if all goes well, and the tooth takes back to it's home, there's a good chance that the tooth will have to have a root canal at some point in the patient's life.
:P
You really do learn something new every day.
Amazing.
-
They warned me that eventually I'd need a root canal.
Fast forward about 10 years.
The tooth dies. I know this because I have an abcess (sp?) and the fluid (correct me if I'm wrong doc) had drained out of my teeth into my gums creating a pocket of fluid. This required a root canal, and then a crown.
My guess is, that they're keeping an eye on your tooth because eventually you're going to go through what I did.
That's what my Dentist told me we would have to watch for in the coming years. She'll x-ray the teeth annually looking for an abscess or other evidence that the roots or nerves have died. Most likely I'll need a root canal if I don't loose the teeth in the next few weeks.
-
What's a "dentist"?
No...seriously...
-
Oh man, I fall in the I can't remember the last time category. 10-12 years. :-[
Had couple of problems with my chicklets, left side upper & lower. Teeth didn't bother me just the minor swelling so I saw the dentist 2 days ago & had them checked. Yep, a couple of cavities. So this afternoon I go back & get some work done. I hate the needles & the drilling but this went smooth. He had to give me 1 more freezing after some drilling to remove a filling as I almost hit the roof but after that nada.
My left side is still frozen, oh I can't wait for that to be gone. :-\
All in all he said everything should be fine, I go back after C4 just for a minor check & cleaning. He said my teeth were pretty good for not seeing a dentist for that amount of time.
Pure laziness on my part but I tell ya, see yoor dentist every six months. You're chicklets will love you.
-
When I was in third grade, the dentist decided I should have a couple of permanent teeth pulled because my mouth was too small. I was terrified. I had the shot and lay there in the chair, and when I came out, I opened my mouth and asked my mother how it looked, and she said that the dentist didn't pull my tooth; he decided it wasn't ready. Nice of someone to tell the patient!! So, I refused to go back to the dentist for about 15 years, until my wisdom teeth insisted on being removed. A few years later, my husband convinced me to go get a cleaning, and then I had to go back for a couple of fillings. That was at least five years ago. I can't remember exactly. But I always brush at least twice a day!!
-
so i've been getting caught up on some dental work i've been putting off for...forever.
I had a maryland bridge on my left lower between two molars that was put in when I was a teenager...there was no adult tooth to grow in, hence the bridge. Well the bridge came out about a year ago and took half of the molar it was attached to with it. So last month I got a root canal on that tooth. Next step is a crown and then they're going to replace the missing tooth with an implant instead of another bridge. don't think insurance covers that, so I'm getting ready for the bing chaching.
Also had a molar (#31, for Dr. Skidmark) extracted on Monday. It had broken ...oh about a year ago too, and has given me pain ever since. Oral surgeon who removed it said he didn't know how I'd stood the pain from it that long...he couldn't get it numbed completely because there was some infection deep in the root, but because he's brilliant he drilled away at the material until he could see the nerve and then put the novacain directly on the nerve. Felt like an electric shock for about a second, and then nothing. He was able to then get it out no problemo. now my jaw is kinda swollen and sore, but otherwise that turned out well. THe cool part of that procedure was that he used a dental CT Scan instead of xrays so he was able to show me all kinds of neat things about my skull and jaw, and was able to go ahead and look at the bone where he will eventually put the implant.
-
How timely that this thread should be bumped, for I just had my first experience with a "deep cleaning." This is basically where they (as I'm told) aggressively clean your teeth below the gumline. They have to numb your mouth, since they're digging in there pretty good. I had to have this done since apparently the gum measurements (or whatever they call 'em) for my mouth went from 2-3 six months ago, to 5-6 just this last month, and I was bleeding all over the place. The frustrating thing is no one has an explanation why. Anyway, other than it taking over an hour for just one side of my mouth (I "get" to have the other side cleaned next Thursday), not much pain. Basically, my gums just feel irritated, like I'd been eating stale tortilla chips.