Nicole posted about her recent dental experiences the other day, and I don’t want to be a copycat in any way, but it must be dentistry season or something because I have a LOT of dental topics to cover.
Over-Communicators: First, like Nicole, I get WAY too many communications from my dentist. They have an email newsletter (why?) and they send reminder texts and reminder emails and for a long time, they were sending “we have an appointment available!” texts that they have fortunately either discontinued or stopped sending to me in particular. I don’t need to hear from my dentist this often. Does anyone?
For my recent appointment, I got a confirmation text at FIVE AM which was then immediately followed by a phone call. (And then the chime alerting me to a voicemail.) They also sent an email, but I don’t have email notifications enabled on my phone so it didn’t bother me immediately. Out of spite, I refused to confirm my appointment. That’ll show ‘em.
Listen. Because my husband is a physician, and is plagued by cancellations and no-shows, I know better than many how important it is for healthcare providers to remind patients about their appointment time. But three simultaneous notifications is a little aggressive, no?
Routine Cleaning, Visit 1 of 3: I have been to the dentist three times in the past six weeks, which is really far too many times a person should need to go to the dentist. In my opinion. The first visit was for a routine cleaning. While I was there, I mentioned that I have been having pain in one of my molars. I live in absolute terror of needing another root canal – not because the root canal itself was so bad; it wasn’t, as I was knocked out, but because the cold test they do to confirm dead/dying root was the single most painful experience of my life so far. I am not eager to repeat it.
The dentist said that the molar pain could be that the root needs canaling (I don’t know how to talk about dentistry)… or it could be that my gums are receding a little bit and exposing the nerve… or it could be the imperceptible beginning of a cavity… or it could be because I clench my teeth.
Since I get terrible headaches on the regular, we kind of settled on the teeth-clenching issue as being our first area of attack. (Well, plus I am once again using exclusively toothpaste for sensitive teeth, which does seem to be helping a bit.) The plan of attack seems to be getting a night guard. I am hopeful that the night guard will help prevent me from clenching my jaw while I sleep, and that this will keep the headaches at bay.
The Old Night Guard: The fact is, I have had a “dental appliance” for over a decade that is supposed to solve the jaw clenching problem. But I used it only a few times when I got it, and have tried it a few times since only to shove it back into my drawer as quickly as possible. I hate it. It is small – maybe the size of… a pencil sharpener? an overlarge die? I am really struggling to come up with something the exact shape and size. Slightly smaller than one of those miniature boxes of Nerds? It attaches to my upper front teeth and keeps me from closing my teeth together.
The first thing I hate about it is that it fits SO tightly. It’s slightly difficult to pop on, but it is far far worse to remove. I feel like the only way I will ever get it out of my mouth is to break my top front teeth in half. Releasing it in the morning is extremely stressful.
The second thing I hate about it is that it is small. I have a (possibly irrational) fear that I will swallow it or choke on it at night. The last time I used it – I think in a desperate attempt to stave off the last root canal; is this foreshadowing because I don’t like it – I woke up and couldn’t find it and was CERTAIN that I had swallowed it in the night. As my husband and the dentist pointed out, it fits so snugly on my teeth that there is no way it could have fallen off in the night. So I must have removed it myself while I was asleep. To that I say: it is so incredibly difficult to remove, there’s no way I did it while unconscious. But probably no one else removed it for me. In any event, I am no less fearful of swallowing the stupid thing while I sleep. So I don’t wear it and every time I complain to the dentist about jaw pain/headaches, he gives me an exasperated look and asks if I am wearing my appliance.
New Favorite Dentist: A new dentist recently joined our practice. I was telling her all about my jaw clenching woes and my fear of the appliance I already own. She immediately won me over by saying, “Well, you definitely don’t want to worry about swallowing your night guard!” like it was a completely reasonable worry to have. And then she set me up to be fitted for a new, un-swallowable (and MUCH more comfortable) night guard. Also, I have never had a woman dentist before, and she seems cool and fun and I wish we could be best friends.
Observation: I am noticing that I never refer to my male healthcare workers as cool and fun. Hmm. Hmmmmmm.
Best Filling Ever, Visit #2: Also during my routine cleaning appointment, the new dentist looked at a tooth that has had, for YEARS, a little divot in it. I am sure that the old dentist was keeping a close eye on it, and apparently something has recently changed to make it catch the attention of the new dentist. “You need a filling,” she said.
Yay. Good times.
When I went back for the filling, I was extremely nervous. I have mentioned before how much anxiety I get at the dentist, but mouth shots really fire up the ol’ anxiety engine. “How many shots will I need?” I asked. And she said, none, the filling was small enough she thought she could do it without numbing me at all. At which point I grew more nervous. I told her that I have a very low pain tolerance and that I was afraid it would hurt. She seemed to take this seriously, which I appreciated. She said she would be happy to numb me for the procedure, but that she thought the numbing shots would be much worse than the filling. So I tensed every single muscle in my body and prepared for the worst.
You guys. It took five seconds and was completely painless. Completely. Painless. She simply put some faux-enamel or whatever it is they use for fillings into the divot in my tooth, used some magical hardening tool to set it, and was done. Someone else sanded it down, and the whole ordeal was over. BEST FILLING EVER.
Of Doppelgangers and Flattery: The person who did both my filling and the subsequent scanning for my nightguard was new to me. Instead of my regular hygienist, or any of the three dentists in the practice, this person must have been… a dental technician? A hygienist? I have no idea. No one introduced me to her or told me her title or anything, and I guess that’s on me for just trustingly walking back to a reclining chair and opening my mouth for a stranger with a bunch of pokey tools at her disposal.
She was very nice, despite the pokey tool availability. After the filling, she fitted me for the nightguard. To do so, she took a 3D scan of my upper teeth using a very odd machine about the size of an electric toothbrush. As she was scanning my teeth, she said that I look JUST like her friend’s daughter. It must have been quite a close resemblance, because she mentioned it several times, and then told me some details about the friend’s daughter as though that might remind me that I was indeed her twin or something. (I am being snarky, but truly I have no idea what to do in that kind of situation! How do you respond when someone insists that you look identical to someone you’ve never met? I have never had a doppelganger before!)
She asked me how old I am. I told her, in that awkward lisping way one does while someone else’s hands are in their mouth, that I am 41. She stopped scanning my teeth, stepped back, and removed her protective eyewear. “You’re kidding,” she said. “My friend’s daughter just turned 30.” I don’t generally think of myself as looking either younger or older than I am, but it was very pleasing to be mistaken for a 30-year-old youth.
Night Guard Fitting, Last Appointment (for Now): Once the scan was turned into a 3D model of my upper teeth, I had to return once more to the dentist. This time, the dentist had to fit the night guard to my bite. At first, she said it was very important that my bite be even, otherwise wearing the guard could cause me pain. So she put that weird dark paper (Google tells me it is called “articulating paper”) in between my night guard and my bottom teeth and had me bite down on all sides, then she would use a special tool to grind away the parts that were uneven. She did this for thirty minutes, grinding the night guard down, blowing all the dust off of it, reinserting it into my mouth, asking me if it felt even, having me bite down on the articulating paper, removing the guard, grinding some more. I began to get the sense that she was growing weary of the repetition. “Is it getting better?” she’d ask, of the evenness of my bite. I started telling her it was getting a bit better, even though it didn’t seem better to me. Eventually, I asked her what would happen if it was uneven. “Well, you might have some pain,” she said. “You can always bring it back in and we can adjust it later.” So the next time she inserted the night guard, I told her it was great.
Was this a bad move? Maybe! But I hate things like that! I want the thing to be correct, to work correctly. The dentist presumably wants the thing to work correctly too. But it was taking SO LONG to get it right. And even though the dentist never said so in so many words, I could tell she was getting antsy, which made me want to move things along. Plus, I started doubting my own perceptions. Maybe this was exactly how it was supposed to feel! Maybe my bite is weird to begin with! But now maybe the night guard is not going to work as well as it could??? And then I will have to go back, a FOURTH time, to get it recalibrated? UGH.
Carla, Future Animal Dentist: Carla, lucky spring breaker that she is, came with me to the night guard fitting appointment. She was very interested in every single thing the dentist did, and asked five million questions (including quizzing the dental assistant about why she wanted to work with teeth and asking if they used a 3D printer to make my night guard), and the dentist seemed to love her inquisitiveness. She answered every question and even showed Carla how to work the various little tools on her tray – the grinder thing, the air blowy thing, the water sprayer thing. She kept asking Carla if she wanted to be a dentist, and Carla – ever agreeable – said yes! Of course! A dentist! even though she has never once expressed interest in dentistry in her life.
Then, as is Carla’s way, she said, “Maybe I could be a dentist for animals!” The dentist and the dental assistant and I kind of laughed gently at this, although for all I know maybe there ARE dentists for your pets, and Carla went on: “Yes! I will be an animal dentist! And I will make night guards for cats and dogs and horses!”
Personalization: The dentist sent me home with my not-too-ill-fitting night guard in a little box. She gave the box to Carla to carry and told her that she could decorate it for me. Which Carla did.
Oh my goodness, I had that small tight EXPENSIVE guard thing too, and couldn’t even get through one night wearing it. Too much pressure to sleep and I was sooooo afraid of choking on it. I took it out and put it on my nightstand, and never found it again. I think my dog ate it.
IT IS TOO SMALL. And having a dentist say, “You won’t choke on it” is not enough to make me believe that I won’t choke on it.
My older daughter has a Maine coon and they have bad teeth even at a young age. The price the vet wanted to clean Ziggy’s teeth was outrageous. Unbelievable. Carla might be on to something. I wear my old retainer as my mouth guard; it’s ancient and gross but it does the job. My grandfather was my dentist growing up so I have a different take on dentists than many. He would yell at me for not flossing which my current dentist doesn’t do at least.
Oh right! Cats DO sometimes have bad teeth! I think my parents had a cat who needed dental work.
My kids’ dentist sends emails allllllllll the time. And he sends one to each kid and one to me. Except my kids are kids and don’t have email. So he sends four copies of the same email to me, with each of our names mail merged into the first line as the only difference. Also he sends birthday emails out that say “and we approve today’s cake” and I know they mean it to be lighthearted and amusing but I find it so grating that my dentist thinks he has any say over whether my children get cake on their birthdays.
My dog had a horrible terrible underbite and yes, there are dentists for dogs. We never went to one because she was a dog but the vet told us that specialty dentists for animals do exist.
Jen. That is TOO MANY emails. And I would be annoyed about the cake humor, also. And I am delighted to know that there ARE dentists for animals.
i think it’s time to unsubscribe to at minimum the dentist newsletter – who needs that?? I complained and they did reduce the number of reminders sent. I’ve been wearing a bottom mouth guard for grinding for many years now – the laser fitted ones are tight but not as tight as when they made an actual mold. It took maybe 3 nights for me to get used to it. And they didn’t have to adjust it at all after they checked it with the blue paper — maybe your lab needs more training? I do hope they got it right!
I hope so too! I am glad for the three-nights benchmark. Hopefully it goes well and I can sleep!
I worked in dentistry for 20+ years and it’s always insightful to hear patients describe their experiences.
I just went to the dentist this morning. What a coinkydink.
I have all of our dental notifications sent to my husband. 🙂
For a long time, the email notifications for me and my daughter (not the newsletter though????) went to my husband. But he would just forward them to me anyway, so I had them change it to my email. Sigh.
Big sigh. 🙁
I just went to the dentist last week, but just a teeth cleaning and x-rays. I have a new hygienist because my old one changed jobs after having a baby. I randomly ran into her and it reminded me how much I miss her. Because my new hygienist IS SO CHATTY. At the beginning of my appt which started at 10, I told her I had a dr appt at 11 that I was hoping to make and she said no problem because she had another patient coming at 11. But good Lord, she talked and talked and talked and I started to get anxious that I would be late for my next appt. I ended up getting out of the chair at 10:53. The appt could have easily been 10 minutes shorter if she had talked less! I know they are probably supposed to get to know you, but I’m tempted to change practices so I can see someone, um, less chatty?? But luckily we do not get an excessive # of reminders/notifications. Just a text message that you confirm by responding with yes or something like that. Thank goodness. Because those relentless reminders would annoy me!!
I hope the new mouth guard works. I can relate to the feeling of just wanting to say ‘yep it’s fine’ because you sense the other person is tiring of the process!
Oh my gosh, that kind of nonstop chatting would be so stressful! You have probably already thought of this, but I wonder if calling the dental office and mentioning it gently would help? Certainly other patients are having the same issues!
What is it with dentist’s offices and there incessive reminders? Mine does that too. Not necessary (or at least not for me!).
I am glad to hear you had a great experience with your new dentist. It’s so important to feel comfortable with the person that works inside your mouth.
I’m going to a new dentist next time, as my last one stopped taking my insurance, and I’m a bit concerned about where they will fall on the dentist scale. Too pushy? Too chatty? So laid-back I’ll be nervous they aren’t doing needed things, or want to do so many things I’ll think the dentist has a big boat payment or kids in college? WHO KNOWS. It is very stressful. At least I hope they will remind me less often, the old one was GUNG HO for reminders, including a text sent while I was driving to the appointment.
Yes, it is so hard to change to new people! I hope they are amazing.
It must be “dentist season” as I was just at my dentist’s office a week or so ago. In fact, it must be “doctor season” for me as I was at the gynecologists’ last week and my GP today.
There’s definitely hope for Carla to be a vet dentist; one of my friend’s kids is currently studying something or other having to do with horse (I think?) ocular health.
After years of buying expensive dentist bite plates, when the last one broke a family member (at the suggestion of my sister – a hygenist) bought the ones you prepare yourself from the pharmacy. It was like $30, I think? You boil them and make the mold yourself.
I’ve never worn one myself, but it has lasted over a year and was easy, peasy to do. The one from the dentist was going to be $400…so the $30 option was a great choice!
Excellent!! So glad it worked for you!
I am so bad because it’s been years since I’ve been to the dentist. I stopped going a few years ago because my regular dentist left the practice and I didn’t like the new one, and then I was all too happy to let COVID be an excuse to extend my dental vacation. I’ve gotten as far as intending to go sometime this spring…we’ll see.
I HATE the dentist, so I get it.
I am having dentist envy!! I mean, other than the voice mail at 5 in the morning, who DOES that. That new dentist sounds incredible and is it a coincidence she is female?
The vet is always saying I am supposed to brush Barkley’s teeth, and nope. I just give him those chew things that are supposed to do the job for you because nope. But if I had a Dr Carla to brush Barkley’s teeth…
Okay, if someone told me that I looked exactly like someone who was 11 years younger than me, I would probably make out with that person, dental appliance and all.
SO sorry you had to go to that much dentist! I hate going! Even though it’s an all-female staff and they’re nice! The other good thing about mine is that they give me a new toothbrush every visit so I haven’t had to spend my own money on toothbrushes in years.
Oh my gosh . . . I was going to suggest a full bottle of wine before bed as a way to avoid teeth grinding, because you would be SO relaxed. I suppose that is not very practical.
I laughed at how nice the dentist was despite having pokey tools at her disposal.
Oh. Sweet Carla. She is so funny. Imagine how grateful horses will be when supplied with their very own night guard after wearing a bit all day.
Okay, much to unpack here. I am with you and Nicole about too many communications from my dentist. There must be some company aimed at dentists that has brainwashed them all into over-communicating. I dunno, it’s weird.
I have a mouthguard like the one you got. I love the thing, LURVE it, I do. My jaw feels great with it. I went through the same fine-tuning appointment and it was worth it. All this being said, be prepared for how stained your new device gets. No matter how thoroughly you clean it, after a few years it is yucky– usable but stained.
As for your daughter wanting to be veterinary dentist, that is a cool career idea. I’m sure I didn’t think that longterm at her age.
Ally, I appreciate the dental appliance encouragement. Does the night drooling subside? Please say yes.
Yes. I has for me. You… who knows! 😉
Here’s hoping!
I literally laughed out loud when I saw the case with the cat sticker – Carla is such a sweet child! I love it.
I am actually envious of all your dental communications, because I can’t seem to even get an appointment here. I use the community dental services because I have Medicare, which doesn’t include dental coverage, so this is the cheapest alternative. They only had a phone number on their website, and I emailed explaining that I was deaf and was there a way to schedule an appointment another way – perhaps in person? (The office is right by my house.)
A very sweet girl emailed me a week or two later, asking if I’d gotten an answer. (No.) Then she said they aren’t taking new patients for cleanings because there is a staffing shortage. I told her she was awesome and thanked her for the information, and that seemed to surprise her because she wrote back and said she’d keep her eye out for cancellations for me (nice!) and also to check back in May. I just want my teeth cleaned! They closed down in 2020, in 2021 Dave called in March and was told to try back in August, then he got so sick and now I’m just over here begging a dentist to contact me. (LOL) Ah well!
I’m so glad your appointment(s) went well, and I too object when I’m told I have a filling that doesn’t need numbing. I let them do that once and was in so much pain. I admire your bravery!
Ugggghhh I hope you get an appointment soon!
Please let Carla know that equine dentist is a real job. Horses have to have their teeth filed every year or so, and it’s usually done by a horse dentist or a vet. It’s called “floating teeth” and they use giant rasps and power tools.
I’m just posting to let Carla know that equine dentist is a real job. Horses need their teeth filed and maintained every year or so and it can be done by a vet, or more commonly an equine dentist. It’s called “floating” and they use a big rasp and power tools. There are plenty of videos of horse teeth floating online.
Ugh, your post reminds me that I should be wearing a mouth guard at night. It’s just so uncomfortable! I don’t worry about swallowing it (since the mouth guard I gave is pretty big) but I just hate wearing it. I’m going to see about getting a custom one from my dentist, though. Maybe that will help?!
I love the way your new dentist reacted to your worry about swallowing your dental appliance! It’s nice when a doctor doesn’t brush off our concerns, isn’t it?
I have “one of those faces” so I get mistaken for other people all the time. Or maybe I’m a triplet and we were all separated at birth??? It IS hard to know what to say, though. It happens so frequently that I laugh it off and say “oh, I hear that all the time. I just have one of those faces.” LOL.
That is an excellent response.