Had a routine appointment with Dr. Crentist this morning. Even though I was just going in for my bi-annual cleaning I dreaded the visit just as much as I would a root canal. I HATE the dentist. In my mind, it is an hour of pure torture.
I think that my bad attitude towards going to the dentist stems from my childhood. When I was young I went to the dentist regularly. And I regularly came out with 1, 2, sometimes even 3 cavities per visit. I kid you not. My mother even got to the point where she would pay me if I came out with a "zero cavities" report. I think that of the numerous times she took me to the dentist as a child she maybe had to pay me twice.
As I've grown up and learned to take care of my teeth better, the zero cavity reports have become more frequent. I still have them, but just not every single time that I go. However, this has come at a cost. Over the past three years, I cannot come out of the dentist without some sort of referral to some sort of specialist. I ignored the periodontist referral for about a year and then finally went to see him last year. I ended up having to have surgery. After that was taken care of, I went back to the dentist and came out with a referral for some jaw specialist. Still haven't followed up on that little problem. Today? Today, I was told that I need to go to an orthodontist. Apparently, I need a freaking bite guard because I grind my teeth at night. And also they think a few of my teeth are a little "too mobile" for their liking. When you tell me that my teeth are mobile, I will take you seriously. So, bite guard here I come. Yipee.
In summary, I hated the dentist when I was young because I always got into trouble for having cavities. (I really couldn't help it -- I did brush and floss). Now, I hate the dentist because I cannot go without being referred to someone else for some random problem that I have. Can't I just go back to the days of having cavities?
On a positive note, Dr. Crentist has stopped handing out the cheap dental floss and is now giving Oral B satin floss to his patients after each visit. At least I've got that.
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4 comments:
bite guards are so hot
I was the kid who never got the "Yay No Cavities!" sticker too. Now I make my dentist give me one each time I have no cavities. I'm still working on persuading him to just pull all my teeth and give me dentures.
which is hotter - dentures or bite guards?
i hate being old. i guess its better to have dental problems than health problems but it still sucks.
Maybe, just maybe, after a *few* more referrals to those specialists, your teeth will be as healthy as can be. The lesson is that it's better to frequent the dentist's office than have it all in one go. So at this point, are you still getting referred after the first visit?
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