A filling of unease descends! (Dentists)

Member Name: kevin121

Product:	Dentists
Date:	04/06/09 (208 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Such nice people!

Disadvantages: The cost; the possible pain; needles

Having just returned from a visit to my dentist, I thought I ought to share my experience with you.

Around three years ago, I went for a routine appointment, only to be told the dreaded news, that yes, two teeth were giving cause for concern and at my next appointment, I would possibly need two fillings. Okay, I said, and off I went, probably to munch some cake and drink some coca cola (my drink of choice).

Well, time passed and as awful as it now sounds, six months turned into three years without a follow up check up! My main excuse being that I was frightened. I had managed to reach my late thirties without so much as a single filling, and I was scared of the prospect of the pain this would involve!

Then about a month ago, I started getting occasional toothache. The occasional toothache then turned into something more frequent, and what's worse, it started affecting both a top tooth and now a lower tooth. Well, I couldn't put it off anymore, I had to make an appointment. Fortunately for me, my local practice were happy to see me again, despite the fact that I'm an NHS patient and most practices now take you off their books if you don't attend in over 12 months.

In the days preceding my appointment, I naturally checked the internet to see what could possibly be the cause of such toothache (something I wouldn't recommend), only to find the most graphic descriptions of root canal treatment, with some lovely photos to boot! By the time my appointment came around (three days ago) I was convinced that I'd left it too late, and would need root canal treatment, or possibly an extraction.

So where does the fear of dentists come from? In my own experience, it didn't stem from either of my parents. My father sadly passed away when I was 11, but neither he nor my mother have ever passed on any irrational fear of dentistry. My mother has had almost the full works of dentistry stopping short of implants, and takes it all in her stride, using the time to take a short nap, she tells me.

My earliest experiences were having been referred to a specialist orthodontic hospital near Trafalgar Square in central London which has long since closed. Having had a lower jaw which wasn't in line with the top jaw, I needed to have regular casts taken, together with x-rays and have new braces fitted when appropriate. The work was non invasive, and from memory, I enjoyed my visits there, it was a fun place to be. The staff were all lovely, from the receptionist to the dental nurses and especially the dentists themselves, most of which were very young, and probably still in training.

This has remained the case, with all the dentists I have since used. Have you ever known a miserable dentist?

The only media representation they have that I'm aware of is as sadistic torturers - such as Lawrence Olivier in The Marathon Man - or essentially humourless people such as Ben Harper in the BBC's My Family sitcom. Making something that most of us fear the stuff of entertainment only perpetuates the myth that dentists get a secret thrill out of causing pain.

In reality it's almost as if only the nicest people get allowed on dentistry courses. The same can be said for all the staff at my local clinic. Even the receptionists there are in a different league to, say, doctors receptionists, showing none of the impertinence I'd usually associate with the latter.

Anyway, on Monday, sitting in the dreaded hot seat, I explained about the pain I'd been having with two of my teeth and my dentist (*A*) took a look in my mouth. Yes, I needed a filling in the top tooth, which I had fully expected. By this time I could almost feel the hole in the tooth with my tongue. The bottom tooth that had caused me some pain was fine, apparently the pain was only due to the top tooth, much like a missing limb can cause agony for amputees.

*A* explained it should really be done there and then, it was so bad. What could I say?!

The tooth in question was a premolar, near the front of my mouth.

Of the procedure itself, I can honestly say that when *A* came to numb my mouth, I didn't feel the needle at all, not even the scratch *A* had warned me about. Once she proceeded to start the work, I was extremely nervous, but that was more due to the fact that this was the first time for me, and I didn't know what to expect than any actual discomfort at all.

The downside was that *A* told me we may not have caught it in time, and I might have to come back for root canal treatment (I told you!).

I left on Monday £46 lighter, which covered the cost of the filling, two x-rays and a clean of my teeth. Together with a nicely numb face, I was given strict instructions that if the pain was still present on Tuesday to phone for another appointment as the filling may not have solved the problem. The rest of Monday was bliss - no pain - and the only hindrance being occasional dribbling when drinking liquids. I was looking forward to Tuesday heralding a new dawn, of no more pain (or dentists!) for at least six months.

Alas this was not to be. One of the first things I did on waking was to suck my breath in sharply (yes even this had caused sensitivity) only to find the filling hadn't properly cured the problem. The previous pain was gone, but I found the tooth was still overly sensitive to food and drinks, both hot and cold. I felt like I was in limbo, not properly cured of the problem, but without the main, dull aching pain.

So, having phoned to make another appointment, I was seen again this morning. Again, once I walked into the room, I was made to feel at ease by the attitude of my lovely dentist and her assistant.

Today I needed to have the filling removed so the cavity (read crater) could be cleaned and also had some medication inserted in a bid to clean the canals and tooth. Again, I needed a small numbing injection in the roof of my mouth, which considering it was in exactly the same place as last time, didn't hurt a bit. It took little over 20 minutes for the work today, finishing off with a new temporary filling. I have one further appointment to attend in 11 days time, where *A* can finish the treatment. It's possible the tooth may then need a crown, considering a small part of it had to be removed on the inside of my mouth on Monday.

Happily, as I wasn't as nervous today, the ordeal didn't seem so bad, despite the fact that I could feel more sensation such as my jaw moving while *A* was drilling! I was able to enjoy listening to the music from the radio they had switched on in the background more this time.

On *A*'s advice, I took a painkiller two hours after the procedure, and six hours after I arrived back home, I'm happy to report I've suffered no pain at all.

The one good thing that has come from this experience is that this was probably the impetus I needed to stop drinking coca cola every day (I have virtually no self control) and I have reduced my chocolate consumption to bare minimum, which can only be good for my overall health.

While I certainly wouldn't go overboard and say that I enjoyed the experience, it would be fair to say that my expectations were far worse than the reality.

I should point out that my experience relates only to one of my premolar teeth, which is next to the canine teeth at the front of the mouth. I'm sure that if you are needing treatment on your other bigger teeth nearer the back of your mouth it's probably not the same experience at all. Also, I haven't been charged for today's work at all. When I return, I'm sure I'll be charged then.

And if you need an extraction, of say, one of your wisdom teeth, then best of luck with that!

I'm hoping to keep my crocodile smile for years to come yet.

So, the moral as they say, is 'don't do as I do, do as I say'! Don't put off going for regular checkups, as the smaller the problem, the simpler it will be to correct. While this is patently obvious to most of you, in practice it takes a little courage. With hindsight, and knowing how little discomfort is actually involved, I only wish I'd gone sooner, I could probably have left with a simple small filling needing no further treatment.

Summary: Go regularly for check-ups.