I went to a dentist recently that was supposed to be a cheap one (someone said they base the bill on your income.) I got the bill a week later and one of the charges on it it said "Oral Hygiene Instr." So, I called them just to make sure it was what I thought it was. Sure enough, they charged me for how to brush my teeth!!! And they charged $25 too.....For people who have insurance, stuff like that should be considered insurance fraud (although I don't have dental insurance).

I've had a tooth that's hurt for well over a year now. Every time I go to him, he claims ``I can't see anything wrong'', then proceeds to shave my teeth and screw up my bite once again.

I need a new dentist.

I'd recommend mine, he's very good, but it'd be a helluva drive.

I've had a tooth that's hurt for well over a year now. ....I need a new dentist.

I think you may be right. You'd think that they'd investigate more, call in a periodontist or do *something*.

I have had a few bad dentists, but more good ones. What a sucky job, looking in the nasty mouths of strangers. The good ones deserve a decent income, IMO. I have a fantastic, practical, fairly conservative dentist right now. I worship him.

My dentist is fantastic. He's easy going, tries not to operate if at all possible, and (best of all) does not try to lay down guilt trips for my not making my teeth the thing of highest imporntance in my life. Not that he doesn't give advice, but he has a realistic view of life.

I need a new dentist.

So do I, but that's because I've not bothered going to one since before University -- that's 9 years now -- and my teeth need cleaning.

My teeth are indestructible I tell you. Indestructible. Mwahahahahah!!!

I'm in the same situation, though in my case it is 14 years since I went. I've also never needed a filling. Which is odd seeing as I didn't clean my teeth til the age of 15 (it is amazing the changes getting your first girlfriend brings about)...

My teeth seem to be made of chalk - despite brushing twice a day without fail most of my back teeth are filled. I am now worried because my single wisdom tooth is now at a funny angle and seems to be heading towards my lower gum! I believe it is somewhat painful to have them removed (any stories?).

The dentist I am with hasn't taken NHS patients for many years, though I pay the standard rates. I think it's about £20 ($32) for a 5 minute check-up and about £30 ($50) for a amalgam filling.

They are not exactly local either (1/2hr drive), but when you find a good dentist you don't let them go!

When I was youger, a friend went to the "local" dentist for some extractions due to having crowded mouth. After several injections he complained he could still feel the area where the teeth were. She ignored him and removed them anyway, and he was not pleased! Interestingly, she was actually jailed for defrauding the NHS a few years back.

Gareth

...I didn't clean my teeth til the age of 15 (it is amazing the changes getting your first girlfriend brings about).

I know a dentist who drives a Noble. So they are no more wealthy than Hugo...

I think you may be right.

If it were a toothache, I'd definitely have done something by now. But it's just hypersensitive. I simply don't eat on that side of my mouth. Regardless, something needs to happen.

I believe it is somewhat painful to have them removed (any stories?).

I had several wisdom teeth all removed at once many years ago and it was not too bad. I had a twilight anaesthetic (I remember waking up at one point from a strong tug from within my mouth and mumbling ``Aren't you done yet?'') and there was aching afterwards, but not enough to really effect my lifestyle. The worst part was changing gauze at the back of my mouth.

Of course, that's been about fifteen years ago now, and British dentistry may be much different anyway.

I had my lower wisdom teeth pulled about 4 years ago -- what a pain in the ass. They put me down for the procedure and when I woke i did NOT feel good. The worst part was looking like a God damn chipmunk for 3 days. It was insane how huge my cheeks were.

I had my lower wisdom teeth pulled about 4 years ago...what a pain in the ass.

Most people have them in their mouth. Or are you inferring that you speak sh..?

Joking aside, I had all four removed in 2 hits, both times under local anaesthetic. Not too bad, the wrenching noises were interesting. The worst part is afterwards - nothing but water for the first few hours, then soft foods only for the rest of the day. It's kinda strange having a hole in your gum - it'll have a bruised feeling to it for a couple of weeks, perfectly bearable until you forget about it and crunch onto something hard.

Some toothpastes can either cause sensitivity or help it get better. What kind do you use?

Heh, my dad is an oral surgeon. He does a lot of cancer/reconstructive work, but wisdom teeth are his bread and butter. His favorite anisthetic isn't really an anesthetic at all, but a dissociative. You're awake, can answer questions, open wider, etc, but you don't remember ANY of it when you come around. My best friend and I had all four of our teeth pulled the same morning. Needless to say, I was pleased with the way things went, up to the time that my mom realised that she forgot to get my pain killer rx filled. Lucky for me dad could just call it in and go get it.

The coolest thing about the whole deal was that Keith had his pulled 30 minutes before I did, and since I grew up running around dads office, I had free reign of the place, so I walked into Keith's room and got to mess with him while he was going under. LOADS of fun and he doesn't remember any of it to this day. The funniest thing was when I unplugged his pulse/ox lead and his heartbeat went flat. You should have seen his eyes! Oh, and I forgot to mention, the anisthetic was developed in the nazi concentration camps as a truth syrum, it just happens to have all these handy side effects.

Anyway, I was eating hard foods the next day. It all depends on your surgeon. I for one would NEVER get a tooth pulled by a general dentist. They just don't do it enough to get good at it. I personally prefer to go to dentists that are about 60 years old. They've been doing their job a LONG time, and they're excellent at it. Usually.

Some toothpastes can either cause sensitivity or help it get better. What kind do you use?

I've used a variety. (Right now, I'm using Tom's of Maine because of their no-cruelty policy and the fact that they don't use any sweetener.) None of them seem to make it better, though I haven't tried any of those that are meant specifically for sensitive teeth. I think that there's something more acute wrong, though, as it's really only one tooth, not my teeth in general.

More likely there's a hairline fracture in the tooth or a small cavity all the way through the dentin to the root. Do you notice it more often with cold or hot? Sweets? All the time? Keep in mind it could also be transferred pain from your sinuses or another problem. Sinus issues would not normally last a year though. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being unbearable, how bad is the pain?

I've had sensitivity for a while in a few teeth. Turns out its my bite. I've had it adjusted which took away the sensitivity for a little while, but now it's back. The dentist said I might have to have it adjusted multiple times before the sensitivity goes away. In some cases it never does.

I'm under the impression that there's a cavity or fracture he can't see, as I think I can feel a sharp point there with my tongue. He's laboring under the idea that it's my bite and has ``corrected'' it a number of times so that now it feels like my law sits sideways in my head. I just need to go to another dentist, maybe just once to get a second opinion. I'm not saying it's not my bite, but he seems almost dismissive.

It's not a sinus thing. I've had that and it's not similar at all. It does it really bad with cold. And not even cold, but cool. I have to make sure the tapwater is at mouth temperature before I can wash the toothpaste out of my mouth in the mornings. That pain is bad enough to make me wince uncontrollably and usually poind my foot on the ground. It's outrageously painful to have gone on for a year. I'd give it a 7 or 8, but it's amongst the more painful things I've ever experienced; I'm just leaving some leeway for having to hack my own arm off. Fortunately, I can avoid it; in fact, I always do unless I'm testing. Pressure, too, but not as bad; it's at about 2. Hot I'm not so sure about. I seem to have to hit it just right for heat to get past pressure with food and I almost never drink hot drinks. The once or twice I've experienced it, it's been with a hot sandwich, and I'd give it a 3 or so. Sweets I haven't noticed it bothering me at all. (I just hate sweetener in toothpaste because it tastes awful.)

These numbers seem to be getting neither better nor worse. I first noticed it when I got a crown on the tooth next to it, and I assumed for a long time that it was just that tooth healing, but I'm about 99% positive now that that's not the case.

I'm not saying it's not my bite, but he seems almost dismissive.

Hard to ignore that. No dental coverage for contractors, eh? Maybe you can cut a deal for a very focused exam/consult. The tricky part is finding somebody whose opinion you'll have confidence in.

Dentist stories:

1) I think a lot of military dental work gets done in the summer when the reservists show up for 2 weeks. In 1974, I had 4 *big* wisdom teeth that apparently were almost lying perfectly sideways -- the hearing in one ear would occasionally drop out, presumedly from pressure from one of these. Soooo. one June day, they sat me in a chair at the hospital at Fort Sill and started an IV for a blast of Valium and Sublimaze........the next thing I remember is my toes dragging across the parking lot as 2 female dental techs -- both of them *robust* women, one under each arm -- carried me back to my barracks across the street. They made it and may be the last women seen in that barracks on official business.

A few days and lots of Percocets later, I was fine. No hearing drop-outs. They apparently had to drill 3 of them, then split them with a cold chisel to pull out the pieces.

A gross part: I never knew, but found out that there are some porous little bones floating around in there supporting those wisdoms, and every so often for a few months afterward one of those bones would float to the surface and I would spit it across the mess hall into somebody's soup.

2) I had a decent dentist in the late 80s who did 4-5 crowns at a point when I had decent insurance. She retired to be a full-time mother. After a year, I went back to see the guy who took over her practice (in a fairly posh office). This guy was young, handsome, smooth, and admittedly emphasized cosmetic dentistry. I told him that I had decent insurance again and that I was looking to make sure that I used it effectively. He did an exam and bite impression and said he would get back to me with a proposal. I went back in a week and he pretty much told me that all of those prior crowns were junk and he proposed to rip everything out and start over. Price tag? $23,000.

I smiled my crooked smile, nodded, left, and never returned. *Luckily*, through word of mouth, I found a local guy who is very nice, very sharp and very on top of things. Those crowns? They're fine.

through word of mouth

...no pun intended...