Ahh a place to rant about dentists...

[Villaine]

Where to begin? I had my first set of teeth pulled out when I was 5 under GA which left me with the happy childhood memory of waking up with a bloody cloth covering my face.

I managed to get into my teenage years without incident until I finally had to go see a dentist to have a minor cavity fixed. After ramming a needle into the roof of my mouth causing me to pass out and then vomit, he very kindly mocked my lack of nerve.

Fast forward to today at the ripe old age of 44 after innumerable fillings, root canals and extractions and I am forced to make a blanket statement that 8 out of 10 dentists are sadists ( what would draw a person to be a dentist other than sadism or greed really? I have yet to see the dentist who has had years of dental work done and became a dentist to help others ). It has taken me years to at last find a dentist and an oral surgeon who do not belittle me, or make it seem like it's my fault I have bad teeth and seem to understand that tooth pain really, really, really hurts. ( If there was a way to pull it off, I would love to have dentists experience and abcess for 1 day during their training ).

I also finally have a dentist who does not want to heroically drain my wallet by attempting to fix my teeth. It only took 30 years of looking too

Now I hit the financial problem of the mighty OHIP system which doesn't cover squat related to dental work. My employer's insurance covers up to $1000 a year ( peanuts that can be used up in 2-3 visits ), but once I save up the remaining pennies, my last 18 teeth will come out and I can rest at last. I know some of you understand that constant fear that every twinge or pulse in your mouth is going to explode into full blown pain at any moment.

One last rant ( I'm probably lying ). Recently I had a severe abcess over a weekend, the entire side of my face was swollen. After sitting in emergency for 6 hours I was prescribed anti-biotics and sent home. Three days later nothing had changed and the pain was excruciating. Back to the emerg I went and fortunately my dental surgeon was on call at the hospital. He immediately put me on an IV antibiotic and removed the tooth as soon as it was safe to do so. He said that if it had gone on much longer the abcess could have spread into my eyes or even my brain and proven fatal!

So why is dental health given such an incredibly low priority ( in Ontario Canada anyway ) and why are dental patients treated with disdain because it's their own "damned fault" they have bad teeth? Should have brushed/flossed more dammit !

Ok done for now

Villaine

 

[B]

hi Villaine to the boards

sounds like you've had quite a time of it, those are some nasty experiences you have described as a fellow abscessee and sadists toy I know what you've been through.

scared to go, scared not to go, cant afford to go, cant afford not to go.

I'm sure you will find lots of support here