Whups.
If you go to Google, click images, and search for “dental calculus” those are pretty much the first pictures you get. I hope no one was eating an egg mcmuffin at the time.
Those photos did make me want to reach for the ol' trusty Cavitron and start scaling away! I've actually seen one patient from Vietnam, I think it was, who never had a cleaning ever. He was about 35 years old, and he had baked on tartar that was so thick it was obscuring his lower teeth. I had to have my assistant use the high volume to snatch up the chunks that broke away. It ended up clogging the vacuum tube a few times.
Maybe it's a dental thing, but it was actually quite satisfying chipping away large chunks of the stuff. The teeth slowly became apparent, and you just knew that the gums would start bouncing back to health.
Me, I kind of try to overlook the “ugliness” and “graphic” nature of the things I encounter in people's mouths. I just see the potential to help people out. It's like if you have a deformed child as a patient. Do you consider them “graphic” or “hideous” or do you just see them as an unforunate soul who just so happens to be afflicted by a severe malformation?
I had a 6 year old girl with what must have had some form of neurofibromatosis, the type of disease John Merrick had. A large part of her skull and face were enlarged and deformed. I suppose if I posted a photo of her many people would be shocked, but you know what? She was one of the best patients I've ever had. She was such a sweet child, and she had the eyes of an angel. I think they had to enucleate one of her eyes due to some pathology a few months later after I saw her, but wow what a trooper. Imagine your ideal dental patient, and there I had her in the chair.
The parents had taken her for numerous surgeries over the years to try to improve the situation, but you could tell there was only so much the surgeons could do. If you had a chance to meet this little person, you would see the strong little, beautiful girl underneath the malformed exterior. I guess sometimes you have to look at things from a different perspective.
Those people with the severe calculus in the photos must have either been dentophobic or not had access to adequate dental care for quite some time.
xx
. I was expecting you to say “BLACK... 
they're all coming out!!! 
“ So, knowing if the teeth and gums are otherwise ok they can be saved is very reassuring
