"I love my dentist" (was: "I hate dentists")

[letsconnect]

Re: "I hate dentists"

Methinks the statement about hating dentists was slipped in there for the punchline... some of the moderators around here seem to have a peculiar sense of humour ...

Heheheh... hope nobody takes our posts too seriously !

 

[Parsnip]

Re: "I hate dentists"

Hi Pars,
 ....so how can you say as a dentist that you have never met a dentist that you like?  What about your own dentist then?

Of course I know dentists who are lovely clinicians, and lovely people generally, but most of them are a pain to work for, the little Tommy Tightfists!

Have you ever met a UK dentist who doesn't automatically vote Conservative to preserve his/her wealth? Don't hold out much hope for the answer .

Now there's a sweeping generalisation! I'll forgive yours, if you forgive mine!

So now we've had sex and politics in this thread...I'll leave someone else to do religion.

It's great that you are chipping in, in the non-technical sections....just thought I'd try to convert this thread yet again to 'I love my dentist'....instead of 'I hate dentists'.... Michelle34 where have you gone...help required please?

Sorry, must have misread the thread title  

Bye then!

Pars  

 

[vicki]

Re: "I hate dentists"

Sorry, must have misread the thread title

Dearie me... there was I thinking that you dentists were supposed to have good eyesight ...

Nevermind... you're keeping us amused !

Maybe we should start an "I love my dentist" thread.... only trouble is, I'm not sure what I'd say in it

 

[brit]

Re: "I hate dentists"

Vicki
Pars had of course 'read it right' but it's just that the majority of the posts in the thread were rather less damning of the profession as a whole. Come to think of it, I never much liked 'en masse' the people I used to work with either!

Pars
Thanks for admitting 'lovely clinicians' do exist....knew I wasn't going mad really .

 

[freakout]

Re: "I hate dentists"

Here's my two cents worth  

Don't be to concerned with the joking on this thread.  I really enjoy the way that Pars lightened up this thread.  Many posters view dentists or doctors as these stiff, non-approachable, superior beings to be feared.  I love the way that Pars (and Gordon too) show their wit.  It shows that there are dentists out there that are approachable and gives people hope They are not all the sadistic ogars will have grown to hate

 

[harper]

Re: "I hate dentists"

hi vicki
nooo u mustnt sstart that topic or michelle34 will re appear
anyway you all know IVE got THE BEST dentist lol

 

[brit]

Re: "I hate dentists"

Thanks Harper......right on queue
Don't worry I think Michelle34 has gone for good because we ganged up on her a bit for not 'keeping it clean' . I sort of knew what she meant though...I just wouldn't take it quite so far myself.

Actually I'd find it much easier to go along with 'I hate dental hygienists' but that's another story, and another thread which I do not intend to start.

 

[harper]

Re: "I hate dentists"

hi brit
glad to be of service!

 

[brit]

Danish dentist expressing surprise that so many of his British patients say 'I hate the dentist' when they meet him (From Evening Argus Archive from 1999)

The relevant bit is:

He says he finds it odd that the British are still so frightened of dentists.

He said: "About a third of my patients, when I see them for the first time, say to me, 'I hate dentists', before I've even had a chance to introduce myself.

"There's such a fear of pain, which is why a lot of people I see haven't seen a dentist for ten years or more. But technology has moved on so much that there's no reason why going to the dentist should be such a painful experience any more.

"Most dental work can be done without any pain, and nowadays we can even smear surface anaesthesia onto the gums rather than having to inject people."

Despite people's fears Sven says he has been inundated with patients from across the county since opening his new practice three weeks ago.

 

[jsalathe]

some of your patients had sadistic dentists that did not use any form of painkiller. my first 3-5 cavities, incuding in baby teeth, were done by this dentist. excruciating pain and PTSD involved with dental visits.

maybe you should ask about dental history.

 

[scaredsnail]

Hmmm, this is an interesting thread ... the "I love my dentist" thread

The dentist I went to as a child had been at school with my mother, and she told me that he and my aunt had been "an item" while they were at high school. It must be true, cos whenever I saw him he would first of all dutifully ask "How is your gran?" then, "And, how is your aunt Jane?". Hmm, happily married, actually!

My stock reply is "That's alright, I hate patients", seems to work fine for me.

We should develop some stock replies of our own, to the questions dentists ask. Like:

Dentist: When did you last see a dentist?
Patient: 10 years ago. When did you last see a software engineer?

(No, that's not my job, but my real job is sufficiently random and unusual that this works. )

 

[dariachick]

Re: "I hate dentists"

Hmmm, this is an interesting thread ... the "I love my dentist" thread  


We should develop some stock replies of our own, to the questions dentists ask.  Like:

Dentist: When did you last see a dentist?
Patient: 10 years ago.  When did you last see a software engineer?

(No, that's not my job, but my real job is sufficiently random and unusual that this works. )

hmmm network tech support IS my job ROFLMAO btw I love humour.. i just wish more dentists would use it... my first dentist whom i loved would always try to make me laugh and let me have time after he numbed me up that would let me relax and i could deal....

 

[scaredstiff]

Re: "I hate dentists"

I get the same in my line of work as an IT Tutor. I ask every new student why they have come onto a particular course, what they want to get out of it and often I get the reply, I hate computers. It's just their way of saying they're scared, that's all there is to it.

 

[brit]

Re: "I hate dentists"

I get the same in my line of work as an IT Tutor. I ask every new student why they have come onto a particular course, what they want to get out of it and often I get the reply, I hate computers. It's just their way of saying they're scared, that's all there is to it.

You are so right SS, that is actually all it means but the subtle difference is that they say 'I hate computers' not 'I hate computer teachers'.........

 

[kitkat]

Re: "I hate dentists"

You are so right SS, that is actually all it means but the subtle difference is that they say 'I hate computers' not 'I hate computer teachers'.........

LOL so I suppose the politically correct response for dental phobics should be ..."I hate dental work" ???...or ...."I hate teeth ??? haha

 

[brit]

Re: "I hate dentists"

Or better yet.....I'm worried/scared about xxxxxx.....is there anything you can do to help?

Although I find if I like the dentist on a personal level, the fear (deliberately inflicted unnecessary pain) evaporates and trust clicks in until such time as something happens to make me rethink...others may find it harder to trust and therefore have a harder time avoiding the 'I hate the dentist' syndrome, which if voiced must be pretty soul-destroying to have to put up with all day long.

 

[kitkat]

Re: "I hate dentists"

Great point Brit!
I totally agree with you on the trust thing...I believe that trust is the dental phobics best chance for a cure...the dentist I have now is the first one I have ever trusted and she's well deserving of that trust because she worked VERY hard to get it and it took a couple appts lol But she's also been the first one that I'm not phobic of and I don't think that's a coincedence =)

 

[liberated]

I like my dentist

I used to hate my dentist (that particular woman) at the primary school. We all did and she seemed to hate kids. We were terrified, because she was allways yelling at us without any obvious reason, not talking about actual procedures. Even the checkups were allways a very traumatic experience. My teeth were fortunately pretty healthy, but once I needed a filling and after that I was crying at home for a couple of days saying I will never go there again until my parents agreed that they would find me another dentist.

I was scared when I went to see that new dentist, but it was my chance to be rescued from that evil woman. He was nice to me and I kind of liked him. I was allways scared, because although he was nice he didn’t use anaesthetics for drilling as well as the previous dentist. But because he was nice and more gentle I could handle it. At least until I needed some deeper fillings which hurt badly and a pretty complicated mollar extraction for which he gave me a shot but I didn’t get numb. However after experience with the school dentist this dentist was still "a good guy" for me. I hated the procedures, the pain, the feeling that I have no choice than tough it out and have it done, but I didn’t hate the dentist. And actually I still believe he did his best according to what he was learnt. However when it became up to me to make the next appointment I have never returned. And seeing him as a good guy actually made it for me more difficult to pluck up the courage. I just took as a fact that a dental appointment hurt even with a good dentist. Even finding out that some dentists use LA for all procedures didn’t help me much, because I had the only experience during the extraction and it didn’t work.

So when I had the first appointment with my current dentist I felt like in the dental paradise. I told her what I’m afraid of and she put me at ease. She is amazing – really nice and caring and I really like her (and her painless treatment). I like to see her no matter what tools she has in her hands. And I can even say I like my dental appointments now. I don’t feel like I am going to see a doctor when I go there, rather like visiting a friend or a wellness club. Just a warm welcome, small talk and then I can just lay down and relax, being pampered and at the end I am told how well I did. That doesn’t happen anywhere else.

 

[Snowball]

Re: "I hate dentists"

I am the other way - would die rather than have a goodlooking dentist - the thought of someone seeing my 20 years neglected teeth, and being literally in my face - who I also fancied..... I'd head for the hills. Is probably why I prefer a woman dentist - but then I prefer women doctors too, don't know why, just trust women more than men. Tell you what, during my 14 year old's odyssey in orthodontists this past year, I discovered the fact that am very scared around the dental nurses who are 20 years old - but give me a reassuring middle aged lady any day of the week. Not being ageist, but some orange faced glamour girl doesn't inspire my confidence or relaxation.

On a slightly related track... My niece had a convoluted load of orthodontics and she hated going because the orthodontist had bad breath!

As for professions feeling unloved - my own old profession (teacher) you didn't really feel the love much, either with the government constantly telling you how to do your job - not because they were trained educationalists but because they'd been to school once. I often wondered how other professions would feel if they had all those punishing measures brought in for the sake of some imaginary *bad apples* the whole profession was hamstrung and constantly berated on the front page of the newspaper for how rubbish we were - whilst still working through our lunch hours, evenings and weekends for - in my case - less pay than an 18 year old copper on his first day on the beat... And the public perception of us no better either, because everyone thinks they're an expert on it. So I'll never hate the dentist. Just see her as someone who is there to help me get healthier. Think of some of the vile and undignified medical procedures us women go through - we don't hate the nurse for wielding the speculum!

 

[annie778]

Re: "I hate dentists"

Think of some of the vile and undignified medical procedures us women go through - we don't hate the nurse for wielding the speculum!

depends on the nurse and how rough she is. You can tell a lot about a person from the way they handle a speculum.