Dentist or Torturer

As a child I always considered my dentist as more torturer than healthcare professional. My childhood memories of going to the dentist were not good. The dentist was shall we say fairly old school and the experience was such that one just tried to block it out of the mind between one bi-annual check and the next. A combination of a childhood sweet tooth, non fluoridation of local water supply and in truthfulness not the same focus on daily dental hygiene that I have as an adult led me to have many fillings as a child. Dentistry then was really just all about ‘drill it and fill it’ and come back in 6 months for some more. No pre inspection enquiries about general health , no post treatment recommendations.

I can still hear that drill now from when I sat in the waiting room as my sister had pulled rank and gone first😰

Such changed days.. my dental surgery is fresh, white, bright and clean. The tv displays videos focussed on care of teeth and teeth whitening. The sound proofing means you never hear a drill unless you are the recipient.

But as a patient it’s now very much like being in the ‘Who wants to be a Dental Millionanaire chair’ . They always start with an easy question. How often do you clean your teeth? Answering ‘2 or 3 times daily’ seems to illicit a favourable response . But then the questions go up in levels. Are you brushing using a soft or hard brush? Are your using inter dental brushes?, Are you flossing? Are you using mouth wash ? Is the mouthwash alcohol free?

With every dental visit the bar is set higher. I am due to go soon and fully expect the next question to be ‘have you employed a hygienist to regularly visit you at home and check the cleanliness of your teeth’

Bring back the torturer…

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