So I go to the dentist the other day...

[Trekker4747]

I can just see them in the office rubbing their hands together drooling over all of the money they're going to get out of me with all of the fillings, veneers, gum-pulls and whatever else they could see me needing after a decade-and-a-half of not seeing a dentist and then they're like, "Dammit! All he needed was a basic cleaning!"

 

[Holdfast]

I can just see them in the office rubbing their hands together drooling over all of the money they're going to get out of me with all of the fillings, veneers, gum-pulls and whatever else they could see me needing after a decade-and-a-half of not seeing a dentist and then they're like, "Dammit! All he needed was a basic cleaning!"

Did they at least get you to spring for those mini x-rays? I did, first time I went back after all those years. Figured that I may as well get a quick look.

 

[Trekker4747]

I can just see them in the office rubbing their hands together drooling over all of the money they're going to get out of me with all of the fillings, veneers, gum-pulls and whatever else they could see me needing after a decade-and-a-half of not seeing a dentist and then they're like, "Dammit! All he needed was a basic cleaning!"

Did they at least get you to spring for those mini x-rays? I did, first time I went back after all those years. Figured that I may as well get a quick look.

Oh yeah, they gave me the X-Rays. I've no idea how much I'm paying out-of-pocket though.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Steven Wright:

I like my dental hygienist. I think she's very pretty. So when I'm in the waiting room I eat an entire box of Oreo cookies...sometimes they have to cancel all the rest of the appointments.

 

[Starbreaker]

Ugh... I'm jealous. I take pretty good care of my teeth and still get chewed out every time I go in. I haven't had a cavity in a while though, knock on wood.

 

[propita]

No, when you sip soda constantly a film of it stays on your teeth. It will eventually start eating the enamel. I have more crowns than I can shake a stick at in my mouth for precisely this reason. I brushed regularly, too. Didn't make a bit of difference once I hit 40.

As for me, not even real brushing for years (let alone flossing), but remarkably little problem from that. Yeah, gross. I know. The trick is having the right genes that prevents plaque build-up. Aside from the problems described below, the dentist says my teeth are really great.

However, all my molars were crowned due to jaw-clenching at night. So 15 gold crowns on 8 teeth. I deformed the gold. Three of those teeth got root-canaled. One of those root-canaled teeth got yanked for being cracked and having a hole below the gum line.

Please tell me you've had more crowns. I don't know anyone whose had more--Hubby's had more TEETH crowned, nine, but each one only once. So it's 8-to-9 on teeth, but 15-to-9 on crowns.

 

[bigdaddy]

I'm 25, I went to the dentist in 2005 for a filling... that filling fell out last week. Fucking idiots.

My mom went "well teeth rot... blah blah blah". I grind half my teeth, on the other side, I have horrible teeth and numerous fillings from years and years and years ago and none of them have ever fallen out.

 

[scotpens]

I'm 25, I went to the dentist in 2005 for a filling... that filling fell out last week. Fucking idiots.

What kind of filling was it -- amalgam or one of the newer materials? Regardless, I think any filling should last longer than 5 years.

I had two amalgam fillings in 1970. One was deteriorating and had to be replaced about two years ago. Total out-of-pocket cost: $100 (I don’t have dental insurance). I chose the same material because it’s the cheapest and longest lasting. The other filling is still good.

Some people are afraid of amalgam fillings because of the mercury content, but I’m not paranoid about getting mercury poisoning from two small fillings. I understand some dentists no longer use amalgam at all, however.

 

[Trekker4747]

So here's something I don't get:

They always say to brush teeth in the morning and brush them at night before you go to bed. Presumably you brush them in the morning after eating breakfast, thus ruining the previous night's brushing.

But what if you don't eat breakfast? Wouldn't by teeth still be "clean" last night's brushing when I wake up? So should I brush them again? That strikes me as a waste. Sure, I can see using the mouthwash to maybe clear-up any "morning breath" or whatever, but brushing when I go to bed at night and again when I wake up strikes me as overkill.

 

[Kestra]

I vote you stop brushing in the morning and get back to us in five or ten years with the results.

 

[Trekker4747]

O... ooo... kay.

 

[Holdfast]

So here's something I don't get:

They always say to brush teeth in the morning and brush them at night before you go to bed. Presumably you brush them in the morning after eating breakfast, thus ruining the previous night's brushing.

But what if you don't eat breakfast? Wouldn't by teeth still be "clean" last night's brushing when I wake up? So should I brush them again? That strikes me as a waste. Sure, I can see using the mouthwash to maybe clear-up any "morning breath" or whatever, but brushing when I go to bed at night and again when I wake up strikes me as overkill.

I wouldn't skip the morning brush; all that crap building up on your teeth overnight, not to mention funky breath that I don't think mouthwash alone would eradicate.

Having said all that, I only brush at night sometimes; maybe a couple of times a week. Until my first filling last year, I didn't even do that.

 

[RoJoHen]

I don't know about you, but my mouth feels gross in the morning, even though I do brush right before bed.

And gingivitis is something to be taken very seriously, as it can lead to heart disease.

 

[SPOCKED]

I hate flossing - it can hurt when it snaps down between the teeth into the gum. Instead, I use my water pic filled with cinnamon mouthwash and warm water. I don't know that its as good as flossing but I really don't care. One is a bother - the other is a pleasure. And I use a nice battery toothbrush. Can't stand the dentist with the constant baby talk about how to floss etc. Even worse is the lecture I always get about grinding my teeth in my sleep... biting the sides of my inner cheek can lead to cancer... - yeah, I'm really gonna get that under control. Somehow I've managed to maintain really good dental care on my own. I lost a filling a few years back and I had them fill it. Otherwise I avoid the dentist at all costs.

SPOCKED - cheek cancer free since 1958

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I get checkups every 6 months. Dental benefits pay it all.

 

[Trekker4747]

Hmmm. You know, I may just try out a waterpick myself.

 

[Rarewolf]

I can just see them in the office rubbing their hands together drooling over all of the money they're going to get out of me with all of the fillings, veneers, gum-pulls and whatever else they could see me needing after a decade-and-a-half of not seeing a dentist and then they're like, "Dammit! All he needed was a basic cleaning!"

Ah if you're their last appointment of the day they'll just want to see the back of you ASAP so they can go home I think when I went last year my Dentist had left the surgery before I had!

I'm another in the once daily brush, no fillings camp. Sure I know that track record will end one day, but 33 years isn't bad going.

 

[Kira's Mom]

Flossing is very, very important. You have to work at and do it daily. It's good for the gums. When you brush your teeth, you need to brush at the gumline as well- as if you were massaging the gums. And a good anti-bacterial/anti-plaque rinse is a must as well. I haven't had any new cavities in years (though I've had to have old ones replaced)- but my gums were a problem because I wasn't flossing enough or the right way.

ETA- take good care of your gums- you don't want something like a gum graft. Ouch.

And good gum health is good for the heart. Good dental health is good for good overall health.

 

[Trekker4747]

Oh yeah, I always brush my gums, as well as the tongue as well as having an electric toothbrush. I use a mouthwash as well.

 

[Nick086]

I just started flossing my teeth recently, but I would never would floss my teeth when I was a teenager. What effects does diet soda have on teeth?