First, let me explain that I was totally horrified by some dentists. Started when I was a kid, and one of my mother's uncles was a dentist, and gave my folks a wonderful price for dental work - services for whatever their insurance would pay, no more cost to them.


With that in mind, we always made two trips a year back to ID... for dental work.

Each time I had to have fillings done, his assistant would give me the shot of Novocaine, and I kept telling them I didn't feel any numbness... and felt all the work. I was always told I was being such a baby, so I'd sit there in the chair, ripping the arms to shreds with my fingernails.

Come to find out, years later, he was tried, convicted and jailed for fraud. Seems he billed medicaid for services not rendered - mainly use of anesthetics. I WAS RIGHT! I COULD feel every d@mned thing going on in my mouth!


Since then, I avoided dentists like the plague! AND If my kids ever complained, I made the dentists stop and give more novocaine or, IF they refused, I reported them and NEVER went back and told everyone I heard who was planning on going there what happened and that I would find another dentist! Be careful, there's liable and slander involved, so I found out. BE SURE TO TELL ONLY WHAT HAPPENED, not what you believed. I cannot be quiet about it even still!

When we got here to TX, the insurance we had insisted that people under 16 had to go to a pediatric dentist. There's one in town (the only one who was covered), and I was impressed because he helped so much around the local schools, most people had only good things to say about him... so I took my littles in. NEVER AGAIN! I Couldn't get the jerks to stop, while my kids screamed. (Two appointments in one week, youngest first, older second)

The older kidlet told me just exactly what he felt, and how he would NEVER go back. He didn't have to.

I paid out of pocket for the next 3 years for another pediatric dentist that came highly recommended by a mom who's kids were scared to death of dentists.

I got to stay in the office/room with the kids the whole time (unless the kiddo insisted they wanted me to wait, which they eventually did), the 'out of pocket' expense was actually LESS than the insurance portion for this dentist (he told me he was giving me a discount because of the fears of the kids, so he knew we had been treated wrongly), and they also have online appointment calendars/reminders. Finally, 2 years ago, our insurance picked him up. Our OOP expense is even LESS now! OH, and he also gives 'discounts' for referrals!

In the mean time, I had an aunt who's a hygienist. She about fainted when she heard my horror stories. She also said that you should approach the dentists you like and see if they can "trade" services.

I've also got a BIL who is a retired dentist. He agreed, anytime your dentist doesn't have enough pain medication, doesn't listen to you, doesn't do the right treatment, REPORT them!

So, all this to say, it may really be more cost effective, and definitely more psychologically effective to find a good dentist closer to home, or at least one who really cares.



IN THE MEAN TIME, how many people have heard about the dentist in FL? Abusing children for pulling teeth that didn't need pulling!

http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/2015/05/23/controversial-local-dentist-relinquishes-license/27871271/

Dentists, like every other service provider, vary in quality. I have yet to find one I like here in Kentucky, but hope is strong. My Utah dentist is a great one, truly caring and professional. He is a Mormon, but also a Harley rider.

ChristiB,

I don't doubt your story about the dentist who worked on your teeth without benefit of painkillers and charged the insurance company for local anesthesia.

However, I am not sure if many people know this, but some individuals have a genetic resistance (mutations in the MC1R gene) to dental anesthetics in the "caine" family such as lidocaine (and Novacaine --which was used more commonly about 30 years ago.)

Those with red hair/fair skin have a much higher chance of being resistant to dental anesthetics and may require up to 20% more general anesthesia than those with blond or darker hair.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2015 07:01PM by Senoritalamanita.

Ugh I have a very high tolerance to pain meds and anesthesia. (Thanks, Dad!) My current dentist is great, and they try to use the strong stuff and have to give more than usual. But they've always been very good about doing it, and have never made me feel like I'm lying about it or whatever. Most of the time it's "You seriously felt that?! Dang, you shouldn't feel anything! Oh well, here you go!" *fftt fftt*

I had a tooth that went from a filling to a root canal to an extraction because it just kept seeming worse every time they went in to deal with it, and he kept me well supplied with Percocet during the ordeal. Which was awesome. My wisdom teeth were taken out by a doctor who gave me Vicodin, which made me puke (absolute agony after extraction by the way) and refused to give me something else.

My daughter is in her first year of dental school. Just this week they started practicing shots on each other.

One goal of the experience is for them to feel a little more empathy for their patients.

According to her, many of them were "sweating bullets". I found it kind of humorous.

When I was younger, I got my dental work done through a dental school. The first student that I had -- his hands shook so badly while he was giving me my anesthetic injection that I could feel the needle rattling around my mouth! Yeah, that was reassuring. :) Another student had hands that were heavy and clunky. It felt like he was repairing a car instead of doing dental work inside of a sensitive mouth.

The dental work performed by the students was certainly adequate (and is checked repeatedly by fully credentialed dentists.) I think that dental schools are a great option for people of slender means. But if you can afford a regular dentist, that's the way to go. Most of my dentists have been great.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2015 09:47PM by summer.

I'm a dentist here in slc and have no stories about dentists, but I can tell you about some horror storiesabiut patients!

My Grandpa (RIP) was a dentist.

I once had a dentist numb the wrong side of the mouth to fill a cavity. Yep, I felt everything during the procedure. The bad thing was my mother was working for him as his hygienist so all I could do was grin and bare it. I later learned that he never wanted to be a dentist and he was forced by his mother to become a dentist.

Oh man, I once showed up to my regular dental appointment only to be told that my dentist had left the practice and there was a newly minted one taking my case. He stuck that probe into my "pockets" so deep I expected to have it come out the other side of my jaw. And he did it every single time!! No amount of shrieking made him ease up a bit!