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Going to the Dentist

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Soapweed

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Going to the Dentist, by Steve Moreland, originally written June 24, 2005

Last Wednesday was a very hot day in this country, with temperatures hovering around a hundred degrees. Haying is just around the corner, so we took an opportunity to have a yearly dental checkup before life gets hectic. The rigors and discomfort of sitting in a dentist chair were offset, because at least the air conditioner was turned up to a cool comfortable level.

Our long-time dentist has moved to a distant town, but because he is trained to my ways and he "caters to cowards" (I qualify), we still drive the extra miles to have him work on us. It is an hour for us to drive to any dentist, so we just drive an extra hour and a half to go see him.

The dentist runs a successful business, and has an attractive dental hygienist in his employ. This was my first encounter with this particular lady, and she did an efficient commendable job cleaning and polishing my teeth. As she worked, she commented, "Do you try to brush your teeth at least twice a day?" My garbled reply was, "Try to." Next she queried, "Do you floss your teeth?" "I did today," was my answer.

Then I couldn't help but chuckle and tell her, "It's nice to be an adult. Things are inferred and suggested, but a guy doesn't just get chewed out and the law laid on the line like a poor kid does." She smiled and agreed.

I then told her about the old grouchy dentist that handled our teeth troubles when I was a kid. He was intimidating and (at least it seemed to me) sadistically cruel and not very "user friendly" to youngsters. One time he threatened to put a stick in my mouth to make sure it stayed open wide enough for him to work. It took quite a bit of convincing on my part to head that deal off at the pass.

By the time I was eleven or twelve, I was starting to think of myself as more a "young man" than a kid. That particular day, the appointment had gone better than usual, so I was trying to make intelligent conversation to end the experience on a positive note. In as dignified a way as possible, I asked the dentist, "What kind of toothpaste do you recommend?" He gruffly replied, "Hell, it don't matter what you use. Just use something."

Another time he kept reprimanding me about all the "groceries" between my teeth. He suggested, "You should take care of your teeth and brush them regularly like your dad does." Being a smart aleck kid, I quickly said, truthfully but to Dad's chagrin, "Yeah, the only time he brushes his teeth is when he comes to the dentist."

It was with great relief one day about forty years ago, when I heard that this particular 'tooth-slayer' had run off with his receptionist and skipped the country. He left a lucrative dental practice and a wife and kids, but at least my troubles were temporarily terminated.
 
Brad S said:
I have a theory that suggests the hotter the dental hotties are, the more expensive your bill is going to be.
Click to expand...

That theory probably holds true. This might be the same reason Hooter's attracts customers, and why the customers are willing to pay a premium for the food they serve. (I have never been to a Hooter's, so this is merely conjecture on my part.)

Our long-time dentist, who is a good friend, went on a lot of far-away intercontinental hunting expeditions. I always surmised that our dental bills contributed substantially to his hobby. On the other hand, it was (and still is, to a certain extent) a free country. With the American system of free enterprise and capitalism, our family didn't have to go to this dentist. He was very good at his profession, so we chose to go to him. How he spent his money was really none of my concern. His dental work was superb.
 
Funny, about the time you posted this my dentist called about hunting here next fall.
I like him , he's a good dentist but besides teeth they seem to be able to extract your wallet fairly easily.
 
We spent enough at the dentist last year that he semi-retired. :?

I hate going to the dentist but I don't have good teeth, so it's either that or an alternative.

My mom had all her teeth pulled when I was very young. I had an abcessed baby tooth that needed pulled. Mom had an
appointment for herself and took me along to have mine pulled. It was my first dental visit. She knew I was resisting the deal
so she bravely said, "I'll go first and you can watch. There is nothing to it."

She passed out in the chair.

Scared the daylights out of me. Took the doctor, two nurses, mom and dad to hold me in the chair.

That stayed with me for much of my dental life. You have to be very trusting to open your mouth and let someone do work
you can't even see. I had to be hypnotized for dental work til I got out of high school.

Anyway, good story, Soapweed.
 
Here is another dentist story. This same dentist that moved two and a half hours away started out in Martin, South Dakota (less than an hour away), where he practiced for many years. I was young and single, and went to his office for my annual check-up. He introduced me to an attractive single gal that had just gone to work for him as a dental hygienist. She cleaned my teeth, and it almost seemed like love at first sight. This appointment was in the middle of the afternoon. As I was paying my dental bill, there looked to be enough money left in my wallet to afford supper for two in town. I worked up my courage and asked this pretty young lady if she would be interested in having supper after she got off work. She took me up on the deal, and I killed a couple hours at the local book store. We enjoyed having a meal together, but discovered we really didn't have all that much in common. It was time and money well spent though, because had I not learned this that evening, I'd have mooned around for two weeks and wouldn't have been worth a darn on the ranch. Things have a way of working out, if you give it a chance. :)
 
I've never liked going to the dentist, and guess they don't like working on my teeth either, as my mouth is just too small and can't open wide enough to work easily. Finally found the solution. I go to a lady dentist! She is excellent at her job, too.

I didn't start off well with dentists, as he pulled a tooth the first time I ever visited one. In those days, late 1940's, my family didn't go to dentists or doctors unless it was very necessary.

I was determined not to repeat that mistake with my family. Our first family dentist was great, but retired, so we had to find another. He was pretty rough, but used 'laughing gas' for kids and people who were fearful of dental work, so that was ok. Later on, after many root canal jobs, I went with implants. Costly, but they work fine and there is no more pain.

I may have gone overboard on dental and medical care for our family, but one grandmother was deathly fearful of both dentists and doctors....and I believe that fear actually caused her death at just over 60 years of age. Her teeth poisoned her body and she refused medical care until it was too late to save her life. She was a wonderful friend, mother, grandmother, great grandmother; and many people could have enjoyed her personality and shared her love for more years if we had insisted she see a doctor, I'm sure. But that is 'water under the bridge' as the saying goes. Those of us who remember her still share the stories. She often cooked in restaurants in Midland, and played piano or fiddle in some of the local dance bands. While a very shy person, she delighted in practical jokes. A friend whose parents she worked for, and I share a good giggle every time we see one another, as that friend has a treasure trove of memories of those remembered practical jokes! 'Seidler', as she was called, lives on!


mrj
 
I don't know if this fits anyone's pistol, but I got a root canal and a crown for $150 in las Palomas Mexico - just across the line south of Deming. A friend went with me, he got all 4 wisdom teeth pulled for $200.

The point about the woman dentist having smaller hands makes a lot a sense. I have a big mouth but it never seems big enough for the dentist. My daughter, Reaghan, thinks she may want to be a dentist.
 
The local hometown dentist here when I was a kid was just like the local barber...an alcoholic. Both did their best work totally smashed. I never thought much of it, figuring that's how it was when you went to get your teeth fixed or your hair cut. The medical doctor we always went to was continuously blowing Lucky Strikes cigarette smoke in all his patient's faces at that same time. After my first year of college, my wisdom teeth were killing me. The DDS was down at Valley Hope getting dried out. I ended up going to the dentist the next town over to get the bottom two pulled. That rough SOB almost killed me! I had never been subjected to that kind of pain & misery while in a dentist's chair before or since. Then I went to get a haircut & the barber I had always went to was also at Valley Hope. So, I went to the "new guy", one of the village idiots who somehow graduated barber school. Worst haircut, EVER.

I am lucky now, though. I have a young doctor who is really sharp, up to date, and actually gives a sh!t about his patients, a good barber who doesn't overcharge and understands how to use his little vacuum, and a dentist that is so gentle that I fell asleep in his chair in the middle of a root canal. Life is good!
 
A heart warmer.

When I was just married and still going to college, I had several cavities that needed filling. Dentist gave me an estimate
of about a hundred bucks - that I didn't have. I was able to negotiate a better price if he did them all in one sitting but that he couldn't use novocain since he could only do one side at a time if he used painkillers. He filled seven teeth in the next two hours.

It dang sure hurt but I wasn't about to wimp out at the age of 21. Wouldn't do it again - never.

CP
 
Cowpuncher said:
A heart warmer.

When I was just married and still going to college, I had several cavities that needed filling. Dentist gave me an estimate
of about a hundred bucks - that I didn't have. I was able to negotiate a better price if he did them all in one sitting but that he couldn't use novocain since he could only do one side at a time if he used painkillers. He filled seven teeth in the next two hours.

It dang sure hurt but I wasn't about to wimp out at the age of 21. Wouldn't do it again - never.

CP
Click to expand...

My dad was about that age (21 give or take a year or two) when he had his tonsils removed. He had the operation in the morning, and went home to help his dad and brother work that afternoon. I don't think he'd have been so energetic if he had it to do over. He was merely trying to show the others how tough he was.
 
Now since we are talking about tough.....a ole ranching lady I knew at 72 was helping gather her cows. The horse she was riding fell and hurt her but she didn't say anything. One of the riders offered to trade her horses but she declined saying that the horse might fall on him so she would just lead him and walk along. She finished helping, then went to the house and got dinner on the table. After dinner, she wasn't looking too good and said she wasn't feeling too good, so they took her the 40 miles to town to the doctor. When the horse fell, he broke her sternum and several ribs. Those people that are that tough are amazing! She walked quite a few miles after the horse fell with her and then fixed dinner on top of it!
 

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