Are you satisfied with your dentist(s)?

[valis]

Over the last two years I've been seen 1) the endodontist, very professional guy. Doing a root canal with him is a treat, like going to get a haircut. He answers any questions I have and is obsessed with detail. I love him. 2) the periodontist, a woman, very professional too. Generally happy, but not as open to give out good information I need to feel like I fully understand the pros and cons of things. 3) the dentist who specializes in crowns. A true craftman when it comes to crowns. Obsesses about the shade of color of the crown, brilliant. Kind of scatterminded for other things; last year he switched the left and right X rays and I almost got in trouble.
Overall, I'm happy with them. Now I have to see a new guy, for the extraction of the extra wisdom teeth I have.
How abot you?

[Obviousman]

1. I'm an anti-dentite

[mark414]

18. next thing i know you'll tell me they should have their own schools!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. I just started with a new one

Very gentle and pleasant. I'm pleased. If only I didn't need expensive things done. :-(

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. Kind of scatterminded for other things

Better teach him that he was sold a lie during his training... there are things he can do about this sort of thing.

>>Bernard Windham, president of DAMS has researched the dangers to dental personnel and I will include his research here. This was taken from Mr. Windham's website at <<

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/dental.html

Health Effects from Dental Personnel Exposure to Mercury Vapor B. Windham(Ed)

>>1. Dental offices are known to be one of the largest users of inorganic mercury(71b,26,etc.). It is well documented that dentists and dental personnel who work with amalgam are chronically exposed to mercury vapor, which accumulates in their bodies to much higher levels than for most non-occupationally exposed. Adverse health effects of this exposure including subtle neurological effects have also been well documented that affect most dentists and dental assistants, with measurable effects among those in the lowest levels of exposure. Mercury levels of dental personnel average at least 2 times that of controls for hair(397-401), urine (25d,57,64,69,99,123,124,138,171,173,222,249, 290,362,397-399), toenails(562), and for blood (124,195,253,249,397,563).<<

[steely]

4. I had an excellent guy in FLA...

obsessed as you say with my crown - lasted for years longer than expected.
My "new" guy is my neighbor - terrific guy and all, but the workmanship isn't what I had hoped it to me. I have to ask for the little things but I trade up for convenience - I should do a tradeoff analysis.

[samplegirl]

5. The sign of a good dentist

Can preform almost any treatment root canals,crowns or extraction.
I wouldnt go to a Dentist that couldnt.
To many Dentists go the fee spliting route.
I also dont really go for some of these high tech. dentist offices
that let the girls do everything from filling your teeth to final
finish on my teeth.
Im paying for a Dentist and if hes going to have people helping
they damn well better be competant.
I was a dental assistant for years so I guess im a better judge
than some.
It costs a fortune for the work so you might as well have the
very best doing the work.

[BiggJawn]

17. You must know my old dentist.

He farms out almost everything but the simplest of fillings. Extractions, Endo, all that stuff he "refers".

And most of the filling work he lets his girls do.

And I don't have insurance, so I was paying full price for HMO-quality work.

[yellowdogintexas]

6. oral surgeon, huh? Be sure he orders you a Medrol dosepak

for after the surgery. My daughter's oral surgeon ordered it for her, along with pain pills and antibiotics. She healed very rapidly and with no swelling or dry socket.

I asked the surgeon why the medrol, and he said they had found that 95 percent of the post op pain is due to swelling and inflammation,( which makes sense since they are not cutting any major muscles or anything like with abdominal surgery)and the medrol is a top notch antiinflammatory, so less swelling, less inflammation, less risk of infection and less risk of dry socket.

She just breezed right through it, all 4 done at one time.

[valis]

9. Wow. Did she do general anest.?

I really want to avoid that. So, perhaps 2 at a time... Not sure... I have a meeting at the end of July...

[yellowdogintexas]

15. she was pretty well knocked out, but I think it was just a Valium

IV, or something similar.

If you are going to do it go ahead and do it all, it takes the same amount of time to heal and it is over with.

Plus, you have a great excuse to go to Steak N Shake and have a mocha shake......

[manic expression]

7. Of course I am

Lemming, Lemming, Lemming of the BDA...



Sorry, I had to for some reason.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

8. I Love my dentist...took me years to find one who takes all

the nervousness out of it. He does totally pain free dentistry. Plus he has the best personality. He's really pretty much a nerd, but he said his passion was always to be a stand up comedian, so he practices the corniest jokes on his patients, and you can't help but have a good time. If he ever retires, I'm sunk!

[Beware the Beast Man]

10. Funny, I just had a crown put in today.

My dentist is the same way- absolutely loves the craft, and really cares for his patients. He uses a PC to scan X-Rays (something like 65% less radiation that way), and is not keen on metal fillings. Good guy.

[Bamboo]

11. Are There Left Handed Dentists?

All mine have sat on my right side,I have had women dentists and they seem to be the same as men,they all have the same professors.They all have this hurry up and wait behavior which bothers me which is why I change dentists without much effort.All the stuff people complain about does not bother me,once I was worried I had nerve damage because it took 12 hours for some anesthetic to wear off.I would trust a dentist more if he/she recommended an ice pack for an extraction than something a drug rep promotes.If dentists were as greedy as people suggest then they should push gold fillings.I asked about them and they look like I want them to sing union songs.What I obsess about as the drill spins is their townhouse in London.

[DS1]

12. He's a total gungho-chickenhawk right-winger, and so is his staff

but he's REALLY good at what he does. So he gets my money. Deal.

[carpetbagger]

23. Same here.

However, he's good, he's honest, he gets me in within 48 hours, and he keeps the waiting room stocked with Field and Stream.

PS. I don't specifically know if he's a chickenhawk RW. He seems more of a black-helicopter RW, but not so much of one that he doesn't take my insurance.

[webjamn]

13. I have a question

I am really happy with my dentist. I am having a crown put on in a few weeks on the lower front molar and I need to know if I should have a gold or porcelain crown used. The dentist said the porcelain ones are more prone to chipping. Any suggestions?

[valis]

19. Actually, I am not sure... Good porcelain crowns are sturdy, but

you have to be careful not to bite off really hard stuff... Same for teeth though :)

[mvd]

14. Very satisfied

I've gone to my current dentist for quite a while, and haven't had many problems at all. And she's a Democrat! It's important that she also hires good people - since my dentist only comes in to check teeth after cleanings and to drill teeth. My dental technician, while trying to pretend she's a dentist sometimes, always is pretty gentle with cleanings. And the dental assistant always puts the fillings and crowns in so they stay in nicely. The whole practice is personable, and they get to know you.

[BiggJawn]

16. She's pretty good, for a Third-Year Student..

Fast, precise, and not timid with the drill, knows RIGHT where to put the novacaine, and plans to go into practice with her dad after she graduates.

this, as opposed to the last guy I saw who had 6 chairs going at the same time, would rush in, poke around, make a few cuts with the drill, turn the job over to his assistant, and MAYBE come back to check on it before handing you the bill....

[nuxvomica]

20. I have a terrific dentist

She's nice looking, ebullient, and dresses smartly. She taught me how to floss and now I actually enjoy it. She frowns on mouthwash ("It kills the good bacteria") and water piks ("It would be better to spend the extra time it takes with more brushing and flossing.").
She takes forever, it seems, trying to find the right color match for a crown or veneer, like Flaubert searching for le seul mot juste. And, finally, she spends her vacations treating poor children in Guatemala.

[valis]

21. Man, she sounds phenomenal! Are you in Boston? :)

[nuxvomica]

22. No. Upstate New York.

I am very lucky to have found such good dentist in such a small town.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

24. My dentist is really good

very gentle, thorough, and personable. then again, I don't have any problems. I just see him for cleanings. I have healthy teeth/gums.

[CBHagman]

25. Still uncertain about that (Sigh).

Last year I went to two different dentists. One simply left me in the hands of an assistant (I never even met her). I promptly booked my next appointment with a veteran dentist who is quite experienced and very pleasant, but I wonder if he's really up to date on all the most recent techniques.

The older I get, the more I hate going to the dentist and the harder it is to form a working relationship with one. I have no such problem with other health care professionals, oddly enough.

I Googled my old dentist in New Jersey and found he was still listed, though I thought he would be long retired. Maybe I should make an appointment. God knows he's seen me through plenty...

[Shell Beau]

26. Sure! I don't dread the dentist like most. I don't enjoy it,

but it generally doesn't bother me. You'd have to be a big ass or a fruitcake for me not to go back.

[driver8]

27. My dentist rocks!! He is awesome...

Not only that, but all of his dental assistants are gorgeous.

Seriously, he explains things to me very clearly regarding my teeth and what he is doing.

The only thing I have against him is that he is a Lakers and USC fan. (Southern Cal.).