Fear of Dentist?

[Miss Mary]

I have a dental filling today.....ugh. I hate them. Always have. Does anyone else dread going to the dentist? I have 2 fillings I need this time, on opposite sides. So I said book these appts. spaced a month apart. The look I got! You see we don't have dental insurance, never have, never wil l(hubby works in a small company). So booking these appts. over a month's time, really helps our budget. And I get to sit in that chair for less time! I don't know what I'm shocked over more - the high cost of dentist bills and/or the fact they can't just pop a filling in there, w/o pain!!!

So........just answer a few questions since all of this is looming on my mind......


Do you hate going to the dentist?

Do you take novacaine for fillings? Or are you one of the brave ones that can skip it?!!!

Do you have dental insurance (if you so, lucky you!!!)? Share what that's like - I'm envious!!!!

Are you shocked at how expensive dental bills are now?

Thanks. Realize this would have made for a great poll topic now. Oops, in a hurry. Gotta run, that blasted appt...........grrrrrr.

Mary

[GalvestonDuck]

Do you hate going to the dentist?

Do you take novacaine for fillings? Or are you one of the brave ones that can skip it?!!!

Do you have dental insurance (if you so, lucky you!!!)? Share what that's like - I'm envious!!!!

Are you shocked at how expensive dental bills are now?

Hate going? - Never did, still don't. I'm one of those few exceptions. I had braces when I was young and had to have teeth pulled in the process (dentist said I had too many permanent teeth and I guess he was right because I still have a full mouthful and had two wisdom teeth removed in '96). I just lay back and go to sleep, occasionally while white-knuckling the arms of the chair.

Novocaine? - yes, but the needle is the worst part about it all.

Dental Insurance? - yes. It's expensive to have it and it doesn't cover some of the basic yearly stuff. But if I ever need oral surgery (God forbid), it will be worth it.

Shocked? - Yes.

[Pburgh]

You forgot Miss Mary, I'm from West Virginia and you know what they say about our teeth or lack thereof.lol

Seriously, I've always hated the dentist. Now my dentist knows that I make 2 appointments. The first one I always cancel and the second one I keep.

White knuckle you say. Ohhhhhh Yes. Give me anything to dull my senses (even more than they are already dull). Give me novacaine, gas, even a hammer up side the head!!!!!

Yes, I have dental insurance. It's a $50 per year deductable which is great. I guess that's one pain I don't have to endure.

I always say I may be from West Virginia, but I still have all my teeth!!!!! I love to go barefoot and yes, one leg is shorter than the other from walking up those steep hills!!!!

[Guest]

I have a dental filling today.....ugh. I hate them. Always have. Does anyone else dread going to the dentist? I have 2 fillings I need this time, on opposite sides. So I said book these appts. spaced a month apart. The look I got! You see we don't have dental insurance, never have, never wil l(hubby works in a small company). So booking these appts. over a month's time, really helps our budget. And I get to sit in that chair for less time! I don't know what I'm shocked over more - the high cost of dentist bills and/or the fact they can't just pop a filling in there, w/o pain!!!

So........just answer a few questions since all of this is looming on my mind......


Do you hate going to the dentist?

Do you take novacaine for fillings? Or are you one of the brave ones that can skip it?!!!

Do you have dental insurance (if you so, lucky you!!!)? Share what that's like - I'm envious!!!!

Are you shocked at how expensive dental bills are now?

Thanks. Realize this would have made for a great poll topic now. Oops, in a hurry. Gotta run, that blasted appt...........grrrrrr.

Mary

I hate going to the dentist and only developed this fear in the last 8 years. Lets just say I had straight teeth but lots of cavities. The first dentist I went to did a crappy job on my fillings - had to have several crowns - now I have lost several teeth that way - I am worst than you Miss Mary - I have severe anxiety attacks now. I need extensive dental work done - but its the fear and the cost.

I have dental insurance but it only pays 50 percent - and when you have a root canal and crown that cost over $1200 - my portion of $600 is a big hunk of my budget. I have to go in the next couple of weeks - trying to find a dentist who uses sedation - so I won't panic and bolt from the chair.

Has or does anyone use laughing gas or the needle?

Patricia aka Ticka1

[bfez1]

So........just answer a few questions since all of this is looming on my mind......


Do you hate going to the dentist?

Do you take novacaine for fillings? Or are you one of the brave ones that can skip it?!!!

Do you have dental insurance (if you so, lucky you!!!)? Share what that's like - I'm envious!!!!

Are you shocked at how expensive dental bills are now?


Mary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

[Stephanie]

Good luck Miss Mary!

I don't like them, but I don't have a fear of them, though the drill does give me the willies. :o

I am fortuante to have Dental Insurance. I'm covered up to $1,500 per year. I still have a co-pay on some things, but it's better than nothing.

Novacaine is the way to go. I'm not a masochist!!!

[JCT777]

Do you hate going to the dentist? Yes, but not as much as I used to hate it.

Do you take novacaine for fillings? Yes. As GD said - the worst part is the needle. Once I recover from the nauseous feeling (that lasts about 3 or 4 minutes after getting stuck with any needle), I am usually OK.

Do you have dental insurance (if you so, lucky you!!!)? Yes, and it covers 2 visits per year, up to $1,000 per year.

Are you shocked at how expensive dental bills are now? Yes, it's ridiculous.

[JetMaxx]

Yes I hate going to the dentist...always have, always will.

Novacaine is a godsend....unfortunately, the last time I had a tooth extracted, the dentist fooled around and didn't yank my tooth until the novacaine had nearly worn off :o :o :o

I don't have dental insurance, and it's IMO highway robbery to charge $100-150 for a simple tooth extraction

[coriolis]

I get novocaine. It kills the pain. I've had gas and it doesn't kill the pain, you just don't care.

We had decent insurance. It covered checkups for free, and paid a decent % until you hit a family annual maximum. My company dropped it and went to a self-funded plan. My dentist won't accept it, so I have to pay 100% out-of-pocket and then get reimbursement at a certain %. I had to cancel a needed appointment becaues I didn't have the $.
I'm going to change dentists.

[VanceWxMan]

Do you hate going to the dentist?

YES

Do you take novacaine for fillings? Or are you one of the brave ones that can skip it?!!!

Yes, Novacaine doesn't work on me they have to use Lidacaine

Do you have dental insurance (if you so, lucky you!!!)? Share what that's like - I'm envious!!!!

YES the USAF (Military) its got great benefits its FREE! So far had several fillings, removed my 4 wisdom teeth and a root canal all FREE :p

Are you shocked at how expensive dental bills are now?

No not really for my family usig Delta Dental they pay about 75-80% of it so its not to bad...yes in the civilian world dental work is quite expensive...without insurance you are going to pay out the REAR.

Aaron

[StormCrazyIowan]

LMAO, I must be the ONLY exception to the rule! I don't mind the dentist! I like having my teeth "professionally" cleaned! And I have never had a cavity! So no need for fillings or novacaine or any of that, and I haven't seen a dentist for a year or so so I can't complain about the bill! lol, I probably just jinxed myself! If any of the above-mentioned occurs in the future, I'll get back to you on that!

[VanceWxMan]

Military Dentist are PAIN GIVERS! They hurt you then say I am sorry then they hurt you somemore I dread going to them..

On a lighter note...since I have started flossing I have not had a cavity in 3 years! So the only painful thing that I go through is the DEEP cleaning that I just got! THAT SUCKED! The dentist saw an extra flap of skin on my gum and without any WARNING CUT IT OFF WITH NO DRUGS! I as not happy and was in quite alot of pain...all she said was OOPS sorry did not think that it would hurt that bad.. THAT BAD!!!!! WHAT ...LISTEN DOC you sit your happy butt in this chair and let me CUT YOUR GUM FLESH and see how it feels!

Aaron

[StormCrazyIowan]

LMAO Aaron, get em!!!

[Amanzi]

I get novocaine. It kills the pain. I've had gas and it doesn't kill the pain, you just don't care.

Ummm can I get some of that over the counter

Not afraid of dentists.

No insurance

Would have novacaine with some gas so I dont care and dont feel it either.

Ive been very blessed... I dont have any fillings.

[Stephanie]

LOL Aaron!

I love it when they say "you'll only feel a pinch..." YEAH RIGHT!!!!

[Miss Mary]

Wow, Storm2K gang I start this topic, then hurry off to my dentist appt. Log on now and see all these replies!!! Let's see....Jacki I think you win the prize - you actually like getting your teeth cleaned? Oh my.....I'm a white knuckler patient (similar position in a plane, Ticka - we'd be a real pair, huh?). Aaron, cringed when I read about your ordeal. OMG, that had to hurt!!! I see many of you have insurance, glad for you. In our dentist's office I finally asked one day what the percentage of patients that had insurance, and the receptionist whispered - it's very low. But they sure make you feel bad when you say - no, don't have it. What I'd like to say is hey can you cut me a lower rate?

Ticka, I think you asked if anyone took gas. I finally did for my first root canal. I'm a terrible patient, have to have novacaine. But this was a 3 stage process - they almost begged me to take gas! It sure made the ordeal tolerable. You do feel drunk, and hope you don't say anything embarrassing and then they switch you back to oxygen. Then it's back to being sober (if you came in that way, LOL). I'd recommend it for only very serious procedures, not routine fillings. Waste of your money, oops your insurance.

The reason I'm a lousy patient in the dentist office is my first dentist, a Pediatric one to boot, was abusive. Yes you read that right. My 2 cousins and I went together. We were all petrified of him. They took you back to a closed off exam room, next to a huge tank of fish. You were supposed to sit there, watch the fish and let the dentist just poke around in your mouth. And not say a word. Uh huh, yeah right. If you gave him any resistance, you got slapped around. At the end he bribed you with toys, from a 9 drawer chest. You pulled one out and that type toy was yours to keep. If your mom asked why your cheek was red, he'd quickly say oh it was from the cleaning or whatever he did. My last time there, my aunt noticed none of us wanted to go back to the room. She said I want to go back too. They said oh no, no parents allowed. It was then and there my aunt stood up and said - well, then we'll find another dentist. In the car and later that day, the whole story came out. How terrified of him we were. So there's my initiation into dentistry. You can all see why I hate going! This dentist had lawsuits against him we heard later. Thankfully we found a great dentist, in practice all by himself. When he retired I switched to the nice practice we have now. All open rooms, no doors, just doorways. Parents can sit next to their child. That just made me so incredibly happy. I didn't tell my kids about my first dentist, for years. Didn't want to convey my fears and to this day, they like going to the dentist! No lie! Sometimes you have to fib to your kids.

Mary

[azskyman]

I always associate the dentist with pain. My dentist for all the years I grew up...right through pulling my wisdom teeth, never ever used novacane or any type of pain killer. Amazed I didn't clock the guy when he was done working on me sometimes.

These days, my dentists are a husband and wife team from Sri Lanka. They are the kindest, gentlest, and cleanest dentists I have ever seen.

That's not to say I ever want to go back just to have them work on my teeth. Six months go very quickly in dentist years.

Just hearing that drill in the next room makes me cringe.

Ouch!

[blizzard]

I guess I'm one of the strange ones here also. I don't mind going to the dentist. I guess its because I practically live there. I get my teeth cleaned every three months. And a few fillings here and there, not so many now since I get my teeth cleaned so often.

I have to have novacaine and Gas for any major work done. Novacaine doesn't do the trick for me.

I have insurance through my employer and through my Wife's also, so we practically pay nothing out of pocket (Very fortunate)

And yes, I am flabbergasted at the expense of dental work.

One more thought. The dental office that I go to are so great with the patients, both of my Daughters (age 12 and 10) keep bugging us about when they get to go to the dentist again. It's amazing how the demeanor of the office staff can have such an impact on children's fears or lack therof in this case.

[azsnowman]

Just reading the posts about drills, fillings and having teeth pulled make me sick to my stomach "LOL!"

YES.....I *HATE* dentists with a PASSION

YES....to the pain meds, novacaine, gas

No.....to the insurance

YES.......I can't believe the bills!

I was born with a calcium deficency so my teeth for all intents and purposes are bad, I can eat a piece of bread and they crack in half, well, not bread "LOL!" I've been going to dentists since I was 4 years old, I QUIT going about 2 years ago when I got my FALSIES!

Dennis

[j]

My fear is of my wife!

She's my hygenist...and until she started cleaning my teeth...I didn't know what a real cleaning was. She works for a Periodontist, and although I don't have Periodontal disease, I get deep cleanings 4 times a year, that make me wonder just what all those other hygenists were doing all those other years.