Bad day at the dentist

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Colin_T

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I went to a new dentist last week to have a huge hole in one of my teeth fixed. The dentist is Eastern European and whilst very proficient, was a little rough. After the procedure I went for a drive and an hour later got home and had a mouthful of blood. I shone a torch in my mouth and there was blood flowing out of my gum where the dentist had done a bit of damage. I freaked out and contacted the dentist and was told to put something on the wound and apply pressure. I have nothing to put on a wound but a paper towel and that made me feel like throwing up due to the gag reflex being where the tooth is located. The bleeding settled down after a few more hours and I was just careful brushing and flossing for the next few days.

Today I went back for another filling (tiny one that didn't even need a needle to numb the area). When I got there I said I'm here for my 2:10pm appointment. The receptionist said I am late and the appointment was for 1pm. I said it was 2:10pm and that is on the card I got last week. We discussed the matter for a few minutes and they eventually said take a seat and we'll see what we can do. Apparently they charge you if your late. I wasn't late according to the appointment card I had.

While there they cleaned my teeth because they hadn't been done for quite a while due to living on the street, being evicted 3 times in 6 months, and covid19. Anyway, they got a bit rough around the tooth that was fixed last week and it started bleeding. It bled a lot and they were sucking up the liquid in my mouth and the clear tube on the sucky thing was red. It got so bad they stuffed a heap of wadding in my mouth but that put pressure on my gag reflex and I nearly hurled all over the place. They took the wadding out and it was red, completely covered in blood. More wadding in and a minute later it was out and dripping blood.

After a couple of minutes of running around panicking and trying to stop the bleeding they put something on it and it helped slow the flow. They finished cleaning the rest of the teeth and then asked me if I was on blood thinners. I said yes and explained what I was taking. They said it shouldn't cause it to bleed like that. More questions from both sides and then I was told there might be a tumour or cyst in the jaw or gum and that is why it is bleeding. I ummed and ahhed a bit before reluctantly having an x-ray of the area, which showed nothing bad. Further attempts were made to stop the bleeding and after a while they said it has almost stopped. Then they let me go home. There was a bag of bloody swabs on the tray, all from me :(

After this I went to pay the bill and there was a guy sitting in the waiting room without a mask on. The government has removed mask laws for public places but anywhere medical procedures take place, masks are still compulsory. This includes dentists. This guy is sitting right next to the counter without a mask on. I am standing at the other end of the counter trying to avoid him. The door is shut and there is no airflow through the practice and the receptionist wants me to pay. I hand my bank card over and the tap and go part doesn't work. So I have to walk over to the EFTPOS machine, which is right next to the guy without the mask. I put the card in and enter my pin and pay the bill. I am about to walk out and the receptionist asks if I want to make an appointment for 6 months. I said I might be dead in 6 months so I will call you. Then I walked out.

Moral of the story. Visit a dentist regularly (at least once a year) and find one you are comfortable with and one who lets you know the area might bleed for a bit if they damaged the area.
 
I haven't been to a dentist in twenty years. That time he did a gold crown , which has since fallen off , and he quoted me a price for another that made me cringe. I sold the gold crown that fell off to a gold and coin dealer for $50 bucks and learned that dentists are out of my price league. Yes, I'm missing a few chiclets but I can still chew a steak and I have a couple bucks in my wallet.
 
The dentists in my area are really good and we get yearly check ups... Sorry that you had a really bad experience
 
My husband and I see our dentist every 6 months except when they weren't allowed to open during Covid 19. When we first registered with this dentist she was NHS, but then she decided to go private so because we didn't want to change to another dentist we stayed with her even though we have to pay more.
She wasn't allowed to do a scale and polish when they were finally allowed to open during Covid lockdowns as the procedure creates an aerosol, but she was allowed to do it at our last visit in April, 2 years after the last one.
 
This is a wild dentist tale. I went to a guy when I was 17, as my father had dental insurance with his work and I was about to be too old. I had over a dozen cavities.
A few weeks later, the dentist showed up murdered in the river. He had had massive gambling debts.
I've had a few dentists since who were very puzzled at why I had so many fillings, but had only had a couple of cavities in the many years since... I have a bunch of very tiny fillings that barely go into the teeth. I guess the guy needed money.
 
I have gingivitis, so I have to go every 3 months for a deep root "jack hammering" ( had lost a few teeth, because I didn't go to the dentist for 20 - 30 years )

when I was a kid I went to an orthodontist ( think there was something mentally wrong with him ) had teeth probably in need of braces, but this guy figured he could fix me without braces ( maybe my dad was cheap, & this guy said he could save him some money??? ) but he would push doubled over pieces of wire between my teeth, & twisting them into balls, to push my teeth apart... with nothing for the pain... at one point I was in such pain, I balled up my fists, & he had the assistant go get my mom, before I punched him in the face... after she sat there & watched him do a few more & watched me retching in pain... she decided I didn't need to go back for anymore "treatments" at that time I was like 12 or 13, & swore off dentists for 20 - 30 years...

my current "jack hammer" operator doesn't use anything for pain, but it's nothing like what I experienced as a teen
 
When I get dental work they use so much pain killer half my body goes numb for days. It's because my pain receptors were damaged in a car accident back in 89 and now they have to use heaps just to get a mild result.
 
Colin. Oh my God! Here in the states, we have some excellent dentists. I go to one every six months. Your teeth are so important to good health. I'm 70 years old and still have my wisdom teeth and the other 28 as well. I don't ever go to a medical doctor, they scare me, but the dentist is another matter. I go to mine regularly.

10 Tanks (Now more)
 
These vignettes sound like third world stories. You can better dental care in Haiti.
 
My last few dentists have been great. They're professional, fairly painless (except to the wallet - in Canada they are expensive and private).

Many of the finest aquarists I've known over the years have been dentists. They are known to buy expensive fish, breed them, and make them available to just regular people who are into fish.
 
I broke my front teeth when I came off my bicycle as a teenager....about a year later I did a proper job of it......Knocked out my top three teeth trying to eat a goal post whilst playing football.
I looked a bit like Nobby Stiles for a while (English footballer from way back before the game became a money pit and worthless).
I try to go to the dentist regularly... but not easy as they are still trying to catch up after Covid.
So look after your teeth because your life would suck without them.:)
 
Come to Canada, @sonofagun , and you can pass yourself off as a hockey player. I still wonder how, as an old local league goaltender, I still have teeth. Now, goalies have effective facial protection. Then, the rules stipulated I had to wear a woollen hat.

I'm very glad not to have a hockey smile.
 
Thanks for the offer GaryE
I'm a bit too old to start a new life in Canada.
Wollen hat wouldn't of helped me either sept to pick up the bits of teeth to put in.
Bucket on the head may have saved the day.
And yes missing teeth did slow me down for a while...not easy chatting up the girls by just nodding _my mates did alright though taking the mick out of me.🙃
 
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There’s a reason kiwi slang for dentist is murder house
 

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