Good Dentists Make The Difference Between Good and Bad Visits

posted on 8 February 2012 | posted in Health and Beauty

From the time I was seven until I was in my early thirties I had one dentist, who in my opinion now that I know better, was not a good dentist. The mere thought of visiting him, whether it was for a cleaning, filling or extraction would cause my hands to sweat and feel anxious and jittery. The extractions were the worst, since I felt every pull, every twist, the separation of the tooth from the gum. The dentist would try to make me believe it was all in my head, or I was feeling only the pressure and not pain. In his mind I couldn't feel the pain because he'd given more than enough of his choice of local anesthetic. No matter how much I disagreed he continued with the extraction until the tooth was free. For years I actually started to believe him and thought this was the same thing everyone who went to a dentist experienced. Years later, and many states away I had to once again seek a dentist to extract another tooth that was bothering me. I asked around to see who my friends would recommend and several suggested the same derby dentist, so that's the one I made the appointment with. After signing in at the front desk I was quickly escorted back to a typical room, sat through a quick physical check then a number of x-rays. When the dentist re-entered the room in informed me the tooth would have to come out, and immediately I got that anxious jittery feeling. The local was given and the dentist said he'd be back in a few minutes to start. When he returned and began to prod around in my mouth I twitched, he stopped and took the time to ask if I still had feeling in the area of the tooth, which I did. He stopped and gave me a little more of the local, then left the room for another brief period. Again he started and again I twitched, my mouth was still not numb. He looked perplexed for a moment, then said he wanted to try something. He gave me another shot of the local, but this time instead of injecting it along the nerve that runs from the back of the jaw to the front, he put it in the front of my mouth. Again he left saying he would be back in couple of minutes. He wasn't gone for more than thirty seconds when I felt the entire right side of my face and jaw go numb. When he returned and I told him about my mouth now being numb, his explanation was in some cases the nerves enter from the front of the jaw and go back, rather than from the back to the front. I didn't even feel a single twinge of pain or discomfort during the extraction. His caring nature and taking the time to make sure I was comfortable has made all the difference in how I now view dental visits.