Preventive Dentistry

I am back from the dentist this morning, who had waved his arms expansively around his office & said, "All this!", while smiling proudly, "All this - 6 weeks from now, when you come back, all this will be totally different & new!"

As I settled back into the chair for my 10th crown, it was not hard to imagine that I had played some small part in his upcoming office renovation.  It was only fitting that he expected that I would be just as enthusiastic as he, since I spend so much time there.  Not only that, but notice his confident "when you come back" comment.  Guess he must have his eye on some other big ticket item.  Sure enough, I am scheduled for work on crown number 11 at the end of next month (sigh).

But how do you know what the dentist is really doing in your mouth?  It's not like you can go back & check his work.  Say you break your arm - you go to the doctor & he says, "You need a cast." & you think, ok, I can see that. But when the dentist says, with his hand in your mouth, "Looks like a cavity is growing here - you need a filling/crown/root canal!"  All you can say is, "Wskjd msmmm, topqfse?" 

Then the dentist sits back & thinks to himself - gee, what do I need around here?  Some new dental equipment? A pay raise for my assistant?  An office renovation?  Yes, a renovation it is!  & he says, shaking his head sadly, "I was right, looks like we'll be needing a porcelain crown here!"  I certainly can't say that he is dishonest.  After all, he did say "we".

My last dentist in the States was worse.  Never pick a dentist who has just moved into a new office & probably has saddled herself with some hefty new expenses.  On my first visit, after all the cleaning & flossing, scraping & x-rays, not to mention that panoramic x-ray (where they get some marvellous shots of your teeth, your jawbone, your sinuses, the roots of your hair, the plaster ceiling & the cleanliness of the carpeting on the second floor), my dentist rushes into the room & sits down in her rolling chair for our heart-to-heart.  I am prepared for bad news. (As an aside, YES, I DO brush - twice a day!!!)

"We need to think about your Dental Plan!" she flashes her professionally whitened teeth at me.

Hmmm - Dental Plan.  I am thinking that so far my dental plan has been to keep teeth from breaking at speeds greater than once a year.

"My dental plan.", I repeat nonchalantly, decapitalizing the phrase while trying not to grip the chair arms quite so tightly.

"Right!" she beams at my witty response.  "Your Wish List for your mouth!  Things we need to plan on doing in the future to get your mouth up to speed!" She pats my arm.

I am thinking that she does not mean the way I plan on one tooth per year usually needing a crown.  & what the heck does she mean by "up to speed"?

"Have you ever thought of whitening?  You know, as we get older, our teeth are not as white as they used to be!" I squint into the light reflecting off her incredibly white teeth.

"Well, I - "

"& what about that space between your front teeth?  Ever thought of having that filled in?"

"My SPACE?  What's wrong with my space?  I kind of LIKE my space!" My hand flies up on its own accord to protect the endangered space & my unacceptably drab teeth.

"No, no," she insists, "It's nothing you have to think about right now!  It is just something to consider adding to your dental plan.  Along with these six teeth - for starters."

"SIX teeth?!" I grab the hand mirror. "But three of them have crowns already!  & these two have fillings!  & this one - what's wrong with this one?  It's probably the only GOOD tooth in my entire mouth!" I struggle to remain calm, while mentally reassuring my mouth, my bank account & my insurance company that no matter what SHE says, I am on THEIR side.  "Besides," I exclaim, "None of them even hurt!"

"Oh, now really, Helen. You know you don't have to wait until something hurts to come & see me!"  The unspoken next sentence is obviously - I can MAKE your teeth hurt right here in this office!  But no, instead she says, "Well, as for these three crowns, after the whitening procedure they will not match the color of the other teeth."

"But I didn't - "

"& these two with fillings?  Look at how the metallic color is bleeding thru.  We can't have that!"

"We can't?" I gulp.

"No, of course not.  & this last tooth here?  What's wrong with it, you ask?  Well, hmmm, looks like nothing just yet, but that's what we call Preventive Dentistry!"


Luckily we moved away fairly soon after that.  Now that's what I call Prevented Dentistry!