Must have been 1 crazy Memorial Day weekend!

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

fraud is good. I hear the IRS is really nice people too...............

Cash $$$$$ is good as well...alot of businesses will give a cash discount..you just have to ask...

On topic..Although I had braces which were $3300 back in the day..I'm lucky that my dental life thus far has been pretty inexpensive. I've had 3 fillings in my life so far..but 2 years ago my dentist told me I was a tooth grinder during my sleep. He wanted me to buy a bite plate from him for $400..but I scored one off the internet for $20 and it works great and no more jaw pain. My Upper Canine teeth are smaller than they should be and not sharp..so I sometimes get teeth envy when I see someone with really sharp canines. Probably similar to when a flat chested lady sees a woman with a nice rack. I also have a permanent retainer between my lower canines to keep those teeth from shifting but one tooth has shifted about 1/4 of a millimeter back..oh well..When I read threads like this it makes me want to floss more..

 

[drjeff]

When I read threads like this it makes me want to floss more..

Why would you want to do a crazy thing like that??? It's bad for folks in my professions business!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Why would you want to do a crazy thing like that??? It's bad for folks in my professions business!

Do you have TVs for your patients to watch while they're being operated on? Do some of your clients have dental phobias??

 

[drjeff]

Do you have TVs for your patients to watch while they're being operated on?

Not yet, but it's actually be priced out right now. The biggest challenge with that will be for me to keep focused on my patient's mouth and NOT on the TV screen

Do some of your clients have dental phobias??

I'd bet you'd be hard pressed to find a single dental office in the US that doesn't have atleast 1 patient that claims that they're a dental phob. I've yet to have a "true phob" that I couldn't get a procedure done on them, without the use of any serious sedatives. I just act like a big kid around them, treat them like I'd want to be treated when I'm in the chair, tell some real corny jokes, and literally explain to them what they can expect to feel as I'm working as I would to a 3 year old kid. Before they know it, we're done with the visit, they're still breathing , and they keep coming back to see me. Actually some of my best/most loyal patients are the one's who initially claimed they were the most phobic.

 

[deadheadskier]

Not yet, but it's actually be priced out right now. The biggest challenge with that will be for me to keep focused on my patient's mouth and NOT on the TV screen

When I had my veneers done, the 'TV' was a set of goggles that you viewed a movie through and head phones. It worked great at distracting me during the many hours I sat in the chair through uncomfortable procedures.

 

[wa-loaf]

Not yet, but it's actually be priced out right now. The biggest challenge with that will be for me to keep focused on my patient's mouth and NOT on the TV screen

My dentist has tv's in his exam rooms. They are always tuned to The View or Ellen whenever I'm in there. You need to hook them up to dvd and play Meathead films all day.

 

[drjeff]

When I had my veneers done, the 'TV' was a set of goggles that you viewed a movie through and head phones. It worked great at distracting me during the many hours I sat in the chair through uncomfortable procedures.

We tried those out, but the biggest P.I.T.A. with them from my prospective is that the size of the goggles and their proximity to the upper lip was getting in the way from time to time(especially if I was working high up near the gumline on those teeth). And considering that the tolerances we need to achieve with certain esthetic materials is atmost a couple of tenths of a millimeter, anything that gets in the way can become a big deal in a hurry which can compromise the final product.

I figure that I'll have to put on a few episodes of Jerry Springer and old reruns of The Man Show to counteract the likely onslaught of The View and Oprah that will be on the TV's Plus, I'm thinking about hanging a sign in my treatment rooms that says something to the extent of "you're free to watch what you want, but be aware if it's a soap opera, I will charge you double for your visit today! )

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

When I had my veneers done, the 'TV' was a set of goggles that you viewed a movie through and head phones. It worked great at distracting me during the many hours I sat in the chair through uncomfortable procedures.

In the picture you posted..of yourself..I noticed your teeth and I instantly thought..wow deadheadskier has perfect teeth..I would have never known you have veneers..

 

[drjeff]

In the picture you posted..of yourself..I noticed your teeth and I instantly thought..wow deadheadskier has perfect teeth..I would have never known you have veneers..

There are lots of really good ceramists out there that can do some absolutely incredible work!(sometime inspite of the dentist that prepared the teeth ) Then again they CAN also do things like this too with their skills!

And YES those are real crowns that eventually were cemented onto live patients teeth!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

There are lots of really good ceramists out there that can do some absolutely incredible work!(sometime inspite of the dentist that prepared the teeth ) Then again they CAN also do things like this too with their skills!

Wow...so Jeff with good dental hygiene..at what age do most people lose their first adult tooth? Are there certain teeth that generally fall out first???

I'm thinking of getting a full face helmet this year to protect my pearly yellows..

 

[drjeff]

Wow...so Jeff with good dental hygiene..at what age do most people lose their first adult tooth? Are there certain teeth that generally fall out first???

I'm thinking of getting a full face helmet this year to protect my pearly yellows..

In all seriousness nowadays with proper diet and hygiene and lack of any unforseen traumatic injuries, you really shouldn't expect to loose an adult tooth (wisdom teeth and a few select other teeth for orthodontic reasons excluded).

Now, if you don't necessraily take care of things and/or consume calories containing foods and beverages very frequently all day long (i.e. every 30 minutes0 then you in all likelyhood see a steady amount of decay over the years, and the most common adult teeth that suffer a catastrophic failure as a result of this are your 6 year old molars (if you have wisdom teeth in your mouth, your 6 year old molars are the 3rd from the back), and atleast what i see in my office, the average age if that catastrophic failure is going to occur is usually around 50.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

In all seriousness nowadays with proper diet and hygiene and lack of any unforseen traumatic injuries, you really shouldn't expect to loose an adult tooth (wisdom teeth and a few select other teeth for orthodontic reasons excluded).

Now, if you don't necessraily take care of things and/or consume calories containing foods and beverages very frequently all day long (i.e. every 30 minutes0 then you in all likelyhood see a steady amount of decay over the years, and the most common adult teeth that suffer a catastrophic failure as a result of this are your 6 year old molars (if you have wisdom teeth in your mouth, your 6 year old molars are the 3rd from the back), and atleast what i see in my office, the average age if that catastrophic failure is going to occur is usually around 50.

Thanks Doc..at the local bar I notice lots of people with missing teeth...and of course alot of my customers who are elderly...but my grandma is 82 and has all her teeth..

 

[drjeff]

Thanks Doc..at the local bar I notice lots of people with missing teeth...and of course alot of my customers who are elderly...but my grandma is 82 and has all her teeth..

I think that at just about every local bar, the true regulars are more likely to have plastic teeth(if any) than mother nature's original equipment. Just kind of goes with that diet and hygiene thing I mentioned.

As for your grandma's situation that's become more and more common place now, and with the greatly increased rates of elderly folks retaining their teeth for their entire lifetime it's actually creating quite a large and rapidly expanding "new" patient group for us dentists.