Ode to the unsung hero - your dentist!

[severine]

I know, I know. Part of the problem was my dentist retired and the douchebags who took over his practice really pissed me off. But he's back in practice now (on his own) so I really need to make the call. $150 for a cleaning though. Ouch.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I know, I know. Part of the problem was my dentist retired and the douchebags who took over his practice really pissed me off. But he's back in practice now (on his own) so I really need to make the call. $150 for a cleaning though. Ouch.

Well just a cleaning is most likely less than $150 but they'll probably want you to get X-rays done to check for Cavaties between your teeth..but the peace of mind of knowing that everything is O.K. with your teeth is worth it's weight in gold..and if there is a cavity or two..getting them taken care of now is way better than letting it go longer..get on Dr. Jeffs good side and maybe you'll get an AZ discount..

 

[Moe Ghoul]

I get a cleaning every 4 months because I'm a lazy flosser. Although I've been pretty consistent with the Mentadent picks, I like picks better than floss.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I get a cleaning every 4 months because I'm a lazy flosser. Although I've been pretty consistent with the Mentadent picks, I like picks better than floss.

I have a permanent retainer between my lower canines and 4 lower insisors..to keep them from shifting..I've had it for 15 years since I got my braces removed..and I use a special vibrating pick for the really tight spaces.. I never used to floss but now I do alot..my cousin gets a cleaning every 3 months..but I'm happy with every 6..it's like getting a haircut..just something I have to do..plus since I'm in the dating world..I want really good breath and clean teeth are a good start...

If it wasn't for safety meetings and coffee my teeth would be alot whiter though..Is it true that teeth whitening is bad for enamal??

 

[Moe Ghoul]

I have a permanent retainer between my lower canines and 4 lower insisors..to keep them from shifting..I've had it for 15 years since I got my braces removed..and I use a special vibrating pick for the really tight spaces.. I never used to floss but now I do alot..my cousin gets a cleaning every 3 months..but I'm happy with every 6..it's like getting a haircut..just something I have to do..plus since I'm in the dating world..I want really good breath and clean teeth are a good start...

If it wasn't for safety meetings and coffee my teeth would be alot whiter though..Is it true that teeth whitening is bad for enamal??

Like anything, if it's overused its prolly bad. I got a bleaching kit from my dentist that I use sparingly, like twice a year max.

 

[drjeff]

I know, I know. Part of the problem was my dentist retired and the douchebags who took over his practice really pissed me off. But he's back in practice now (on his own) so I really need to make the call. $150 for a cleaning though. Ouch.

The "cleaning" is often 2 to 3 seperate procedures (and fees) lumped together. The actual cleaning, the Dr.'s exam and if taken, x-rays. In all seriousness, if it's been a while, I really can't stress the importance of the x-rays enough. The x-rays allows us dental folks to pick up potential cavities while they're small, and fix them while their small. The old school of thought that "it can't be bad if it doesn't hurt" can be better explained from my prospective as "if it hurts, it's going to cost ALOT of $$ to fix"

I can't tell you the number of times I've seen someone who hasn't had insurance for a while, and for some reason thought that no insurance meant that we wouldn't treat them, show up saying "I now have insurance" and after an exam and some x-rasy, they find out they they have multiple thousands of dollars of treatment that's needed to save their teeth, and 99% of the time these are things that could have been prevented with simple fillings in a smaller state. Even if you need to go once a year instead of twice, you might pay a bit out of pocket now, but the vast majority of the time, you'll end up saving ALOT of $$ later.

 

[drjeff]

..Is it true that teeth whitening is bad for enamal??

Nope, or let me rephrase that, to date, over 20 years of research hasn't proved it to be.

Basically, just about all dental bleaching products that are delivered either via a tray, a strip, or light activated are all peroxide derivatives which after their "active" phase break down to oxygen and water. The belach doesn't actually work on the enamel, which is actually quite translucent, but the layer of tooth below the enamel, called the dentin. This dentin is usually a deep yellow to light brown color. What gives a tooth its color, is light passes through the enamel, and then reflects off the colored dentin. The lighter in color the dentin, the lighter and whiter a tooth appears.

I have a few select "bleach addicts" as I call them in my practice, who basically as soon as they finish off a pack of Crest Whitestrips(My personal reccomendations for bleaching because a) the work b) they're researched more than any other bleaching system and c) they're inexpensive compared to many other bleaching systems) they're buying a new pack and keep on bleaching with NO DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS that I have seen and/or they've reported to me after close to 5 years of this routine.

The most common side effect from bleaching is short duration temperature sensitivity especially to cold things, and just about every bleaching system on the market now has buffering agents in them to limit this sensitivity.

Bleach away!

 

[severine]

The "cleaning" is often 2 to 3 seperate procedures (and fees) lumped together. The actual cleaning, the Dr.'s exam and if taken, x-rays. In all seriousness, if it's been a while, I really can't stress the importance of the x-rays enough. The x-rays allows us dental folks to pick up potential cavities while they're small, and fix them while their small. The old school of thought that "it can't be bad if it doesn't hurt" can be better explained from my prospective as "if it hurts, it's going to cost ALOT of $$ to fix"

I can't tell you the number of times I've seen someone who hasn't had insurance for a while, and for some reason thought that no insurance meant that we wouldn't treat them, show up saying "I now have insurance" and after an exam and some x-rasy, they find out they they have multiple thousands of dollars of treatment that's needed to save their teeth, and 99% of the time these are things that could have been prevented with simple fillings in a smaller state. Even if you need to go once a year instead of twice, you might pay a bit out of pocket now, but the vast majority of the time, you'll end up saving ALOT of $$ later.

I know, I know. It's just been an expensive last year between hospital bills for giving birth, breaking my foot, partial tear to ACL, vision (hadn't been to the eye doctor in 2 yrs), and more recently some regular doctor's bills. Even with insurance for the medical stuff, it's added up quite a bit.

It's on my list. I promise!

 

[bill2ski]

Thank You, Dr.Jeff
For ending a longstanding superstition ,my otherwise extraordinary spouse, has been erroneously in belief of, for as long as whitening products have been commercially available.
Thusly, [ Bleach = Chlorine ] commonly sold as ™CLOROX.
This disbelief has endured in the face of insurmountable evidence to the contrary,
namely,
I told her," it's peroxide " She didn't think my qualifications were sufficient enough to risk it .
Oh' how the worm has turned. Sweet vindication is mine. It may cost me some lovin' but at least I'll be right for a change.

On second thought.................
Knowledge can be such a burden, Ignorance is bliss.

 

[drjeff]

Thank You, Dr.Jeff
For ending a longstanding superstition ,my otherwise extraordinary spouse, has been erroneously in belief of, for as long as whitening products have been commercially available.
Thusly, [ Bleach = Chlorine ] commonly sold as ™CLOROX.
This disbelief has endured in the face of insurmountable evidence to the contrary,
namely,
I told her," it's peroxide " She didn't think my qualifications were sufficient enough to risk it .
Oh' how the worm has turned. Sweet vindication is mine. It may cost me some lovin' but at least I'll be right for a change.

On second thought.................
Knowledge can be such a burden, Ignorance is bliss.

Glad to help Bill2ski! All decent dental bleaching products are hydrogen peroxide and or a derrivative of hydrogen peroxide called carbamide peroxide(basically carbamide peroxide breaks down into hydrogen peroxide which breaks down into oxygen + water).

We actually do use chlorox in modern dentistry though. It's what we use in a semi diluted form as an irrigation soltion for dissenfecting and cleaing the internal "plumbing" of a tooth during a root canal procedure. So if you want to win the bet, and let the misses save face and keep the lovin' a coming, there's an answer that works for both of you, and there's no B.S. in my answer!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

bump for dental stoke!!!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I get more dental stoke next week .. 2 appointments ..2 crown lengthening is the second appointment.. then another appointment the following week ..

Hell Yeah!!!! Serious Stoke..JEA!!! I expect a TR with pictures

 

[drjeff]

Hell Yeah!!!! Serious Stoke..JEA!!! I expect a TR with pictures

GSS you might NOT want pics with the "crown lengthening' TR And for OSME, I'm being 100% honest when I say that it looks WAY WAY worse than it will feel