Monday, September 12, 2005

I no longer like the dentist

I’ve been going to the dentist ever since I had teeth.  I’ve never really been bothered by it, it’s something you have to do every six months.  It’s not a big deal.  At least it wasn’t a big deal. 
It all started a couple of years ago when my dentist informed me that my implant was infected.  This little bit of information caused almost 2 years of pain and ~$5000.  I was okay through most of it.  I was okay when I found out my dentist was leaving town, leaving the state.  I was okay trying to find a new one. 
I haven’t been that okay with the new one. 
First impressions are a big deal.  A really big deal.  And the first impression I had of this particular dentist’s office was a very bad one.  The regular hygienist was out of the office and they had a temp in.  (I thought I blogged about this but I can’t find the entry, I am thinking I was so traumatized by the event that I couldn’t even write about it.) Basically she tortured me in a way I didn’t think was possible.  I was literally crying when I left.
The new hygienist is better, at least I don’t cry, but she is pushy in a completely different way and I am starting to get tired of it.
You see, I had a root canal done last year.  It was on a fairly good tooth; the tooth had a small cavity and for some reason, decided to die after the dentist filled it.  My dentist at the time told me there was plenty of tooth and I didn’t need a crown.  Since he hadn’t steered me wrong before, I trusted his judgment.  My new hygienist doesn’t agree.  Last time I was in they sent in a predetermination of cost to my insurance company to see how much it would cost because I told her I couldn’t afford it.  I told her, very specifically, that I would not be taking time off of work and I could not afford to pay for a crown.  I’m not sure what the deal was, but they called me once a month for the next 6 months to try and schedule the fitting.  Even though I had clearly told them “no” from the beginning.
This time it was more of the same.  Stop drinking coffee your teeth are stained.  You need an electric toothbrush because I am having to scrape too much plaque (even though my cleanings are far quicker then they have ever been before, with much less scraping!) And, when are you coming in for that crown?  This all comes from the hygienist.  When the actual dentist comes in she doesn’t say anything about the color of my teeth or about needing a crown.  In fact, today she said that the tooth looks good and I shouldn’t have any problems with it the way it is now.  At least not for awhile, the same thing my old dentist said.
So, I am contemplating finding another dentist, just to get away from the hygienist who is so pushy it drives me crazy.
I don’t like dentists anymore.