JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Yesterday, I had my regular six month cleaning at the dentist's. It was actually longer than six months - the last time I was in was at the end of June, when I had to get the okay from my dentist to proceed with my end-of-July knee surgery.
As usual, they had another new piece of technology. The cleaning instrument - you know, the metal with the hook that the nice dental hygienist uses to dig away at your built up tartar while you regret your life choices - has changed! Now it's a super-fast, micro-vibrating "water cleaner" that barely seems to touch the surface of your teeth. It was pretty sweet.
It got me thinking about the enormous changes in dentistry and tooth care in my lifetime. The first dentist I remember, when I was about 13-14, was Dr. Del Debbio, who was also the first civilian medical professional I ever saw. Dr. DD had huge fingers with black hair on his knuckles, which he stuck into my mouth without any gloves whatsoever. Yuch! He filled my first cavity (I've been blessed with hard, bacteria-resistant teeth) and I nearly fainted away under the onslaught of the enormous drilling machine.
Contrast to my own children, who didn't have cavities because their pediatric dentist painted their toothies with some magical film. By the way, I'm pretty sure we didn't have pediatric dentists when I was a youth. I don't think Dr. Del Debbio even liked kids.
Then there was the x-ray torture, when every square inch of your body was draped in lead while you clenched pieces of cardboard and film awkwardly between your teeth. The technician went into a different room, which makes me wonder, now, if I was getting a perhaps unhealthy amount of radiation. Oh, well, it goes with all the lead I consumed, I guess. Now, the bits you clamp down on aren't much more comfortable, but it takes seconds and the images appear instantly on the technician's screen. Mirabile dictu!
Along with the technological improvements, I feel that dentists themselves are perhaps now graduate with some lectures on patient bedside manner. In my lifetime, I've heard, "Your daughter is a real Sarah Heartburn," (Dr. DD to my mother) "Julia, you drool like a Labrador," and "My God, your bones are like rocks! I thought I was going to have to stand on the armrests to wrestle them out!" That last was from the oral surgeon who removed my wisdom teeth in my late twenties.
There is one old tradition I'm a little sad to see go. Yes, if I managed to avoid screaming, Dr. Del Debbio would give me a lollipop. Got to keep those patients coming, after all!
How about you, dear readers? What dentistry improvements have you noticed? And have you had any memorable visits to your own version of Dr. DD?
Since I seem to have totally blocked any memory of my youthful dental experiences, I've nothing to compare today's dentistry experiences with, but I'm hoping that when I have my next visit, my dentist has one of those super-fast, micro-vibrating water cleaner thingies . . . .
ReplyDeleteMy dentist uses the ultrasonic high frequency (sound) vibration thingy and I don't like it because it's got a high pitch sound that hurts my ears. Ouch! However, it does make teeth cleaning much faster. I used to like when the dentist used to give you a little cup of water to rinse out your mouth and then you'd spit it in a little sink next to your dental chair. Now they just shoot water into your mount and you swallow it or it's sucked into a tube. My dentist of 40 years retired - he was so wonderful. His office now has young dentists right out of dental school and it seems like they are always recommending more things I need to buy or have done.
ReplyDeleteOur dentist here in Portugal uses the water cleaner, too. It was such a surprise. As for bad memories of dentists: I hated going to a dentist when I was a kid. I had cavities, which meant drilling, which meant mouth shots, and I always cried my heart out. I don't remember getting a lollipop, either! Dentists really have improved so much in my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting feature here, is that the dentist herself does the cleaning. The first time I went for a cleaning, I thought she was the assistant, until I mentioned sensitivity in a back tooth and wondered if something was wrong with the tooth. (Cavity, whatever.) She calmly swung a machine around, popped a cardboard in my mouth, took an Xray and said, "No, the tooth looks fine . . .," and then proceeded with the cleaning.
Julia, even though there was a children’s dentist when I was a young child, for some reason I preferred to see my parents’ dentist, who was a kind person. I cannot recall why I did not want to see the children’s dentist.
ReplyDeleteThere have been some new technological changes at the dentist’s office. Instead of spitting out the water, there is a tube thing that sucks out the water and I have to ask for it. They still use metal scrapper to clean the teeth. I am going to ask them about the new water cleaner. The X-rays seem a little easier now. Not as cumbersome as it used to be.
And this topic reminded me of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot not liking the dentist. I have been lucky over the years with many good dentists, except for one who was so rough that my teeth always hurt for two weeks after seeing this dentist. I switched to another dentist after two times.
You have me laughing, Julia. As you were first talking Dr. DD, I was recalling my childhood dentist and his drawer of lollypops! "No cavities this time, kid. Here, have a big chunk of sugar so I'll have something to do next time." Then at the end, you mention you also had that same experience!
ReplyDeleteI remember having that stream of water sprayed in my mouth and then having to spit into a bowl with a spiral of water swirling it away. Now, they spray and suction. Quick and easy.
By the way, I also have been told I drool like a Lab. And my oral surgeon had a heart attack and retired immediately following the wrestling match with my wisdom teeth. Not saying it was because of me, but...
Hilarious Julia! My father in law was a dentist and I bet he'd barely recognize the equipment these days. I do remember my younger sister biting our dentist so then we were all demoted to a kid dentist.
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