Why haven't you gone to the dentist?

[Orrex]

Poll question: Why haven't you gone to the dentist?

[Orrex]

1. Here's my situation

My dental situation includes a certain amount of known shortcomings re: teeth. I can live with most of them, but I know that when the dentist gets me in his chair, he's going to say something like

"Now I can fill this cavity today, but I'd really like to have all your teeth rotated and reimplanted. It'll probably cost in the neighborhood of $36K, but you really can't put a price tag on tooth health, can you?"

Why, yes--I can! And strangely enough it's somewhere well below $36K.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. Get a new dentist.

I had a dentist like that. As soon as the first molar broke he began recommending crowns for all four with cracks. The crown he installed on the broken tooth was so inexpertly done (in a series of procedures with bad anesthesia applications, improperly sized and affixed temporary caps,and damage done to the opposing molar) that I finally told him that it was clear to me that for whatever reason he was not able to address the problem and I wanted a refund.

My new dentist hasn't recommended installing them on all the other cracked molars, only on the one that was deeply fractured and sensitive. The procedure to crown that tooth was straightforward and painless.
The new dentist is faculty at one of the local dental schools so I'm thinking he knows what he's doing.

[Orrex]

5. Happily...

I'm speaking more of my previous experience with dentists. Finances have kept me from setting into the reclining chair of doom for longer than I care to recount, but my wife's current tooth-monger seems pretty good.

I'll likely give him a visit before the end of the year.

[CBHagman]

6. I had sticker shock when I went back to the dentist.

For several years I had bad experiences with dentists, including one who repeatedly botched my treatment (!). I wound up paying a lot of money to correct something he'd gotten wrong, and it's possible I'll yet pay even more.

I also was unused to my dental insurance plan, which only covers a fraction of the necessary care.

Strangely enough, the very best experience I've had with dental care was the work and check-ups I had done at a dental school. They had to be thorough!

[Arugula Latte]

2. By the time I've taken

the kids to the doctor for their check ups and their random injuries and sicknesses and suspicious moles, etc., and then taken them to the dentist and taken the kitties to the vet for check ups and teeth cleanings and taken myself to the gyno and taken myself for a mammogram, I just don't feel like making another appointment.

[Akoto]

4. I went for the first time in years last month.

For me, it was due to fear of the dentist and of medical things in general. Don't know why I'm so terrified, but I always have been. I had a wisdom tooth that had gone really bad though, and the pain of keeping it had begun to override my terror. Heh.

Fortunately, I had a good dentist who extracted the tooth with a minimum of pain. I figure the procedures can't get much worse than that, and he really said my teeth weren't that bad besides, so I'm going back to get more work done.

[SteppingRazor]

7. Other: A dangerous combination of procrastination, laziness and forgetfulness n/t

[billyskank]

8. Because I need the money to visit America.

I'll have to go when I get back instead.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. I have been dentist-free for years...

because a while ago I just got sick of spending money to save teeth that were going to break again or fall out.

So, had the remaining ones all pulled and gots me some brand new store bought teeth. Never since have I had any pain or a dentist's bill. Solved a few problems with weird infections you get through the mouth and bad gums, too. One of the best things I ever did.

I can eat just about anything-- apples, corn on the cob, walnuts, ribs... and no one knows I gots no real teeth unless I tell them. Or sneeze, and they fly out across the table.