Quote:
|
Originally Posted by _God_
In spite of what many people think, there are MANY free medical and dental clinics for indigents. I've worked at two. The only adult I ever saw who had never been to the dentist was a recent illegal immigrant from Mexico. So you're somewhat unique!
|
I'm amazed. I'd never been until I was 25. My sister not until she was 16, and then because she was living with me and I made sure she had everything she needed that my parents could never give her. My brother . . . I don't know if he's ever been. He's a poor scholarship student at an expensive school so I doubt he's going now. I doubt the other five have ever been either.
We weren't indigent, by the way; we could afford all the necessities and did not require external assistance. We were just poor enough that we couldn't afford luxuries like dental care or doctor visits while well.
Quote:
|
I am not in the eye field, but I can tell you that some disorders can cause blindness if not caught early. Glaucoma is the big one, but I've known two people who developed problems with their retinas. A regular eye examination is just a good idea.
|
Ok. My optometrist didn't say anything about any of this, or not that I can remember. It was four years ago, though, so maybe my memory is faulty.
Quote:
|
You have a little self-fulfilling prophecy going on there. With 25 years of tartar and inflammation, you were guaranteed to have a less-than-wonderful experience.
|
The first 21 years weren't really by choice, and I suspect that the difference between 21 years of tartar and 25 would have been negligible. It was, in retrospect, foolish to try to save money by waiting those four years to get up to 100% because it turns out the insurance didn't work that way, but I didn't know that, so I had a good financial reason, or so I thought, for postponing things.
Quote:
|
If you go every six months, not only should you not need to be stuck with needles, but it's unlikely to hurt.
|
Huh. My experience has been that getting stuck with a needle always hurts. That was really secondary anyway.
Quote:
|
Actually, it sounded to me like he DOES know what's best for you. That doesn't mean you have to do it, but everything you've reported sounds very likely to be what you need. He discounted your trip, and he didn't tell you that you needed multiple crowns. That's where the money is generated in family dental offices. However, it sounds like he and his staff are lacking in people skills. FWIW, if you have great insurance and expensive needs, most times their attitudes improve.
|
To be clear, it wasn't the work that kept me from going back on their schedule, it was primarily the rude way they treated me. It's hard to explain; it was as if I wasn't supposed to be part of the decision making process or as if my teeth were theirs because they were cleaning them every year instead of mine to decide what to do with. Lousy customer service isn't a good way to get customers to come in more often. It seems perverse to me that they thought that criticizing me was a good way to get me to come to them more often. Why go back to a place where the people make me feel bad about myself every time I go there?
I guess it's a combination of the physical discomfort, anxiety regarding whether I'm going to need fillings again, and the way they talked to me.
If my sister hadn't loved it there, I'd have switched us the following year. She had a different dentist, so maybe that was part of the difference.
Quote:
|
You might be, but if your cleanings hurt, unless Nurse Ratchet is doing the work, you're not getting them cleaned often enough. If your teeth or gums are in good shape, cleanings usually don't hurt.
|
That's been my sister's experience, too. Maybe I just have sensitive teeth.
Quote:
There is a reason most insurances pay for two cleanings a year--that's what the average person needs.
I hope this helped.
|
It did, thank you. It sounds as if I just got a bad dentist, at least in terms of attitude. Maybe whoever I get here will be better. I hope so. Maybe I'll call my brother and see if he needs some money to see the dentist. It would be something nice I could do for him.
Off topic: I just got the latest issue of Walking Dead. It has a somewhat relevant dental reference in it. One man involved in a gladiator style exhibition battle knocks another's teeth out. The other man quite reasonably gets very upset--there are no dentists or dental offices, so there is no way to do any kind of repairs. He's toothless for the rest of his life, so he kills the guy who knocked his teeth out. It's a metaphor for all of the things in civilization that we take for granted, things we don't think about when we don't need them, but need desperately when we do, something Kirkman does really well.
Gilda