"Dentist bashing"? Dental humor?

[letsconnect]

Thought I'd throw out some topics for discussion, in case anyone feels like writing some posts but doesn't know where to start... What are your thoughts on the following comment re. the Dental Fear Central website?

"I've seen a lot of dentist bashing on various sites. Admittedly much of it is deserved. But if it is our purpose to help people get over their fear of dentistry then reinforcing negative attitudes about dentists is counter productive. Another observation is about comedy. Fearful patients are embarrassed about their fears and many are turned off by dental humor. Please take this as constructive advice from someone who has specialized in treating phobic patients for XX years."

Do you agree? Discuss!

[Guest]

Here are my 2 cents worth:

DENTIST BASHING
If we mean by this that people write about bad experiences they've had with dentists, then I think that is a good thing. For years and years I used to believe my bad experiences were down to me, that it was my fault. Only by reading about other people's experiences did I realise that (a) maybe it wasn't my fault, and (b) maybe there are nice dentists out there.

So far I've had seven dentists. Four of them can only be described as brutal, insensitive, uncaring etc. One of them was also incompetent (Took out the wrong tooth, should have taken out the next one along, took that out a few days later, then fitted a two-tooth bridge so badly that I couldn't chew properly on that side for 15 years and was in pain occasionally during the earlier years of that period). And because of the awful experiences I didn't go to the dentist for 14 years (and then only because I was in agony)- Luckily, I've also had three kind dentists, including the current one.

COMEDY
I also think that the comedy (such as on the dentalfearcentral site) is a good thing. There is quite a difference in making fun of the patient or the patient's fears (obviously that's out of order), and in making fun of the situation. Not sure if I'm explaining that very well; hope you get what I mean. The humour on this site has made me chuckle, which means I've felt better.

[letsconnect]

Guest-Guest said:

For years and years I used to believe my bad experiences were down to me, that it was my fault. Only by reading about other people's experiences did I realise that (a) maybe it wasn't my fault, and (b) maybe there are nice dentists out there.

My feelings exactly... I mean, if you said "listen, all dentists have your best interests at heart, they're all nice people, really", anyone with spade of bad experiences would go "hah! But I've got plenty of evidence to the contrary - therefore, everything else you say must be wrong" immediately. I couldn't for the life of me understand how other people coped with dentists - and the fact that a usual response is "well, nobody likes going to the dentist" only reinforces the belief that it's all your fault (i. e. you should pull up your socks and grin and bear it, like "everyone else").

Of course, a phobic's interpretation of "not liking to go to the dentist" usually translates into "this is the most terrifying thing imaginable" rather than "holidays are more fun". Obviously, you can't expect other people to realize this. I suppose the main reason why dental phobia is not readily understood is that people automatically assume you're referring to mild anxiety (which is entirely normal). To be honest, if I'd only ever met the dentists I've met in recent times, I wouldn't be able to make head nor tail of it. Dental phobia would be a mystery to me. And quite honestly, I wouldn't have the slightest bit of interest in it. Probably would tell people to pull up their socks I dunno, but I reckon any attempt to raise awareness of dental phobia among the general public is probably doomed to failure.

The comedy aspect I'm not sure about. Some people are very serious individuals anyway and are turned off by any sort of humor, dental or otherwise. I sort of fail to see the connection between being embarrassed about one's fears and being turned off by humor. Unless of course you were making fun of the person in question.

[clem]

I like my dentist but absolutely hate what he does. I struggled for years to tolerate that horrible shot and all the slurping, whining, gurgling things they shove in your mouth. After an unrelated but traumatic (painful) medical procedure last year, I find myself unable to even get my teeth cleaned with the drill going in the next cubicle, and the thought of that Nazi-needle sinking an inch into my flesh is intolerable. I don't understand why a "gentle" profession insists on tormenting nice people with that thing, and why there is no research underway to make it obsolete. I will never have that thing stuck in my mouth again without substantial pharmaceutical assistance, period. And if he won't help, I'll find someone else. Frankly, I think it's perfectly reasonable to hate having teeth worked on, what with all the sounds, sharp instruments, etc.

[letsconnect]

Having been routinely refused local anaesthesia as a youngster except on very rare occasions (such as multiple extractions), I've never had a problem with the needle (needle = good, no needle = bad )... then again, I've never had a painful dental injection. I've never even noticed them.
The cubicles seems to be an American thing?
Anyways, if you really hate the syringe, look for a dentist who offers the Wand. Apparently, it's really good if you don't fancy needles (I always keep my eyes firmly shut, so I wouldn't know ;D). The Wand is supposed to be pretty nifty for palatal injections, too (the ones where you might expect a bit of a nip).

[clem]

Yeah, cubicles are the thing here. Make sure everyone can hear everything. No privacy at all. Like I really want to hear them talk about what they did last night, or the drill, or anything else associated with dental work. It has occurred to me that if he does hurt me, I can yell really loudly and scare everyone else.

Sorry, but closing my eyes does not help when the needle is incoming. That's like saying "when your car is stuck on the train tracks, close your eyes and the train will disappear." The mental image and the time warp that occurs when that thing is in my mouth is intolerable. I prefer the zombie state of anesthesia when undergoing dental torture. Period.

Is the wand really better? How much better can it be--it's still a needle, still goes in the same depth, still takes a long time.??

[letsconnect]

I dunno, the only thing I have to compare things to were some pretty horrid dentists with antiquated equipment in the 80s - to my mind, today's dentistry is positively space-age. So I'm a bit biased.

The Wand's effect is mostly psychological - because it doesn't look like a syringe, patients perceive it as a lot friendlier. Though Gordon assures me that it's also great in the painless department, plus you can do some unusual injections with it which might be uncomfortable using a traditional syringe. Might be worth checking out.

[astrid]

admin said:

Thought I'd throw out some topics for discussion, in case anyone feels like writing some posts but doesn't know where to start... What are your thoughts on the following comment re. the Dental Fear Central website?

"I've seen a lot of dentist bashing on various sites. Admittedly much of it is deserved. But if it is our purpose to help people get over their fear of dentistry then reinforcing negative attitudes about dentists is counter productive. Another observation is about comedy. Fearful patients are embarrassed about their fears and many are turned off by dental humor. Please take this as constructive advice from someone who has specialized in treating phobic patients for XX years."

Do you agree? Discuss!

yeah i think dentist bashing is quite alright if its factual based and un-biased. i for one experienced some fearful visits with uncaring dentists but my present dentist is quite good.as a whole i think it helps for some of us here to be aware that there are really good and bad ones out there.