Have been going to this dentist office for at least 29 years, always a good experience. Original dentist is a cool individual, never discussed politics or beliefs though statements he made lead me to believe he has based ideologies. Sold the business to another dentist, but still shows up occasionally to work.
They had to close for two months and are finally catching up with all of the canceled appointments. Had to fill out questionnaire, get temperature check. Yes it is agravatating, but mandated by the State Dental Board, not the dentist. My State has relaxed the mask mandate for general public, so was interesting to see how ridiculous the PPE required for them to wear is. N-95 mask with a disposable mask on top of that and face shield. Long sleeves, hair net and I had to wear safety glasses. Made it hard for me to breathe just looking at them. Could not use the newest ultrasonic cleaning equipment due to possibility of aerosolized droplets forming, so used paste and rubber tip spinning a brazilion rpm flinging it allover.
Hygienist told me how everyone in office was going home each night with migraines and/or stress headaches. Worring about a patient reporting any perceived violation of Dental Board mandates. Having to take breaks in between patients to get a few minutes of normal breathing.
What was really special about the visit was what the dentist and hygienist both told me. They've seen an uptick in depressed patients, which in turn leads to a decline in general hygiene. Also, this was the surprise, an increase in oral fungus. Not the regular thrush, something called Aspergillosis.
Said they would see it maybe once a year normally, but have seen over a dozen in last few months. Anecdotal evidence only, but their speculation is these stupid masks. What else could it be?
Not a super insightful and illuminating post, I know, just has been on my mind since the visit, thought I would share with you goats.
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[–] toobaditworks 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago
They call it MASK MOUTH. Look it up.
[–] GhostskinIsAfaggot 1 point 4 points 5 points (+5|-1) ago
You don't need to go to the dentist to have your teeth cleaned. That's the scam for them to make money. Clean your own teeth and go to the dentist when you have a problem. It's that simple.
[–] Tekedo 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago
Plaque builds up under your gums, and regular x-rays can find cavities or infections you might not know you have, like something under the gun line, or between two teeth.
By the time you're hurting and having a bad time, you've just tripled or quadrupled the costs of fixing the problem. Considering a filling is ~300 where a root canal/cap is 1,500+, you'd have to go to a lot of <$100 cleanings before you spent the same amount.
With programs like Cigna Savings, you can essentially get insurance prices for only $100 a year, instead of like, 40 bucks a month with your coverage not kicking in for 6 months with the insurance.
[–] GhostskinIsAfaggot 1 point 2 points 3 points (+3|-1) ago
Going to the dentist and getting your teeth clean prevents nothing. When you go in for a cleaning they do a visual inspection and that's it, if they can see some kind of a problem it's too late to prevent it and you would have ended up going shortly anyway. If a person is it lazy you can brush floss and scrape plaque off your teeth which is what I do. Once a week I will scrape plaque which only tends to build up on about eight teeth total on most people. I brush twice a day and floss every single night. Have not been to the dentist in 15 years and have had absolutely no problems. My teeth look great. Most people are too lazy to take care of their teeth properly though but going to get them cleaned is doing nothing for you.
[–] aduda [S] ago
And it's not just about the cleaning. Dental exams can also alert to other health issues. Early detection of diabetes, osteoporosis, crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
[–] BearDolphin1488 ago
Agreed, I bought a set of tools and am cleaning the wife's teeth tomorrow
[–] GhostskinIsAfaggot ago
If you do it regularly it's really easy to maintain.
[–] clamhurt_legbeard 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
Many months ago, my dentist was trying to say I had to come to the parking lot, call them when I got there, then they'd come get me when they were ready, and I'd have to wear a mask (?)
I cancelled the appointment because they clearly can't operate a banana, let alone dental equipment.
[–] pshawman 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
This is how they're doing it in Australia.
[–] Brain_Spasm 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I went to the dentist last week. Similar situation. Had to wait in my car til they were ready, fill out questionnaires, temp check. When I saw the dentist and helper I laughed out loud. They looked like extras in that movie Outbreak. Full gown, mask, goggles, face shield... I had to apologize for laughing cause it really isn’t funny to them. I got a small cavity fixed and a cleaning. But they couldn’t use the water pic or the polishing tool due to aerosols. 30 minutes of work, $420 bill. I picked the wrong business.
[–] uvulectomy 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
You really didn't. I have a few family members in the dental field. What I've gathered from them is that the work itself is fine, and often interesting/rewarding. But the hassle of dealing with the patients themselves makes them want to go on a rampage most days.
[–] aduda [S] ago
I have heard the same thing. Having gone there nearly 30 years, have become familiar with some of the staff. Can usually tell by demeanor & body language if a previous patient(s) had been difficult.
[–] Brain_Spasm ago
Yeah dealing with people sucks. I’ve done my time in the customer service business. I am pretty good at dealing with horrible people but it gives me anxiety. I’m in construction now so we still have to deal with people but we are experienced enough to preempt any bitchyness. Or even better, we deal with the general contractor as a middle man and he deals with the customers.
[–] aduda [S] ago
Ha, forgot to add the part about calling from the parking lot. Wife took the reminder call the day before and didn't remember to tell me I had to call before going in. I was first patient and they were caught off guard and quite surprised when I just walked in.
[–] BearDolphin1488 ago
I went the other day, answered their queationaire and then they tried to take my temp with the gun thing. I stopped them and said no, I don't consent to that. The lady didn't know what to say, and I said that I already answered the questions and that I didn't have a temp.
We just moved on but man, normies are retarded
[–] israelmossadjewgold 2 points -2 points 0 points (+0|-2) ago
idk but screw the dentist. haven't you seen their logo with the serpent? I'm going to just stick some wood in my mouth for teeth like george washington and be a bad ass.
[–] uvulectomy 0 points 6 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago
The staff of Asclepius? From ancient Greek myth. Asclepius was the son of Apollo, and was known as the god of healing. One of his daughters was Hygieia, the goddess of cleanliness, which is where the term "hygiene" comes from.
To the ancient Greeks, snakes were not symbols of evil, but of healing and wisdom. This is from the myth that, in return for showing it kindness, a snake cleaned Asclepius' ears and taught him secret knowledge. From that point on, Asclepius bore a staff wreathed with a snake, and it became a general symbol for medicine.
So nothing satanic about it. In fact, a good portion of modern medical terminology is derived from Greek, along with Latin.
[–] Warnos44 ago
Where do you think these gods and goddesses come from? Just some made up ideas some silly people had once upon a time, what ridiculous notions they had back in those days eh? Babylon took everything that was the Christian God's truth and mirrored it. The snake became the good guy, offering hidden knowledge. When the Babylonian empire was scattered, the ideas and worship of God's mirror entities broken into many aspects and iterations were slightly changed depending upon the people. Every god/goddess that isn't the Christian God can be traced back to this time period.
[–] Phantom42 ago
People are fucking stupid and they will be shot for their ignorance.
[–] BjornIronside 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago
I've been to the dentist once in the last thirty years. I have zero cavities.
Buy a surplus military dental kit, and learn how to clean your own teeth.