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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[–] 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.
[–] golgo91 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
My dentist does an xray and visual inspection every 6 months. Sometimes the xray catches things you cant see visually like cavities between teeth
[–] my_goyim ago
whatever nigger. i’m going to the dentist.
[–] 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.