To Go, or Not to Go, That is the Question

Should you visit a dentist?

Audio file below should you choose to listen instead of reading ….

‘To go, or not to go, that is the question

whether tis nobler in the mind, to suffer the slings and arrows of unbearable toothache, or visit the dentist against a sea of troubling decay, and by filling those holes, end them.

To cry – to weep, no more, and by weep we may end the toothache and the thousand natural shocks in dentist chair, that makes us swear too, tis a suffocation devoutly to be wished.

To cry to weep, to weep, enhanced to scream, would you take gas, that sleep of death, what night terrors may come, or when opening wide for mortal injection, mouth sore, there’s the infection, that makes root canal of so long strife ….’

I caved in and visited the dentist a few weeks ago. They had been harassing me for a couple of years by text and when I noticed some sensitivity in a tooth in the lower right side of my mouth, I made an appointment. I took my old plate with me, which is supposed to go in my mouth to cover the gap in my front teeth. I wanted some advice on what to do, because it is too tight for me to wear now and I wasn’t sure if I should chuck it away or whether I should force it in my mouth.

Before I entered the lair , the assistant was friendly, a stark contrast to the sour face of the dentist himself. He grunted and nodded in the direction of the chair.

I sat down and showed him the plate saying it was too tight. He snapped at me in response

‘what do you want me to do about it?’

His manner reminded me of White van man when he’s blocked you in a parking space for 15 minutes and you’ve asked him politely to move so you can get out ...

‘Pardon me, I thought this was a dentist, must have got confused, I’ll be off then ..’

‘No point in you wearing it.’

‘good good, well isn’t it a lovely sunny day’

Grunt.

After taking xrays he gives the verdict.

‘You need eight fillings’

‘How much?’

‘£250 each’

‘Why so many and why so much’

‘You didn’t have any work done last time.’

‘I absolutely did.’

Grunt

Emily pipes in - ‘ we can arrange finance’

‘yeh course you can – look I need to speak to your receptionist’

‘Do you want the fillings? ‘

‘I said I need to speak to your receptionist. I’ll let you know’

Later I check their website for prices, it says:

Fillings - amalgam ……. from £109

fillings - white ….... from £125

I rang the receptionist and queried why I had been quoted £250 per filling. She stated their prices were just ‘from’ prices because fillings differ in complexity. Since some of the fillings I apparently needed were simple and shallow and others were deep and complex I therefore queried why I had been quoted a blanket £250 per filling with no gradation according to complexity.

NO explanation. Offered an appointment to discuss. I decided not to go back . Didn’t trust the guy or like his attitude So I returned to an old dentist I had in another area. I then had to pay again to do an introductory appointment as I had not been there for years. That dentist told me I only needed four fillings and three that could be done at a later date, not so important. They would charge £100 per filling. All well and good. Much more reasonable price-wise, even factoring in travel costs.

I had two fillings done to begin with. The ones I was told were most urgent on the left side of my mouth. One I was told was close to the nerve and might need root canal at some point. Lo and behold a co of weeks later the pain started. At this point I still have not had anything done about the intermittant pain on the right side which I originally went to the dentist for.

I ring up and get told – no probs we can do root canal for you.

How much?

£550.

At this point I’m wishing I never let them touch the tooth in the first place as it would probably have lasted a few more years.

I can give you antibiotics’

‘Super duper’.

I’ve already got gaps in the front, courtesy of some retard who lost his temper because I quite justifiably mentioned the fact he was a worthless dunce. So really, all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth. I realise that might not be completely realistic (1) its not christmas and (2) you don’t always get what you want in life, in fact you never do, so I am more than willing to compromise. I’ll settle for breaking even, ie coming out not worse than when I went in. That would at least be one up on other areas of ‘health’ ranging from the pseudoscience of quackiatry to the drug dealing bouncers on the door, otherwise known as GPs.

I am now regretting having gone to the dentist at all. After forking out a few hundred quid, what have I got to show for it? Pain and infection. I don’t trust them now to do any more fillings so the problem with the tooth which prompted by dentist visit in the first place will not get addressed.

To go or not to go – that is the question ….

Please leave your answer below, along with any dentistry anecdotes, either lullabies or horror stories are equally welcome …