The last refuge of cruel and unusual punishment

[Murph]

Yes, there is one totally legal refuge of cruel and unusual punishment.  I just left there.  The Dentist.  I have spent the last 62 years looking for a "good" dentist.  I finally found one where I do not feel like the Spanish Inquisition is leaning over me telling me; "this might hurt a little".  Finally I found one where my blood pressure and heart rate do not spike going in.  More importantly when I had the tooth crack the dentist I HAD been using told me it would be 4 weeks before I could get in, this dentist told me to come right over.  

I HATE going to the dentist. (Until now).

[Ivanhoe]

Is it safe?

[NickM]

50 minutes ago, Ivanhoe said:

Is it safe?

You won't.  You can't.  You're too weak. 

[bojan]

Is novocaine forbidden to be used in US? Or do your dentists still have that "it is supposed to hurt, pain is a good indicator" mindset? I get a shot of novocaine before every dental work, no matter how small, as my dentist thinking is "I don't want you to twitch unintentionally and break a drill bit" and have never felt a thing, even during root canal work.

[Murph]

2 hours ago, Ivanhoe said:

Is it safe?

I guess.  If I go back voluntarily more than once, it must a a pretty good dentist.  

[Ivanhoe]

10 minutes ago, Murph said:

I guess.  If I go back voluntarily more than once, it must a a pretty good dentist.  

Movie reference.

[Murph]

6 minutes ago, Ivanhoe said:

Movie reference.

Missed it completely.

[DB]

1 hour ago, bojan said:

Is novocaine forbidden to be used in US? Or do your dentists still have that "it is supposed to hurt, pain is a good indicator" mindset? I get a shot of novocaine before every dental work, no matter how small, as my dentist thinking is "I don't want you to twitch unintentionally and break a drill bit" and have never felt a thing, even during root canal work.

Probably comes with a $10k additional charge.

[Angrybk]

2 hours ago, Murph said:

Missed it completely.

Marathon Man. Brilliant 1970s thriller with a really creepy torture scene if you're dentist-averse. "Dentist" is ex-Nazi concentration-camp doktor come to NYC to retrieve his diamond stash, Dustin Hoffman is hapless grad student who the Nazi thinks has some insight about what he's doing because lots of reasons I won't get into. Probably one of my Top Ten favorite movies. 
 

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by Angrybk

[Angrybk]

3 hours ago, bojan said:

Is novocaine forbidden to be used in US? Or do your dentists still have that "it is supposed to hurt, pain is a good indicator" mindset? I get a shot of novocaine before every dental work, no matter how small, as my dentist thinking is "I don't want you to twitch unintentionally and break a drill bit" and have never felt a thing, even during root canal work.

I think it varies from dentist to dentist here. My current dentist is a South Korean woman who's incredibly competent and has great small motor coordination, only uses novocaine when it's a cavity or something. 

[bojan]

Well, yes, for cavities, and anything else that involves tooth drilling. Not for plaque removal and other "puny" scheduled maintenance.

[Rick]

My little country dentist uses a lidocaine jel over the gum area, followed in a few minutes by Novacaine. Have had two tooth removals with post implants without any pain at all !

[Stuart Galbraith]

15 hours ago, Ivanhoe said:

Is it safe?

My first thought.

When I was a child, I had a some orthodonic problems, so they had to take 5 teeth out in the same sitting, and a 6th one, they had to crank a wire around it to turn it through 90 degrees because it was growing along the jawbone. Nothing else seemed quite as bad after that. 

 

[johnthejock]

1 hour ago, Stuart Galbraith said:

My first thought.

When I was a child, I had a some orthodonic problems, so they had to take 5 teeth out in the same sitting, and a 6th one, they had to crank a wire around it to turn it through 90 degrees because it was growing along the jawbone. Nothing else seemed quite as bad after that. 

 

showing Scots-Gaelic genetics there with the too many teeth, I got 7 taken out in one go, had air and gas ..... loved the psychedelics, my mother taking me home couldnt stop laughing as I had punched the aenthstist when under.  On another note one of my visits to Romania got my teeth fixed over there, one year got rid of all my amalgam fillings, the dentist could not stop mentioning how shit the work had been undertaken, Mrs JtJ was translating him kept going on ..." the bastrds they are butchers, how could they do this to you.. how could they"  he was almost in tears while Mrs JtJ was almost pissing herself laughing 

[NickM]

14 hours ago, Murph said:

Missed it completely.

Marathon man with Dustin Hoffman and Sir Lawrence Olivier 

[Harold Jones]

My childhood dentist didn't believe kids needed Novocain, so naturally I grew up avoiding the dentist as much as possible.   Compared to that all later dentists (even the ones in the Army) were fantastic. I had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled by my first civilian dentist and didn't feel a thing.  He used lidocaine on my gums followed by a ton of Novocain shots. He also put in the last amalgam fillings I got, they were so well done that the last one was just replaced a couple years ago. 

[Stuart Galbraith]

2 hours ago, johnthejock said:

showing Scots-Gaelic genetics there with the too many teeth, I got 7 taken out in one go, had air and gas ..... loved the psychedelics, my mother taking me home couldnt stop laughing as I had punched the aenthstist when under.  On another note one of my visits to Romania got my teeth fixed over there, one year got rid of all my amalgam fillings, the dentist could not stop mentioning how shit the work had been undertaken, Mrs JtJ was translating him kept going on ..." the bastrds they are butchers, how could they do this to you.. how could they"  he was almost in tears while Mrs JtJ was almost pissing herself laughing 

NHS Dentists, prepared you for a future of urban decay and disappointment.

 

[Murph]

At my Kaserne we had a dentist nicknamed "The butcher" and he did not believe in Novocaine.  At Yokota AFB, I had an AF Dentist pull all four wisdom teeth (including two he had to cut on), and little issue, but I was sedated, and so it was not bad.  This new dentist uses lidocaine on the gums before he gives you shots, which is very nice.  

[bojan]

2 hours ago, johnthejock said:

... On another note one of my visits to Romania got my teeth fixed over there...

Ah, good old Eastern Europe "dentistry tourism"... Friend earns  more in 3 summer months than in the whole rest of year. 

[johnthejock]

3 minutes ago, bojan said:

Ah, good old Eastern Europe "dentistry tourism"... Friend earns  more in 3 summer months than in the whole rest of year. 

More than that its food tourism. Whenever I go to Romania I come back 5kg heavier Sarmale, Mici, Baklava.....Mici and mustard with a cold Timisoreana on a hot day  you cannot get much close to heaven 

[Angrybk]

13 hours ago, bojan said:

Well, yes, for cavities, and anything else that involves tooth drilling. Not for plaque removal and other "puny" scheduled maintenance.

I think it’s the same here then. I’ve never had nitrous oxide used on me. Does anybody still do that?

[Angrybk]

 

[bd1]

1 hour ago, bojan said:

Ah, good old Eastern Europe "dentistry tourism"... Friend earns  more in 3 summer months than in the whole rest of year. 

1988 my dad visited american dentist, who took a look at soviet dentistry and told him that ´dentistry, sir, is not a DIY job´. dad had to ask what DIY means.

but that was more closely related to general malaise of late  sov. union as everything slowly unraveled and materials became deficit, not the skills . 

[bojan]

1 hour ago, Angrybk said:

I think it’s the same here then. I’ve never had nitrous oxide used on me. Does anybody still do that?

Above noted friend also volunteers at a clinic where he works with handicapped children, more serious anesthetics are practically mandatory for them, and nitrous is less dangerous than full blown hospital ones.

Edited January 10, 2023 by bojan

[bojan]

1 hour ago, johnthejock said:

More than that its food tourism....

Best one.  Cover rest of Balkans some day, you will be surprised how different can even basic food get in different countries.