Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire So..... how long has it been since you got your teeth cleaned?

I suggest putting it on your "to do" list if it's been awhile...


I had a root canal done last month. Dentist said I should come back and get full x rays and my teeth cleaned soon...

Apparently it had been 4 years since I last got them cleaned... I would have sworn it hadn't been over a year... Dental hygienist said something to the effect of "This is going to take awhile..." and then started blasting crud off my teeth with some kind of super charged hydrosonic water pick thing...

I could see the crud flying out... about a half hour later she calls the reception desk to see if she can juggle patients around so she has time to finish blasting... there had been a cancellation so she went right back to blasting.

She tells me that when the plake builds up some kind of anaerobic bacteria starts to form underneath it... it is so yucky the gums start to recede to get away from it... she holds up a mirror to show me. Thankfully I have enough gum still where it needs to keep the teeth in.... but it would "be wise" to not forget to get the teeth cleaned 2x per year...

She moves on to standard dental tools now and "OUCH!" finds a new cavity... the dentist comes in looks at the new x ray and says he can fix this one with out another root canal.. but it is in a tricky spot and will still need a fair amount of drilling to get it done...

He works through his lunch hour to take care of it for me... years ago when I first went to this guy I casually asked him if he had ever hit a nerve on a patient who reflexively then grabbed him by the throat... I wasn't trying to be intimidating.... was just curious if that was something that happened...

Ever since then, when I have needed a filling... he shoots a BUNCH of Novocaine or whatever it is that they use these days into the area... I had to look in the mirror to see if the left side of my face was still there. Still not able to drink anything with out drooling on myself.

So the bottom line, I went in for a tooth cleaning and ended up spending 2 hours and 45 minutes in a dentist's chair... an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure... I never would have believed it had been that long since the last cleaning... the long stream of "stuff" that came flying out convinced me though...

The good news is the dentist has a 7 year old boy that wants to learn to shoot and maybe hunt. I have a range in my backyard and they are planning to come out... If I end up with a new hunting partner as a result of this maybe it will remind me to keep up with the preventive tooth care...

I hope no one on this forum replies "more than 6 months"

Every 6 months like clockwork......

Two months ago.......next cleaning in 4 months.

November for me, too. And every six months. I rather enjoy it, to be honest.

I'm a true believer now... still can't feel the left side of my face... managed to drink something with out drooling though... I used a mirror to check lip position

Get mine done every 4 months.

The young Swedish dental hygienist I go to has big hooters which she parks on my arm as she is cleaning my teeth. Time just seems to fly...

Unfortunately, my dental plan did not allow me to make a standing weekly appointment.

I'm betting her client list is biased towards males...

John

I asked how anyone still had a tooth left in their heads by the age of 40, 100 years or so ago... the hygienist told me a lot of it had to do with genetics... modern dentistry has weakened the gene pool....

Spending that much time in the chair sounds like a nightmare. I'd rather take a beating.

I go every 6 months. And floss every day.

Have no idea if it's valid, but new studies are showing poor teeth hygiene to be linked to heart disease & strokes.

I take mine out of the dishwasher every morning!

i must have some sorta throw back gene......dont have a single pain nerve in my teeth....a few years back i shattered a tooth, seriously shattered, half gone, nerve exposed....didnt have insurance at the time so never did anything with it cause it didnt bug me....got dental insurance bout 2 years after the fact so i decided i should maybe see if it could be fixed....even though i told the first dentist that i had been living with it for 2 years and it truly did not hurt she kinda freaked when she saw it and started writing out s script for pain meds to get me by.....well if that one aint gonna listen to me i figured i was prolly better off seeking a different dentist....dentist #2 said it couldnt be saved best just to pull it so he yanked the remainder of it out.....he said he had a couple different patients like me over the years with no pain nerves in the teeth themselves....

grew up in a poor family with no insurance so i didnt see a dentist till i got around to getting that tooth dealt with when i was 25 or so....went back later and had a complete workup done and had all of 5 minor cavities after never having seen a dentist and having so-so dental hygiene practices.....still dont go to see one as often as i should....rather use up the what the insurance will pay on the girls than myself......the get in regularly as does my wife......dont really give a rip about myself...

Have an appointment next week. Every six months. Floss & water pic, adding some Lister to the water. Replace teeth brush (called a "tooth" brush in Arkansas for a reason!) frequently. Anti tarter whitening teeth (called tooth,........never mind) paste.

I understand gum disease has some correlation to damaging the cardio system. Good reason to take care of them.

Best pickup line in Arkansas is "Nice tooth"

The toothbrush was invented there right? Otherwise, they'd called it a teethbrush.

I neglected my teeth for several years and paid the price for it. I had to have oral surgery about 10 years ago and since then I've been going 4 times a year for cleanings and check-ups. Next appointment should be coming up soon.

Last week. Have been fortunate I have always had jobs with fairly good dental plans so have done the whole braces thing for all four of us and had the last crown I needed put on last summer. Last cleaning they were bummed that I hadn't screwed something up in the previous six months. Three years ago a horse threw it's head into my chin and took out three crowns. Now that was an expensive hunting trip.

Every 6 months for cleaning or cleaning & x-rays. Probably at least another 2 times a year for repairs - usually to have a crown reworked, I have a strong bite, so I'm hard on my teeth/fillings/crowns. When they set a crown the dentist puts in a piece of wood (I assume Balsa wood) in your mouth under or over the crown to clamp down to hold it in place while the "glue" sets, I usually bite right through it. Haven't had a new cavity in nearly 30 years, but crowns and old fillings don't last forever, especially for me.

You didn't "catch the gay" like Northern Dave did while at his dentist did you?



Clyde