Along with probably most of the population, I am not a big fan of dentists.
As a child I had a lot of fillings even though the only sweets I ever got were bought with my meagre amount of pocket money from the newsagents at the bottom of our road. I remember buying a lot of half penny sweets to get more for my money! I think 20p was the going rate in those days….
The only time we ever had fizzy drinks was when my Dad picked up an old soda machine in a car boot sale when I was a teenager so that wasn’t even the cause, I was just unlucky to have bad teeth.
Then, when my adult teeth came through, it became apparent that I would need braces and a few pulled out as I had a “narrow jaw” - great!
Starting off with a removable brace (what a joy that was, especially cleaning it after eating, bleurrgh!), I was moved on to a fixed brace with attractive head gear to be worn at night - bit of a shock for my DH who I was dating at the time but, bless, he took it in his stride!
My teenage years were then filled with a lot of pain - aching teeth every time they adjusted the brace to slowly pull them into place, ulcers where the metal rubbed inside my mouth (so bad I could barely speak), not to mention the emotional pain of being called “metal mouth”, always conscious of how I looked.
That being said, when they were finally removed just before I was 18, I had a much improved smile and, although still not perfect, I suppose it was worth it. On the positive side, having it done early in my life meant that as an adult I didn’t have to live with crooked teeth!
When I was pregnant, I learnt that I could receive free dentist check ups so thought I would take advantage of it. Attending my first appointment in years was a little worrying but thankfully, due to my stringent teeth brushing, I was given the all clear and only needed a clean and polish!
When the kids were born, I brought them to my appointments as I had read it was the best way to introduce small children to the dentist. At the end of my appointment, my dentist invited DS1 to sit in the chair and, if willing, had a look in his mouth. It was all done very low key without pressure as the dentist industry by now had realised that people were actually quite scared of the whole procedure and would rather stay away than go for regular check ups! It was a much improved outlook and I was impressed by the training my dentist obviously had.
However, as DS1 got older, his adult teeth were becoming awfully overcrowded and it was apparent he suffered from the same narrow jaw as his mum. We were referred to an orthodontist and he confirmed that at some point he would need a brace and perhaps some teeth pulled.
This brought back horrible memories and suffice to say I was not hugely keen, especially knowing that DS1 was a sensitive soul and I didn’t think he would cope! When my dentist forgot to contact me for our next check up (they had a weird system where you couldn’t make your next 6 month check up appointment until nearer the time when they would text you?), I’m afraid I let it go and by the time I considered taking the kids I knew I would have to re-register them (NHS) so didn’t bother.
I felt that as long as I made sure they brushed their teeth twice a day that was enough, and we would only contact a dentist in an emergency.
However, earlier this year when DS2 asked what could be done about his adult incisors growing above the baby teeth and was not put off when I explained, DH and I discussed possibly registering the children with his dentist. He assured me that he would take charge of appointments involving teeth pulling and/or orthodontistry so I relented.
And this came not a moment too soon as last week DD started complaining of toothache! Checking it wasn’t a wobbly baby tooth, I told her to try brushing her teeth and that seemed to do the trick, and today she was tucking into a Curly Wurly bought with her pocket money (inflation bringing it to a huge 32p in this day and age!) and cried out in pain. I suspect she may need a filling as teeth brushing stopped the pain again, so, if we weren’t already going to the dentist, it looks like I would be booking her in anyway!
Wish us luck!
As a child I had a lot of fillings even though the only sweets I ever got were bought with my meagre amount of pocket money from the newsagents at the bottom of our road. I remember buying a lot of half penny sweets to get more for my money! I think 20p was the going rate in those days….
The only time we ever had fizzy drinks was when my Dad picked up an old soda machine in a car boot sale when I was a teenager so that wasn’t even the cause, I was just unlucky to have bad teeth.
Then, when my adult teeth came through, it became apparent that I would need braces and a few pulled out as I had a “narrow jaw” - great!
Starting off with a removable brace (what a joy that was, especially cleaning it after eating, bleurrgh!), I was moved on to a fixed brace with attractive head gear to be worn at night - bit of a shock for my DH who I was dating at the time but, bless, he took it in his stride!
My teenage years were then filled with a lot of pain - aching teeth every time they adjusted the brace to slowly pull them into place, ulcers where the metal rubbed inside my mouth (so bad I could barely speak), not to mention the emotional pain of being called “metal mouth”, always conscious of how I looked.
That being said, when they were finally removed just before I was 18, I had a much improved smile and, although still not perfect, I suppose it was worth it. On the positive side, having it done early in my life meant that as an adult I didn’t have to live with crooked teeth!
When the kids were born, I brought them to my appointments as I had read it was the best way to introduce small children to the dentist. At the end of my appointment, my dentist invited DS1 to sit in the chair and, if willing, had a look in his mouth. It was all done very low key without pressure as the dentist industry by now had realised that people were actually quite scared of the whole procedure and would rather stay away than go for regular check ups! It was a much improved outlook and I was impressed by the training my dentist obviously had.
However, as DS1 got older, his adult teeth were becoming awfully overcrowded and it was apparent he suffered from the same narrow jaw as his mum. We were referred to an orthodontist and he confirmed that at some point he would need a brace and perhaps some teeth pulled.
This brought back horrible memories and suffice to say I was not hugely keen, especially knowing that DS1 was a sensitive soul and I didn’t think he would cope! When my dentist forgot to contact me for our next check up (they had a weird system where you couldn’t make your next 6 month check up appointment until nearer the time when they would text you?), I’m afraid I let it go and by the time I considered taking the kids I knew I would have to re-register them (NHS) so didn’t bother.
I felt that as long as I made sure they brushed their teeth twice a day that was enough, and we would only contact a dentist in an emergency.
Wish us luck!
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| Me with my lovely fixed brace |
Dental care has vastly had improved since you were a kid. Your children now shouldn't have a tough time like when you were little. There are dental offices nowadays that specifically cater to children, and dental professionals are better trained nowadays to handle children of different ages, so visits should be relatively easier.
ReplyDeleteByron Kennedy @ A+ Family Dentistry
Thank you for your comment, the appointment went very well, the female dentist we saw was lovely and put my DD very much at ease. The tooth will have to extracted as it has a cavity which led to an abscess but DD didn't seem too concerned, mainly looking forward to the £1 the tooth fairy would leave! Thank you for reading, I feel much more positive about the whole process now.
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