How often do you visit a dentist in LOS?

[Isaanbiker]

  Dear members,

 

                   

                 It's in no way in my interest to see specific photos of people's teeth, just out of curiosity how do others take care of their teeth? If so....

 

   I've just visited my dentist and heard the bad news that I'd need four crowns, get my teeth cleaned and a few more things. I had the first painful visit yesterday, and the female dentist wanted me to hold a Teddy while she grounded one tooth off.

 

That's an amount of min. 25,000 baht, I should have gone way earlier but always thought next week, next month, etc...

 

  The reason why I'm asking is that I've seen many foreigners with black, or only a few rotten teeth and was wondering how others deal with their teeth?

Dental floss and mouthwash, or nothing at all? 

 

  Thank you very much for reading.

 

 

[Farangwithaplan]

my girlfriend's a dentist. I visit her 3 or 4 times a week. Sometimes I get house calls ????

 

but I get a scale every 3 months or so. X rays every year.

 

25000k for 4 crowns is good value - especially if porcelean. Have a quick look at the price in your home country for the same deal.

Edited August 12, 2019 by Farangwithaplan
added

[FarFlungFalang]

Like you not often enough,just trying to get up the courage for a visit now.

[cardinalblue]

Cleaned every 4 months....

[Isaanbiker]

4 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Like you not often enough,just trying to get up the courage for a visit now.

Do it now, in the long run you'll save money and won't have as much pain. Don't make my mistake and wait too long.

 

   I know I should quit smoking, but..........

[Curt1591]

My hygienist, dentist, acts as my primary dentist. She cleans, inspects, and reports. If further treatment is needed, I have a selection of dentists that we use, depending on the procedure required. 

The amazing thing is that the couple of woman dentists I tried in the States were terrible. However, the men I have tried here are terrible. I have found some fantastic woman dentists here. 

[gomangosteen]

Every 3-4 months dependent on my work/travel schedule, I suffered jaw and dental damage in a cycling accident 2013 and was referred to a newly-opened surgery, hospital and dental repairs all covered by insurance;  and now it's a family affair, we all go to same dentist, daughter begins process for braces later this month.

[Solinvictus]

I find going to the dentist here really convenient. Especially to get my tooth taken out. Cheap, good dentist, and quick service.

 

I for one am not an anti-dentite by any means in the LOS ????

[ozfarang]

What would be the price range for a scale, clean and a general check up?

[Isaanbiker]

  I understand that kids might feel better, sitting on that damn chair, when holding a Teddy, but as an adult man, I started laughing when she wanted me to keep that thing. 

 

   Unfortunately, did she crown the wrong tooth the last time, ground down a healthy one and left the one where a fitting fell out as it was.

 

 But she's the only dentist I can visit on the weekend.

 

I fail to understand why so many foreigners in their fifties do not seem to care about their teeth at all, but when it comes to buying beer, they always have money for it.

 

   

 

[Isaanbiker]

5 minutes ago, ozfarang said:

What would be the price range for a scale, clean and a general check up?

The good part when you've got Thai social security is that they now cover 900 baht per year, but not for crowns.

 

    My last cleanup was around 700 baht and i wanted her to go deep, even when it's more pain. They usually don't charge for a check up when you let your teeth clean after it. 

 

  I'll get them cleaned next Sunday morning and will report back. 

 

My mother in law has terrible teeth because they eat that betel nut stuff, but I've seen many foreigners with much worse teeth.

 

How could a woman wanna kiss this guy? 

Edited August 12, 2019 by Isaanbiker

[ozfarang]

Thanks Isaanbiker

[Isaanbiker]

6 minutes ago, ozfarang said:

Thanks Isaanbiker

You're welcome!

[Farangwithaplan]

15 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

  I understand that kids might feel better, sitting on that damn chair, when holding a Teddy, but as an adult man, I started laughing when she wanted me to keep that thing. 

 

   Unfortunately, did she crown the wrong tooth the last time, ground down a healthy one and left the one where a fitting fell out as it was.

 

 But she's the only dentist I can visit on the weekend.

 

I fail to understand why so many foreigners in their fifties do not seem to care about their teeth at all, but when it comes to buying beer, they always have money for it.

 

   

 

Sounds like a bit of a cock up on the dentist's part re the wrong tooth.

 

As for dental hygiene, the is anecdotal evidence to suggest there is a link to poor quality choppers and heart disease.

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2018/11/07/bad-tooth-brushing-habits-tied-to-higher-heart-risk

[RJRS1301]

Use an electric toothbrush twice daily, floss and rinse after each meal, mouthwash.

Dentist thee times a year for checkup and clean

Modern dental techniques are great, anaesthetic needles painless, have them use local gel before hand if nervous.

 

 

[RJRS1301]

Just now, Farangwithaplan said:

Sounds like a bit of a cock up on the dentist's part re the wrong tooth.

 

As for dental hygiene, the is anecdotal evidence to suggest there is a link to poor quality choppers and heart disease.

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2018/11/07/bad-tooth-brushing-habits-tied-to-higher-heart-risk

Poor dental hygiene is not only linked to poor cardiac health, but seems to be a strong link to dementia especially Alzheimer's

 

[Isaanbiker]

Just now, Farangwithaplan said:

Sounds like a bit of a cock up on the dentist's part re the wrong tooth.

 

As for dental hygiene, the is anecdotal evidence to suggest there is a link to poor quality choppers and heart disease.

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2018/11/07/bad-tooth-brushing-habits-tied-to-higher-heart-risk

She had already injected that nasty stuff and I could hardly speak when she's asking me which tooth she should crown.

 

   A big misunderstanding and she left the tooth with the missing fitting and made the one next to it.

 

   When i pointed that out, she said that I'd have told her to do that one. You've got to be careful wherever you go here. 

[Spaniel]

I floss daily and brush at least twice daily.     Visit my dentist once a year for cleaning.

[Isaanbiker]

Just now, RJRS1301 said:

Poor dental hygiene is not only linked to poor cardiac health, but seems to be a strong link to dementia especially Alzheimer's

 

Thanks, I didn't know that. 

[from the home of CC]

Been fighting against going for months now and I know I'm just hurting myself. My main problem is my really low pain tolerance (only mouth pain). Was hurt very badly by butchers when young and it took me years to get back to one when I was in Canada. Finally got comfortable by the use of nitrous and good painkillers for a few days till the pain wore off. My dentist in Hua Hin doesn't use gas but she will sedate me prior with pills - which is better than nothing, but I still keep putting it off. I'm looking at over 100k but I'd pay 200k if we could skip the pain part. Thanks for the post and making me feel guilty about avoidance again!  

[Pilotman]

Never, I prefer my dentists to know what they are doing.  Went to Phuket hospital dental centre 15 years ago for a filing, never again, and that is a teaching hospital.  They were butchers not dentists and she was female too. Many haven't got a clue, past how to whiten teeth and then rip you off . 

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Isaanbiker said:

I've just visited my dentist and heard the bad news that I'd need four crowns, get my teeth cleaned and a few more things. I had the first painful visit yesterday, and the female dentist wanted me to hold a Teddy while she grounded one tooth off.

 

The reason why I'm asking is that I've seen many foreigners with black, or only a few rotten teeth and was wondering how others deal with their teeth?

Sounds unlikely, I'd try another dentist without telling them what the first one said.

Plenty of unscrupulous dentists around doing unnecessary work.

 

I go to the dentist once every 3 years, usually when my gums start bleeding too much.

I had one cracked tooth 15 years back, Russian dentist said leave it until it hurts.

6 years later in Thailand it hurt, had a root canal, dentist said it needs a crown.

Haven't had the crown, 9 years later a few bits cracked off, but it's essential still all there (more so than if it was crowned).

Suspect I'll be dead before it needs a crown.

 

Black teeth are not rotten,

It's an indication of a dead root, teeth can discolour when the root is dead, but the tooth generally functions perfectly well. I have one dead tooth (cracked + root canal), then broke my jaw (both front teeth may be dead), but nothing has gone black after 15 years, and 4 years respectively. I'm a Brit, after age 50 why would you bother with cosmetic work that actually damages your existing teeth. They grind half your tooth off to make a crown. I prefer to keep my original body parts as long as possible.

Edited August 12, 2019 by BritManToo

[RJRS1301]

3 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

Thanks, I didn't know that. 

It may be worth having a look at these links

 

https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/news/20130731/dental-health-dementia

https://www.medicinae.org/link-between-dementia-and-dental-health/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/heart-disease-prevention/faq-20057986

[FarFlungFalang]

8 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Poor dental hygiene is not only linked to poor cardiac health, but seems to be a strong link to dementia especially Alzheimer's

 

That won't be the case with me as I'm pretty sure I was born with these two ailments and been going down hill ever since.

[Matzzon]

Once a month for scraping and check up.

[BritManToo]

7 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

That won't be the case with me as I'm pretty sure I was born with these two ailments and been going down hill ever since.

There are many people who live in a hopeful fantasy world, 'if I do this, that won't happen to me' sort of thing.

Some people retire with money, some people don't get divorced, some people won't get cancer, if I worship God bad things won't happen to me, etc.

 

In reality, it does't matter what you do it's all just random.

Edited August 12, 2019 by BritManToo

[Gecko123]

It isn't just about how often you go in to have your teeth cleaned, but also about how thorough a visual examination the dentist does and whether they take periodic x-rays to spot problems early on which might not be visible, i.e., whether your dentist practices preventative dentistry. See my recent thread on the subject:

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1115612-does-your-dentist-practice-preventative-dentistry/

 

@Isaanbiker FYI, post #21 on the thread detailed my total cost for root canal, pin, and porcelain crown which came to 13,237 baht. 25K sounds high to me.

 

 

Edited August 12, 2019 by Gecko123

[Hank Gunn]

13 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Poor dental hygiene is not only linked to poor cardiac health, but seems to be a strong link to dementia especially Alzheimer's

 

Actually, a lot of new evidence suggest that these links are correlative and not causative. Newer evidence suggests that it is starchy, high-carbohydrate foods that create the plaque and arterial inflamation that cause heart attacks, strokes and the development of Alzheimer's.

 

The high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet was originally prescribed for children with seizures but newer studies are showing that lower-carb diets are lowering the arterial plaque build-up that result in heart attacks. (It's newly acknowledged, that dietary intake of high-cholesterol foods are not to blame for arteriosclerosis but rather many other factors.)

[Farangwithaplan]

7 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Never, I prefer my dentists to know what they are doing.  Went to Phuket hospital dental centre 15 years ago for a filing, never again, and that is a teaching hospital.  They were butchers not dentists and she was female too. Many haven't got a clue, past how to whiten teeth and then rip you off . 

So let me understand this right. You went to a teaching hospital and you were disappointed with the result. So you now have condemned a whole industry based on your sphincterly-challenged decision to have a trainee fix your cavity. Got it. Like everything, there is a good and bad. Common sense and not using the junior staff at a training hospital should be the first thing to consider for anyone who can otherwise afford the 800 baht or so for a filling from a person who has finished their training.

 

As a counter, of the 10 or so dentists I know here, most were all US trained, a few trained at Mahidol and all have have fair to excellent english. But 10 doesn't make up a sample set large enough to credit or discredit a whole industry.

 

 

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, Hank Gunn said:

Actually, a lot of new evidence suggest that these links are correlative and not causative. Newer evidence suggests that it is starchy, high-carbohydrate foods that create the plaque and arterial inflamation that cause heart attacks, strokes and the development of Alzheimer's.

My personal theory, is it's eating food cooked in Aluminium pots over a long period of time that causes Alzheimers. At one time it was also postulated it was metal fillings causing Alzheimers.

A bit like Mercury makes you go mad.

 

There was previous evidence shown to support this, but it's all disappeared now (conspiracy theory).

Edited August 12, 2019 by BritManToo