Things I learned at the dentist today

[drwex]

1. I (continue to) like my dentist. He's a bit over-cautious about checking in with me to see if I'm OK. On the other hand, he manages to make big novocaine shots almost pain-free.
2. With deep procedures like this there's an increased risk of infection. So I'm on antibiotic horse-pills now. Probably not a bad thing since I might also have a sinus infection.
3. They do still make old-fashioned metal crowns and yes, they are (still) stronger than the ceramics.
4. Drug addicts have terrible teeth, often due to the drugs drying up the salivary glands. Apparently, crystal meth addicts have a tell-tale pattern of decay.
5. Likewise, bulimics have a systemic sort of damage to the enamel on the throat side of the tooth, due to repeated acid baths.
6. Bored dental assistants can be very enlightening.

Comments

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Apparently, crystal meth addicts have a tell-tale pattern of decay.

Yeah. Don't go searching online for images of meth-addict dental damage unless you have a really strong constitution. It's horrific.

[c1.livejournal.com]

+1.
I took a class on the physiological effects of various street drugs, taught by a DEA-trained expert at identifying people and what they're on by how they look and behave. To say his slide show was eye-popping is understating the fact.

Better advice is to avoid looking at images of meth addicts in general unless you have good need to.

[keyne.livejournal.com]

Wow. That was ... educational. I didn't know teeth could do that.

[wren13.livejournal.com]

Funny, when I go to the dentist we compare dental techniques and I ask for sources of equipment LOL

[eccentrific.livejournal.com]

The usual metal is a mercury-containing alloy though, so a lot of people have started avoiding it due to health concerns. Gold is (as far as I can tell) the best thing to use.

[drwex]

The dentist did suggest gold in this case, though obviously that's also some kind of alloy.

What I read about the mercury in fillings boiled down to "yes it's there but dear lord it's a miniscule amount."

[eccentrific.livejournal.com]

Sure, but it only takes a miniscule amount of mercury to have adverse health effects.

There's a distinct lack of hard data on the subject. For this reason, different sources vary hugely in their recommendations on the subject. It is enough mercury that many sources now recommend that children and women of childbearing age should avoid mercury amalgam fillings, but it's much less clear whether there's any real reason for grown men to.