Dentistry

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2003-05-09 01:01am

So, I go to the dentist and he tells me to open my mouth and poke at my teeth. It got me thinking. What is with dentistry? This science must advance at the same rate as saddle making or something. Why are they still using that poker and scraper that they have been using since the turn of the century? Why does medicine, rocket science, etc. advance but not dentistry!?

What the hell?

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-05-09 02:09am

Dentistry is one of those fields that seems to adhere firmly to the concept of: "If it ain't broke, then it don't need fixin'." And the poker and scraper do seem to work.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2003-05-09 03:28am

Yeah, they work. They sure as hell work to scare the hell out of me, and when the sadistic guy behind the mask pokes the scraper right into an open cavity my fears suddenly become justified.

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-05-09 04:21am

Well what the hell else can they use man? The real advances in dentistry come from tooth replacement, not upgrading the equipment beyond making them out of new metals.

The next advance will probably be a laser drill or something, but there's no real need to update equipment that doesn't need updating.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2003-05-09 04:25am

Hey, it's like I said: Dentistry rivals saddle making when it comes to advancement.

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-05-09 04:45am

Superman wrote:Hey, it's like I said: Dentistry rivals saddle making when it comes to advancement.

Who cares?

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2003-05-09 04:48am

Hey dude, no one forced you to respond here. Lighten the hell up.

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-05-09 04:50am

Superman wrote:Hey dude, no one forced you to respond here. Lighten the hell up.

Stop posting lame threads. Christ.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2003-05-09 04:52am

Hey, I thought maybe some other people have some dentist horror stories they want to share. Why are you popping off at me?

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-05-09 05:20am

Superman wrote:Hey, I thought maybe some other people have some dentist horror stories they want to share. Why are you popping off at me?

There's no interest, no human element, just you being scared of the dentist and his sharp pointy tools. Liven it up! Tell some stories!

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-05-09 08:40am

Ever hear a dentist say "oops" while he's busy taking a tooth out? It's amazing, frankly, if you're angry enough, how you can make things like "What the fuck do you mean oops, you quack?!" understandable with verious metal things and a grown man's hands in your mouth. Turns out he'd snapped the crown off the tooth he was trying to remove and would have to drill, but he could have found a better choice of words.

Oh, and if you're going to get your wisdom teeth pulled, don't be macho--get put all the way under. There's nothing QUITE like hearing your own teeth crack to put a fear of dentists into you that you never had before.

Nom · Post by **Nom** » 2003-05-09 02:05pm

Actually any decent dentist will use super sonic drills today and some do use laser drills but those are used in special cases or difficult mouth surgery.

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2003-05-09 02:34pm

Dalton wrote:
Superman wrote:Hey, I thought maybe some other people have some dentist horror stories they want to share. Why are you popping off at me?
There's no interest, no human element, just you being scared of the dentist and his sharp pointy tools. Liven it up! Tell some stories!

for some reason, thats the funniest thing Ive read all day.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2003-05-09 06:41pm

RedImperator wrote:Oh, and if you're going to get your wisdom teeth pulled, don't be macho--get put all the way under. There's nothing QUITE like hearing your own teeth crack to put a fear of dentists into you that you never had before.

I don't know about that. What if he tea bags you while you're out?

EmperorChrostas the Cruel · Post by **EmperorChrostas the Cruel** » 2003-05-09 06:50pm

The advances in dentistry are not all that visible to the untrained.
Better drills. Better bits. Better glues to hold your crowns on. Better crown/filling material. Better plastics to make impressions from. Better pain medication.
As far as the techniques of tooth fixing, the nature of teeth are simple and as yet unchanged.
Just how many ways ARE there to make a hole, and fill it?
Just how many ways are there to remove tartar and plaque?
Gold is still THE best material to make crowns and bridgework. This is unlikely to EVER change.
The biggest changes to dentisty don't apply to the low level maintenence.
They are the implanting of pegs into the jaw or skull to afix replacements where dentures were the only option.This used to be impossible due to rejection, or insufficience strenth of materials

Think about dental glues for one moment. You have to have an epoxy that has a minimum strenth, fast cure time, doesn't exesivly heat up during curing, (burn/ouch) is resistant to digestive enzymes, has 20 year+ longevity, and of course the kicker, is NON TOXIC an all it's forms!

Has anyone here ever seem hip replacement surgery?
There used to be a surgery channel on my cable, which I watched all the time.
Fuck, they use air opperated machine tools for budda's sake!
Hammers, chisels, milling bits!
The modern tech was in the replacement parts, not the replacement tools.
The heart surgery was ok, as was the apendectomy, no problem.
I couldn't watch the vasectomy without squirming!

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-05-09 07:02pm

Wicked Pilot wrote:
RedImperator wrote:Oh, and if you're going to get your wisdom teeth pulled, don't be macho--get put all the way under. There's nothing QUITE like hearing your own teeth crack to put a fear of dentists into you that you never had before.
I don't know about that. What if he tea bags you while you're out?

I'll be unconscuous and I won't know about it.

CRRRRRRRRAAAACK!!!, followed by actually FEELING my teeth, four perfectly good wisdom teeth, snap and break and that son of a bitch lying oral surgeon pulling four healthy teeth out for no damn good reason. That sound I can go the rest of my life without hearing.