The dentist
Posted: 08 Nov 2017, 17:06
I've got a new dentist.
He's German and his name is Arnie.
I didn't know I had a new dentist till I went for a six-monthly checkup, only to find my usual one had left.
She was called Rosemary and was funny and flirty - we're the same age - and we'd usually spend more time chatting than getting any dental work done. I never had any work done by her in approximately ten years of seeing her.
So, out with the old ..
The new guy is nothing short of amazing.
In my first visit for that checkup, he had a go at me for brushing too hard before going on to explain that only a little pressure was needed - "about 50gms, do you have a kitchen scale ?" - and that I should be holding the toothbrush with the tips of my fingers. I was wearing the gumline down and could lose my teeth in another ten to fifteen years if I continued.
He actually made me gently squeeze his finger several times during the consultation to drive home his point about how to hold the damn brush but it worked - I understood what he meant, followed his advice at home and now my teeth feel just as clean but a lot less sensitive. I've also been telling people about it, wondering why I learnt more from him in ten minutes than I ever did from British dentists in 40+ years.
Today, I went to see him again for the first of three procedures : a small, triple filling along the gumline of my upper right; a larger filling, lower left and a "scaling" clean. This afternoon was the triple.
I walked in at half three for a 15:35 appointment and "shook" his finger rather than his hand, using approx. 50gms of pressure
He laughed heartily before getting down to business.
He injected me three times with anaesthetic and inside TWO MINUTES asked "Ready ?"
It was my turn to laugh and I asked why I didn't need to go outside and wait fifteen minutes like every other time I'd had a filling.
He explained that this was standard anaesthetic nowadays although it wasn't widely used in the UK till recently, despite being freely available in Germany since 1971 (how German is that, knowing the precise year ?)
I love this guy.
He's funny, he's direct and he's a bloody good dentist.
He quickly completed the triple filling before smoothing it all with one of those whirlygig thingies and then asked me to check his work with my tongue, so it was "smooth and natural" before he applied a protective varnish.
He then said I could eat immediately if I wanted, but the numbness would take a couple of hours to wear off.
He only charged me for one filling because he did them all together too, which was very agreeable.
Seriously, I think we've been living in the dark ages over here.
There's a Belgian working in the same practise too, so I could improve both my French and my German at this rate.
The entire visit took fifteen minutes.
I'll be back in three weeks for the other stuff he needs to do, but I was so impressed with his (stereotypical) speed and efficiency
He's German and his name is Arnie.
I didn't know I had a new dentist till I went for a six-monthly checkup, only to find my usual one had left.
She was called Rosemary and was funny and flirty - we're the same age - and we'd usually spend more time chatting than getting any dental work done. I never had any work done by her in approximately ten years of seeing her.
So, out with the old ..
The new guy is nothing short of amazing.
In my first visit for that checkup, he had a go at me for brushing too hard before going on to explain that only a little pressure was needed - "about 50gms, do you have a kitchen scale ?" - and that I should be holding the toothbrush with the tips of my fingers. I was wearing the gumline down and could lose my teeth in another ten to fifteen years if I continued.
He actually made me gently squeeze his finger several times during the consultation to drive home his point about how to hold the damn brush but it worked - I understood what he meant, followed his advice at home and now my teeth feel just as clean but a lot less sensitive. I've also been telling people about it, wondering why I learnt more from him in ten minutes than I ever did from British dentists in 40+ years.
Today, I went to see him again for the first of three procedures : a small, triple filling along the gumline of my upper right; a larger filling, lower left and a "scaling" clean. This afternoon was the triple.
I walked in at half three for a 15:35 appointment and "shook" his finger rather than his hand, using approx. 50gms of pressure
He laughed heartily before getting down to business.
He injected me three times with anaesthetic and inside TWO MINUTES asked "Ready ?"
It was my turn to laugh and I asked why I didn't need to go outside and wait fifteen minutes like every other time I'd had a filling.
He explained that this was standard anaesthetic nowadays although it wasn't widely used in the UK till recently, despite being freely available in Germany since 1971 (how German is that, knowing the precise year ?)
I love this guy.
He's funny, he's direct and he's a bloody good dentist.
He quickly completed the triple filling before smoothing it all with one of those whirlygig thingies and then asked me to check his work with my tongue, so it was "smooth and natural" before he applied a protective varnish.
He then said I could eat immediately if I wanted, but the numbness would take a couple of hours to wear off.
He only charged me for one filling because he did them all together too, which was very agreeable.
Seriously, I think we've been living in the dark ages over here.
There's a Belgian working in the same practise too, so I could improve both my French and my German at this rate.
The entire visit took fifteen minutes.
I'll be back in three weeks for the other stuff he needs to do, but I was so impressed with his (stereotypical) speed and efficiency