While almost all of my dentist visits have been positive we were swapping some tales today. I mentioned the time the dental tech, before starting, was looking worriedly at the tray of tools and said, "I just got out of dental school and these don't look like the tools we used."
And then a friend said he went in to get his wisdom teeth pulled and just as he was going under from the anesthesia the tech said "wait these aren't his x-rays!"
Over to you...
As a kid I walked to the dentist in a nearby plaza. He was the best dentist ever, and didn't mind my dog coming with me and coming in the waiting room. Then I had an orthodontist who left me waiting in the chair too long and I started pushing buttons. He hated me after that. Lol
Later in life I took advantage of the UF dental school, which is really very good. But sometimes the students were very funny like that. Like the time two of them were pulling and pulling and couldn't get a wisdom tooth out. The teacher had to help them, and so there were three of them in my mouth with other students called over to watch.
A good friend from work about 40 years ago (we'll call him Bob), went in for a root canal and the dentist gave him some Novocain, came back after the requisite 20 minutes or so and started to drill. Bob said the Novocain hadn't done anything so his dentist gave him another few shots and came back after the wait again. Bob said the Novocain still hadn't done anything to which his dentist replied, "that can't be true" and proceeded. Bob, who had a pretty high tolerance for pain, gritted his teeth for a bit, told the dentist a few times again that the Novocain wasn't working, and was ignored. Finally, the dentist got the drill right onto the nerve whereupon Bob pulled off his apron, sprung up, punched the dentist in the face, and stormed out. Needless to say, he found another dentist.
First visit I remember in 1960....I was really scared of the needle and the dentist was trying to distract me....he stuck the needle clear thru and out my check and squirted his assistant! Dad was there and told me that later as I didn't know at the time....just knew I got poked twice!!
Dr.Bombay's story reminds me of possibly the 10 funniest minutes of TV of all time, Tim Conway in the dentist sketch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IUSM4EKcRI
What do you call someone who has flunked out of vet school ?
A dentist.
W.C. Fields 1932 short The Dentist may be enjoyed on youtube.
That W.C. Fields thing is funny too. I'm amazed the censors allowed that. And the "I can't find his mouth" thing is great.
I was in Las Vegas and was having some serious tooth pain. I knew I couldn't wait to get home to Canada so I started looking in the yellow pages. Hundreds to pick from. I found a dentist that I could easily find and the dentist had a picture of herself in her ad. She looked really hot. Two good reasons to call for an appointment. Had an appointment for first thing that morning. That maybe should of been my first clue. I went there and the place was disgustingly dirty. The floors walls and dental chairs. She x-rayed and said I needed a root canal. I told myself not happening here and got a prescription for some pain killers. I waited until I got home.
Re WC Fields the dentist. I had to stop halfway through, as the woman in the chair started yelling I was just about dying from boredom. He was not the least bit funny to me! The golfing part had almost put me to sleep! I'M JUST SAYING!!!
Injections in my upper left gum were administered in anticipation of an extraction. The dentist stepped away to let the medication take effect. He came back a few minutes later, grabbed his pliers and immediately grabbed the corresponding tooth on the top right. I yelled out - something like “heyyystoppppnooowrongtooooth”. He stopped, turned pale as a sheet, apologized profusely and said that in 30 years of practice he never had done that. He proceeded to extract the correct tooth. I changed dentists.
I quit smoking--"a good thing, right?" I asked my dentist. "A very good thing," he answered. Problem was I'd been sucking hard candy for a month and it was dissolving my teeth. They've capped one front tooth and I get the second one capped next week. "You've got to resist crunching on it with your front teeth," he says. Now he tells me.
Then there's this one with Tim as a prison dentist. Any idea if this predates the Carol Burnett one?
Tim Conway as an unwilling prison dentist (youtube.com)
There's also an Abbott and Costello dentist and several others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruHmFv0PDtU
Apparently going to the dentist has a long history of being comedic fodder.
Knowledgeable men are sure the toothbrush was invented in Arkansas. If invented anywhere else, it would have been called the "teethbrush"! Not cruel; I'm from Arkansas! :-)
Ha! Very funny. Marian-- it's now in my pool of daily quotes. Thanks!
Laughing gas, when using it it hurts, but you don't care. Will never forget it 60 years ago.
Re: WC Fields short. I saw it for the first time in an art theater as an undergrad. I have always had a taste for humor of that era. The scene with the patients was awesome -- the contrast between the two female patients was fantastic. Much of the humor of that error was slow-paced by today's standards, and Fields made it slower still. It's not for everyone. (In my humble opinion, the Mae West/WC Fields movie, "My Little Chickadee," was one of the very best comedies ever.)
As a kid, I had my first two fillings without Novocain. Sweet jeebus, that was miserable.
Many years ago I went to a dentist with a very bad toothache on the upper right side molar. Dentist took x-rays of my entire mouth and showed me that I had several teeth that needed attention. We discussed a plan for several visits to get them fixed. I said OK and off he went to get ready to work on my teeth. His nurse came it and gave me an injection on the upper LEFT side of my mouth. I told her the toothache was on the right and she said "but Dr. so&so always starts on the upper left quadrant". We actually argued about which tooth he was going to work on. I wanted him to work on the one that hurt, and she insisted that he always started on the upper left side of the mouth. I finally got up and walked out after mumbling a piece of my mind about what I thought of their practice. That was my second and last bad experience with that dentist. Has me totally against dentists ever since then.
My regular Dentist had been monitoring a white blotch on my tongue that grew and shrank over the years and finally he decided I needed to have it checked out by an Oral Surgeon. I went to the Oral Surgeon and he decided he needed to take a biopsy. As he began the procedure he said to me "You may experience some discomfort". Ya think!!!! He proceeded to cut out a piece of my tongue and sure enough - true to his word - it caused a considerable amount of "DISCOMFORT". Fortunately it turned out to be benign; no "C" for me.
I had a wonderful dentist in Minnesota for many years. I moved to Arizona and found a new dentist. The dental assistant sold me a 75 dollar laser treatment while I was somewhat subdued in the chair. This was before the dentist had seen me. Afterwards, I called my Minnesota dentist and asked him about the treatment. He said he provided it but didn’t recommend it for me as my gums were healthy. I’m looking for another dentist in Arizona.
Wow. Everybody has such good stories! I've seen dentists in at least 3 countries. Some good, some scary. Once, I even had dental work done in Loma Linda Dental college. The student had my exrays in hand and said, "Oh, no! She's got roots! And they're in the sinuses!" The teacher took over after that.
This week, I saw a "country doctor" dentist. The nicest, gentlest, pleasantest ever! And, he gave me a great report, and personally cleaned my teeth. No work necessary! His hygienist just watched..
A very famous dentist scene, with lots of borrowing from WC Fields.
Dental related:
I keep my toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash by my kitchen sink. Why? Because of the fabulous view!!!
I had a wonderful dentist in Minnesota for many years. I moved to Arizona and found a new dentist. The dental assistant sold me a 75 dollar laser treatment while I was somewhat subdued in the chair. This was before the dentist had seen me. Afterwards, I called my Minnesota dentist and asked him about the treatment. He said he provided it but didn’t recommend it for me as my gums were healthy. I’m looking for another dentist in Arizona.