Dentist

I have been told all my life by Dentists that I have great teeth, and no problems. About three years ago I needed a small filling, and I had a wisdom tooth out.
Before I left for Canada in January I visited the Dentist and was told that I had good teeth.
I have had about three different Dentists in my lifetime.
In all my visits to the Dentist over the years they welcome me in, some fit 17 year old girl then wanders back and forth noting down number called out by the Dentist, and then holds a sucky thing in my mouth whilst the Dentist picks at me with that hook thing and then scrubs my teeth with some industrial powered tooth brush.. and it makes a high pitch whine. I have sensitive teeth, so it normally shoots through me.
Then I 'swish' with that pink stuff and leave trying to spot the fit 17 year old as I leave.
This has been the way of things for 33 years, and the whole affair takes about 10-15 minutes. I then hand over wads of cash for the privilege and repeat a year later.

I thought that this was normal.

British people have a reputation for having he worse teeth in the world, and I have prided myself with the fact that I go every year, I brush everyday, sometimes twice, I use toothpicks and I have always had a glowing report from my Dentist on how great my teeth are.

...


It would appear that I have been duped all these years, and that in fact, British Dentists do not know much about their job - nor do they do their job properly.

I went along today thinking it'd be much the same. I was greeted by a nice lady - the tooth cleaner, but no fit 17 year old :(
1 hour later I left.
She said my teeth were 'alright', not great at all with lots of Tartar built up and was surprised that I didn't floss.
She was digging away with some ultrasonic thing and chipping at my gums for ages as if excavating a T-Rex skull. It was quite an effort.
She actually demonstrated how to floss. I thought I knew. I've tried it - you get a bit of string, and try to wedge it between your teeth. It then hurts and cuts your gum. I've done it for particularly stubborn bits of well done steak.

But I was doing it all wrong. You actually have to pull it right down under your gums and scrub.
She said that quite literally, no body has ever cleaned away below my gum line. And I know for sure that no Dentist has ever done that.
They wouldn't have the time to do it in 10 minutes.

It occurred to me how rubbish my UK Dentists have been, they've never cleaned that much, never advised upon it, never spotted the build up beneath because they don't look!!.
She half huffed a kind of 'yep, I hear that all the time from UK types' when I exclaimed this.

Despite an ache from the new battering they took today, my teeth are the best they've ever been. Normally I leave with a sharp feeling at the back of the teeth when I rub my tongue along them - you know what I'm on about. But not today - all smooth.
I felt rather pampered actually.
And then, I found out it was all free.... good times.

Shame the fit 17 year old was missing, but then she never did anything anyway, except look fit and tease me with that sucky thing!

I can live without her, I'd rather have good teeth!