Dentist Tips

On Thursday I had a dentist appointment. I’ve been going to the dentist every six months since I was a baby until I moved to Alberta (now I’m only covered for every nine months). When I was younger I hated the dentist as most people do. I think the reason for me was because EVERY time I went they pulled out another tooth. Mind you they were loose and were going to fall out anyway, but still…Over the years I have developed some tools to get me through my appointments without any fuss. To be fair, I also never usually have any cavities or other issues that need to be dealt with. But here are my tips for getting through your visit.

The main thing I do is I find a spot on the ceiling to just stare at. That way I’m not looking at what the hygienist is doing and I don’t see what kind of scary looking tool that are sticking in my mouth. I do this for the whole visit. Every time the hygienist moves, I will find a new spot to look at so that I’m not looking at the person.

Now if they start to hurt me, in my head I repeat the phrase “Pain is temporary”. I repeat it as many times as I need to while they are hurting me. If we are near the end of the visit I will add “You’re almost done. You’re doing great. Pain is temporary. You’re almost done. You’re doing great”. I find keeping your mind occupied helps you forget what they’re doing to do. Mind over matter.

Now since I’m talking about dental hygiene, I might as well talk to you about the newest BzzCampaign that I have been working on. For those of you who don’t know about BzzAgent, it’s a website that sends you stuff for free so you can try it out and tell other people about it. They really like to know what people think about the products so the more you can tell me about your own experiences the more information I can send back to the company.

I’m personally a Colgate customer. I love the taste of Colgate Total and was always against Crest. I just never liked the taste of Crest products. However, the BzzCampaign I signed up for is for Crest Pro Health products. I was sent a tube of toothpaste, some mouthwash, and a toothbrush. After using the products for about a week I had mixed reviews about them. Using the toothbrush was a new experience from day one. It almost felt too big to fit in my mouth with all those crazy bristles. I have a strong gag reflex so this toothbrush was not a very good fit for me. Cleaning my molars was difficult because of this, and I didn’t even dare try using the tongue scrubber (okay I did try it once but didn’t work out too well). The toothpaste taste reminded me of being at the dentist. I don’t know if it’s because I can taste the fluoride in it or what. And when I first started using the mouthwash I think I used too much because it kept spilling out of my mouth. Since I have taught myself to use less mouthwash, keeping it in my mouth for the 30 seconds has become easier. I like that this mouthwash doesn’t have that burning sensation like other alcoholic ones do. Despite my displeasure with the new toothbrush, I must say that my teeth sure feel clean after using these new products.

Would I buy these products again? Well definitely not the toothbrush. My gums are starting to recede because I brush too hard and I feel like this tooth brush is probably going to make that worse. Plus there is that gagging issue that I would really rather do without. So as soon as I am done this campaign, I plan on going back to my old toothbrush. I also probably won’t be buying the toothpaste because I haven’t seen any difference in my teeth. But they may have won me over with the mouthwash. The taste is not too strong and I like the freshness I get once I use it. So I think I will continue buying this products once I run out of the alcohol one that I currently have.

So what are your thoughts on oral care? Do you have a brand/brands that you tend to buy over others? What makes you choose them? How do you feel about Crest products?