• cobysev@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I went in for a dental cleaning a couple years ago and the young technician said I had the cleanest teeth he’d ever worked on. He was genuinely impressed with my dental hygiene, said he almost didn’t need to do anything for my appointment.

    I have a bad habit of forgetting to brush regularly (thanks, ADHD!), so I do it sporadically when I remember. As such, I typically have a cavity or two when I come in for my annual checkup. I had also just brushed and flossed right before that cleaning appointment; I did nothing else.

    Also, this kid was really young. Like, barely 18 young. He had printed out a bunch of positive reviews from other dental patients he had cleaned, and taped them on the wall in front of the dentist chair. It was a little cringey.

  • Sylvartas@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I don’t do that to fool them, I do that so they don’t have to look at the remnants of my previous meal, and to spare them the bad breath

  • ristoril_zip@lemmy.zip
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    11 months ago

    At my last visit I made a joke about this and the hygienist said if I had flossed every day for 2 weeks before she would’ve been fooled.

    The dad joke answer would’ve been to tell me that the only way to really fool them is to floss regularly for 6 months before a visit…

  • No_Ones_Slick_Like_Gaston@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I can tell you this won’t work but a cleanup with an electronic plaque remover used monthly will Def. Get you off the “deep cleanup” and the floss floss floss lecture everytime.

    • DrBoom@lemmy.ml
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      11 months ago

      It won’t prevent you from needing a deep cleaning (in cases where you actually need it). Deep cleanings are necessary when the inflammation from poor hygiene has caused you to lose bone in your jaw and the pockets underneath the gums have deepened to the point that food is getting stuck in them and hardening (causing more of the inflammation mentioned above). In those cases you need to be numbed to have the hardened food scraped out by a professional.

    • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      Do you have a recommendation for one? I’m good about brushing and flossing but I still build up plaque like crazy and have to go every 4 months instead of 6.

    • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      11 months ago

      I skipped… 15 years. Finally went because my partner MADE ME

      I joked, “watch me not have any cavities”

      I came out to a seething glare

      I still do not know what it’s like to have a filling.

      • RoquetteQueen@sh.itjust.works
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        11 months ago

        I personally thank fluoridated tap water for my never having had a cavity ever because I have no idea how I have managed otherwise.

        • chatokun@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          11 months ago

          I’ve had a few things that looked like cavities starting, then died. It may have never been a cavity in the first place, as every dentist I’ve seen has commented on it, only for me to explain it’s over a decade or two old with no change.