I find some teeth kind of gross

[Mace]

Does this feeling ever go away?

I love almost everything about dentistry... Working with my hands, diagnosing\treating patients and improving their quality of life, and most of all the combination of art and science. But honestly I am a little nauseated by some of the things that I have seen while shadowing dentists.

So my question is this: has any one else felt this way, or do all dentists love every set of teeth they lay their eyes on? I want to believe that eventually you just see every patient in a strictly clinical sense but am I fooling myself ?

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[mantraman1010]

Just like any other field with diagnostic patient contact, you are going to see things that you may never have seen before. At our school, we get to assist in various senor, junior, and specialty bays in our first semester to get a taste of what is to come. The more you see it, the more numb you'll get. My advice would be look at pictures of teeth in varying carious, diseased stages and you'll slowly adapt.

 

[Ostracized]

The mouth is a gross place. Still, better than being a proctologist, gynecologist or urologist.

Heck, GP physicians have their fingers up people's bums all day!

 

[mike3kgt]

The mouth is a gross place. Still, better than being a proctologist, gynecologist or urologist.

Heck, GP physicians have their fingers up people's bums all day!

Haha, my sister is a proctologist and now that I am a dentist, she loves telling me how my job is much grosser than her job. Something about the ass being a "sterile" environment? Seriously, some mouths are just darn distrusting but the worst mouth can't be nearly as bad as the best a@#hole.

 

[KinKs]

Haha, my sister is a proctologist and now that I am a dentist, she loves telling me how my job is much grosser than her job. Something about the ass being a "sterile" environment? Seriously, some mouths are just darn distrusting but the worst mouth can't be nearly as bad as the best a@#hole.

Seconded

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

Just like any other field with diagnostic patient contact, you are going to see things that you may never have seen before. At our school, we get to assist in various senor, junior, and specialty bays in our first semester to get a taste of what is to come. The more you see it, the more numb you'll get. My advice would be look at pictures of teeth in varying carious, diseased stages and you'll slowly adapt.

I could easily be one of those 3rd or 4th year students mantraman has assisted. He is right. You will get numb to it. There will always be times where you are in disbelief about the condition of the teeth and how foul the odor is coming from their mouth, but you get use to it (or use a little Vicks nasal rub if you have a hard time adjusting.) A patient I saw yesterday for the first time had one of the worst set of teeth I have seen yet. I just have to shake my head at why it took this long for the patient to be seen. His mouth didn't get like this over night, it took many years. If you are disgusted at that kind sight now, it will go away with time. As mike3kgt state, loking at a mouth is better than the best a%$hole. Even being an OB/GYN is not all that great of a sight (since we are talking about orofices) a good portion of the time as well (based on things I have been told from OB/GYNs I know.)

If the thought of dentistry excites you, then you'll learn to adjust. You'll be fine!

 

[Mace]

If the thought of dentistry excites you, then you'll learn to adjust. You'll be fine!

Great replies. Thanks guys/girls.

 

[OceanDMD]

Been practicing 5 years. The ONLY thing that grosses me out (little gag thing) is bad bad breath. I can be anywhere in public, and when you smell that "perio" breath, it just kills me. I always ask myself the same question, how do you kiss your spouse with that stuff.

 

[DrJeff]

Been practicing 5 years. The ONLY thing that grosses me out (little gag thing) is bad bad breath. I can be anywhere in public, and when you smell that "perio" breath, it just kills me. I always ask myself the same question, how do you kiss your spouse with that stuff.

Ahh, the wonders of perio breath And atleast for me, it seems like everytime I encounter a patient that has it, it's 1st thing in the AM and all that I really want to do afterwards is just go home and take a shower and put on a new set of scrubs just to try and get thought of that smell out of my brain!!!

If there is a "good" thing about nasty teeth and/or things like perio breath it's that usually associated with them is a bunch of work for you to do!

 

[UKdent]

That smell is what I like to call the smell of money. Those gross things you see should resemble $. If all you saw were perfect class I lesions all day you would be a broke dentist.

 

[cezzz]

Just remember if there are no tooth to heal, no gross teeth your job is non sense and of course you will not earn money.. The more gross teeth/ patient the more money you will got.