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A few weeks ago I lost a filling in one of my teeth. A lower canine or pre molar tooth before the molar teeth. Must have been root filled as it caused no pain. Due to lockdown just left it as it was not bothering me. Yesterday eating a crusty cob something must have broken as I finished up with a Needle like point on the remnants of the tooth that was piercing my tongue and very uncomfortable to say the least. Rang the dentist who did answer but only taking extreme emergencies if your lucky and this wasn’t considered one. Spent an uncomfortable night and this morning got the Dremel and a small cone shaped grinding bit and ground off the offending spike. Noise in my head was horrendous but an entirely successful operation. I’ll take bookings if your having dental issues at your own risk ! 

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I did it once on nightshift when I shattered a molar. It must have been virtually hollow and I pulled it out bit by bit with a pair of needle nose pliers. I was quite surprised that it really didn't hurt that much.

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Was Gregory Boulevard noted for sadistic dentists? I seem to remember coming round from a “gas” extraction to a sweating, bloodstained dentist called Withers. Gashed the bottom of my tongue from front to back. I was on soft boiled eggs for a week!

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I’ve never had to do any DIY dentistry but I did have to eat nothing at all and drink through a straw over an entire weekend about 50 years ago when a crown fell off while eating a crusty cheese cob.   It was a front tooth and  so uncomfortable for a couple of days but soon got sorted by my brilliant dentist John Carberry in Bulwell.  I trusted him that much that when I got married and moved 100 miles away I still came up for my 6 month checks until my children’s schooling became more important.  
My early experience of the school dentist was not good.  Dr Parks Corner, (Gedling/Netherfield/Carlton ..... not sure where it should be classed) and the nasty man filled half a dozen teeth, and thinking of my age at that time (left that area when I was 8) they must have been baby teeth!  
I should have had a check-up 2 months ago, the first time in 60 years that I haven’t had a 6 month check.  

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That guy you are talking about was replaced by a big lady named Agnes.  Arms like a logger.  She could have pulled teeth out of an Alligator with just her fingers.

Had a drill like Letsavagoo's dremel no aneasthetic either. I used to dread going there.  Ve haf veys of fixing your teeth.  Aaaargh!

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Just count yourselves lucky you weren't around in the second or third decade of the 1900s. My mum said she went to a dentist for a filling and it was a non-electric foot-powered drill.  It was slow and erratic apparently and of course there were no injected local anaesthetics in those days.  I expect they just put oil of cloves on the gum or something similar.   Talking about oil of cloves, i remember putting that on an aching tooth once.   I cannot bear the smell of cloves even now.

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Mum took me  ONCE  to the school dentist in Arnold - was there a covered passage to get to it?    I say ONCE because I wouldn't let him do anything.  I seem to remember him raising his voice and my screaming and crying.  After that I was taken to a Mr. Syder (spelling) on Mansfield Road near the junction with Woodborough Road.   He didn't get cross with me so I probably let him fix my tooth ... can't remember the details

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The very sight of the dreadful black chair and all the implements suspended above it was enough to scare the living daylights out of me!  Nowadays, it's all so different. Everything is hidden.

 

I remember asking Acton what those implements, hanging over the torture chair, were for. He just retorted, snappishly, "Mind your own business. I'm the dentist, not you!" People skills, zero points!

 

I hated fillings. The acrid smell of burning, the pain when he hit a nerve...as he invariably did. He wouldn't give any anaesthetic for fillings.  I think I've mentioned before that he once did an extraction which must have been more difficult than he assessed because I woke up during the procedure (nitrous oxide in those days). I was trying to tell him to stop but, according to my mother who was in the waiting room downstairs, I screamed blue murder and instantly emptied the place! I hope they never came back!

 

 

I had two impacted wisdom teeth removed by Acton in 1975 for which a qualified anaesthetist was in attendance. It would not be permitted today.

 

It was fillings I hated. On one occasion, I was so frightened that he slapped me across the face and told me to stop being hysterical! I then realised that I was standing beside the chair, watching him do the filling. It was fascinating, seeing myself lying there, seemingly asleep and quite motionless. I felt no pain at all and realised that the real me was standing by the chair, not sitting in it!  Since that day, I have had no fear whatsoever  of death...but I still don't like dentists!

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Yes Margie, I seem to remember a covered passage. The surgery seemed to be in a basement. It’s a long time ago. I had crooked teeth and was referred to an orthodontic specialist, a Mr. Hope, who practiced on Claremont Rd. in Carrington on certain days but I believe his house and main surgery were on Musters Rd.in Bridgford. I remember him being annoyed when I chipped a front tooth which he had just straightened. I didn’t get it capped until I was in my 20’s. It was all the visits to the specialist that prompted me to want to become a dentist. I got a place at Bristol dental school but chickened out at the last minute when I realised that I would be looking into people’s mouths for the rest of my career!

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12 hours ago, LizzieM said:

 by my brilliant dentist John Carberry in Bulwell. 

He was my dentist too Lizzie. He was wonderful after Babbs The Butcher on Highbury Vale had been my previous dentist. Even after moving to Langar after marriage, I kept John Carberry for years.  I think his son is still there at the surgery?

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You’ve mention Mr Acton before Jill. I honestly never had an issue with him. Kept at that practice all my life until about 18 years ago. I can’t say I liked going there but never had a problem at all. I think the front crowns I have were done by him years ago after I got kicked playing rugby.

When Acton sold it another Irishman took over, a Mr Hanrohaan who was very highly qualified.

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I'm with Jill on this. As far as I'm concerned he was a psychotic leprechaun intent on causing as much patient discomfort as he could. Perhaps he was good to some of his victims but that didn't help a large number who found him wanting.

 

Another dentist I found to be "less than good" was Brian Lawson who had a practice opposite Basford gasworks. I've mentioned him on these pages before, as well.

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My mother knew a couple of people who saw Acton privately, although at the same practice. They found him charming. Filthy lucre obviously makes a big difference!

 

From the mid 70s until she retired in 1986, my mother worked in the afternoons at the offices of a dental laboratory on George Street. She said that Acton sent some of his work to them but did quite a lot of it himself. Perhaps he was a better dental technician than dentist.  They did porcelain jacket crowns, megalium and gold work for him but Acton did all his own acrylics, etc.

 

Speaking of gold, I do recall he had several gold fillings himself.

 

Before my mum retired, she noted that Acton was no longer sending in any work and she heard that he'd given up dentistry after suffering some kind of breakdown.  I think my comment was something along the lines of, "What goes round, comes round!"

 

Perhaps it was just my misfortune to have trouble with the Irish on Gregory Boulevard: Barmy Colleen at one end of it and Acton at the other!

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My dentist was Brian Lawson for many years, I can remember sitting in his chair seeing the gas works.

When I was in the last year at BGS I had to have a filling done. Everything seemed to have gone okay, had an afternoon off school, but as the injection wore off the inside of my bottom lip felt sore. Went to bed and the next morning my bottom lip was really swollen and painful. My mum had a look at the inside of it and then rang him as it was cut. He just said I must have moved as he was drilling the tooth! Got me a couple of day’s off school until the swelling went down.

When my husband and I were going out before we were married he had really bad toothache. I gave him Brian Lawsons number, he went and the tooth was pulled out. My husband became quite ill after going there and had to go on antibiotics. It appeared he had had an abscess on the tooth when it was pulled out. He never went back to see him again, found another dentist and so did I.

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On 6/13/2020 at 4:54 PM, Jill Sparrow said:

My mother knew a couple of people who saw Acton privately, although at the same practice. They found him charming. Filthy lucre obviously makes a big difference!

 

From the mid 70s until she retired in 1986, my mother worked in the afternoons at the offices of a dental laboratory on George Street. She said that Acton sent some of his work to them but did quite a lot of it himself. Perhaps he was a better dental technician than dentist.  They did porcelain jacket crowns, megalium and gold work for him but Acton did all his own acrylics, etc.

 

Jill, I worked at the same dental laboratory from 1985-1990.Could I ask your Mothers name please?

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