Dentists!

[tomlinson 879]

The RAF had some decent dentists. One Sqdn Ldr who was also a rugby player was apologised to by a patient who said, " Sorry sir, I forgot to clean my teeth this morning". The Sqdn Ldr answered, " That's o.k. I've just been for a s**t and I haven't washed my hands". I still think the Players School dentists take some beating though!

[Bilboro-lad 294]

I knew there'd be trouble when he removed his 'braces'.

I do remember him but didn't care much for him. He lived up Mapperley way and his toyboy stabbed him. I though he was charged with murder.

[Batesy 22]

My dentist as a lad in carlton had a practise on station rd,think it was opposite the girls school,never did a person deserve his nick name more than he did,butcher Boyd they called him,took me a few years to recover from his butchering.

[Pixie 162]

Used to have a brilliant dentist growing up, they were on main road, gedling oposit the co-op, then it went private and we changed, found a guy called matt who was in a practice at west bridgeford, after knocking a tooth out at the front iv always been nervous of dentists but Matt was great, then he left. Now I'm at a local practice, it's 27 for a check up - rip off!

[carni 10,094]

The Dentist who treated me at the Practice opposite the CO-OP on Main Road in the 1950/60s was not as kind as the one you had Pixie. It sounds like the same place but many years before you were treated there. He was a horrible person. My Dad took me there for a filling or extraction, i was petrified and upset. I don't know if he gave me any anesthetic but the pain was so bad. He called my Dad into the room and told him to take me home as I was pulling so many faces, he couldn't carry on. I have been terrified of Dentists since. I have found a good one now, but because I was frightened to go for a few years, I ended up causing problems beyond repair. Gets very expensive as well.

[Smiffy49 590]

In recent years my trips to the dentist have been pretty painless and my fear of them has diminished as a result.

However, not so when I was a child..... One particular visit has never left me, it was a strange but not too painful experience.

I must have been around eight or nine and following a visit to the school by a team of dental inspectors (they filled in some yellow paperwork with XX's) we all waited with dread for the buff envelope to drop through the door, usually about two weeks later.

It duly arrived and despite my insistence that my teeth were perfectly alright as far I was concerned, a date was entered in my Mother's diary.

The day came and we arrived at the clinic ten minutes early. As we entered the door I thought of the possibility of escape, but soon realised that living in the woods at this time of the year (November) was not a good idea.

The faint smell of disinfectant gave me butterflies. Finding a seat with my Mother I waited nervously and tried to think of Christmas or anything to take my mind of the environment and my impending doom. Soon my name was called and I was told to sit behind a row of screens and wait. I was not fooled by the cartoon characters depicted everywhere on the wipe clean surfaces. These people were demons !!

Very soon someone came out of a side door and told me to follow her into the execution chamber.

I glanced around and noticed an open window, not big enough for me to squeeze through in the event of deciding to head for the woods anyway !

A dark green plastic "bib type" apron was put around me and I was led over to the "electric chair"

Then once I was safely seated and the window was closed they asked me to bite on a champagne cork for some reason.

Next they put a Lancaster bomber pilot's mask over my mouth (just like Guy Gibson's in the Dambusters) and I was told to breathe deeply.

After the third breath everything went very distant and the edges of my vision darkened.

The strange bit.....

I lost consciousness but soon realised that I could see myself in the "electric chair" but I was on the ceiling looking down at myself.

I did feel a kind of ripping sensation in my mouth but nothing painful. Next thing I was spinning round on something like the rings of Saturn and in the distance I could see the chair with me in it. I swam or flew towards the chair but could not catch it up. The dentist's face floated by followed by one of the nurses. All of a sudden I was in another room and someone was telling me to spit and rinse. Blood was everywhere, in the sink, on the floor, everywhere ! I felt around my mouth with my tongue and was horrified to find enormous holes where two of my teeth had been.

On the way home I had to wear a white handkerchief around my face to keep out the cold. I pretended to be Billy the Kid until I saw two of the girls from our street, they pointed and giggled but Being the brave lad that I was ignored them.

Later that day my Mother took me to the pictures with my Brother, you guessed it "The Dambusters"

Smiffy

[MELTONSTILTON 452]

I don't mind going to the dentist, its what they do to mu teeth I don't like

[carni 10,094]

Smiffy,

Your spot on descriptions brought back so many feelings, Especially the Pilots Mask. I feel as though you were talking about my experiences. We must all have gone through the same things at the Dentist. You certainly made me laugh, that's more than the Dentist ever did!

[darkazana 1,736]

I never had gas at the dentisits, always went with the injections, but as it always felt more painful when it was wearing off, if I need anything doing nowadays I get it done without any anaesthetic. A few seconds discomfort is preferable to the hours of post injection trauma....besides I had three babies all without any pain relief...dentists? A walk in the park!!!

[dgbrit 258]

I have been working for a dentist for about 20 years ,My wife came back with his estimate for some extractions & a partial denture that I would be making $ 7800.00

I paid him for the Xrays he took $275 & told him to go to hell .

[LizzieM 9,507]

My first experience of dentists was when I was about 8 when I was taken for a check-up to Dr Parks Corner in Gedling (or Carlton). Hadn't thought I had any problems but the dentist gave me about half a dozen fillings! When we moved from that area I went to a practice on Mansfield Road, just above Woodborough Road, a Mr Boyd. He seemed an OK chap but when I dived into Arnold Baths, hit the bottom and took a lump out of a front tooth at the age of 13 he wouldn't crown it with porcelain, telling me it had to be a gold crown until I'd left school and finished playing hockey. I was so upset, kids at school called me Goldie which I hated. After a year or so Mr Boyd left the practice and I then had a lovely young dentist, straight from Uni., Mr John Carberry. I pleaded with him to change the crown to porcelain and he agreed to my wishes. He moved to his own practice in Bulwell and the whole family were his patients there. When I left Nottm I continued to make a 180 mile round trip for dental appointments until my kids went to school. John Carberry retired some years ago but my brother still goes to that surgery, where Carberry Jnr is working on the gnashers of Bulwell! Since moving back to Nottm 10 years ago I've been a patient at a practice on Bramcote Lane, Wollaton. No complaints there.

[FLY2 10,108]

I used the practice on Bramcote Lane when I lived in Wollaton at various times. Chris Grey was the dentist. He was an ex Notts rugby player so I presume he had his team mates as patients. He was very good. Never any pain.

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Had all my teeth out when I was only 26 (lack of care)

Not seen a dentist since still on my first set of dentures.

One good point IF I get tooth ache I just take them out.

And another thing having my teeth out stopped me biting my finger nails, I never could get my toes in my mouth.

[LizzieM 9,507]

I used the practice on Bramcote Lane when I lived in Wollaton at various times. Chris Grey was the dentist. He was an ex Notts rugby player so I presume he had his team mates as patients. He was very good. Never any pain.

I have Chris Gray too Basfordred. Not a bad dentist. Have to go to the Hygienist every 3 months too, nothing ever wrong with my teeth, it's me gums that need constant attention!! Chris played for Scotland as well.

[Batesy 22]

Are they all dentists lizzie,I seem to remember somebody COOK,he was either national cycling champion,or skating champion,,think he was from Beeston,.....either "on ya bike" ,or "a" toothless wonder",I'm sure he was a dentist

[LizzieM 9,507]

Don't know about the guy Cook but Ian Hallam was/ is still a Dentist. He rode for Beeston RC, was a Commonwealth Gold winner in the Pursuit. Not sure if he rode in the Olympics. I knew him well around the early 70's, remember going out one weekend afternoon with him in his ex-Police car (with a vinyl roof to hide where the blue light used to be), we went to Wollaton Park and the car clocked 100,000 miles while we were there, he was joking that if he drove backwards then the clock wouldn't progress from 100,000! Funny what silly things stay in your memory. I believe he moved to Bournemouth to practice dentistry. Nice lad .....

[Rob.L 1,090]

Batesy,

Would that have been Geoff Cooke? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Cooke_(cyclist)

He was in Beeston RC at the same time as Ian Hallam. I have some photos somewhere of Ian as my dad knew him from when Ian was but a lad, and before Lizzie led him astray

[Batesy 22]

Thanks Rob l,your spot on,remember seeing lots of head lines in the evening post about them both at that time

[Compo 10,328]

My previous dentist charged £20 per annum for registration and a further £25 for each check-up. A scale and polish was £25. Fortunately, after a ten year wait, I am now on teh NHS system again and my last Check-up plus scale and polish and two X-rays cost a total of £14.40

[trophydave 12]

The Dentist who treated me at the Practice opposite the CO-OP on Main Road in the 1950/60s was not as kind as the one you had Pixie. It sounds like the same place but many years before you were treated there. He was a horrible person. My Dad took me there for a filling or extraction, i was petrified and upset. I don't know if he gave me any anesthetic but the pain was so bad. He called my Dad into the room and told him to take me home as I was pulling so many faces, he couldn't carry on. I have been terrified of Dentists since. I have found a good one now, but because I was frightened to go for a few years, I ended up causing problems beyond repair. Gets very expensive as well.

From your description this sounds like the same dentist that I went to as a child in the 1970s early 80s.I think his name was something like Leighton.

[carni 10,094]

I can't remember his name, though leighton sounds familiar. That man is the cause of me being terrified of Dentists all my life. I went for so many years with out checkups, that irepairable damage happened.

One Boxing Day in the 1970s, I was so bad with toothache, a friend of mine contacted her Dentist, who specialised in frightened patients. He opened his surgery for me and removed the Tooth.

Only problem was, he was private, so not daring to go anywhere else but that practice now costs me a fortune. At the moment I have a bill for £90.00... Consultation, Scale and Polish, and an Xray!

[loppylugs 8,429]

Ouch! Sounds like over here Carni. So far though I have only come across good ones.

[Michael Booth 7,364]

The prices for dental work is extortionate and unaffordable for a lot of people. I think it's scandalous.

[MelissaJKelly 2,121]

I've always been more scared of the doctors and opticians than I am the dentist. The one I used to go to was lovely but I haven't been in years, like Michael said the prices are ridiculous!

[FLY2 10,108]

That's why its best to be on the NHS. Although I think check ups should be free for the over 65's.