You Don’t Need Nerves of Steel to Enjoy a Healthy Beautiful Smile
A few years back I did some volunteer dental work in remote villages near the resort town of Huatulco, Mexico.
Volunteer Dentistry in Huatulco Mexico - It
Beautiful place. Beautiful people. Bad teeth.
Most of the people I saw had never been to a dentist before. Looking into their mouths indicated years of suffering. These people didn’t seem the type to ever complain about such things.
In fact they were great patients. No drama in the dental chair. No flinching at injections. Nothing.
What made them so calm and stoic in their manner? My guess is the day-to-day challenges and hardships they endure. They don’t live pampered lives free of pain and inconvenience.
I found Dental Pain Management to be less of a concern down in Mexico. Overall, expectations and standard of care were much lower.
Back here in Toronto, Dental Pain Management is at the top of my priorities.
What’s it mean?
My belief is that here in North America, many of us live a comfortable, sheltered existence. We’re far less tolerant of pain and hardship than those in other parts of the world.
We’re softies here…
Dental Pain Tolerance
We live a cushy life and our pain tolerance is lower. Particularly for our children.
I take one look at my own children and I know this is true.
Now I came from a family of 8 children and compared to my father’s depression-era childhood, I had it pretty soft.
My father would tell those “Back when I was young…” stories about harder times. I do the same to my children and they roll their eyes.
I look at my 5 grown children and they’re living the life of Riley. My four older boys are now in their 20′s but still holding on to their teenage ways. Apparently there’s no urgency to grow up these days.
With a soft life, tolerance for pain is less.
Dental pain tolerance is practically zero and that’s understandable. Dental pain is nasty. Besides, people already hate dentists. They don’t need additional reasons on top of that.
Dentistry for Softies
Are you a Softie about Dental Care?
If you have grown children still living in your basement, I can’t help you with that. Heck, I could use a few pointers myself.
What I can do is help you and your loved ones with comfortable dental care. Dentistry for softies.
Nowadays, comfortable dental care is the norm. Children can grow up today without fear of going to the dentist. Without the anxiety of expecting things to be difficult and uncomfortable. Adults can finally relax and let go of that anxiety they’ve been feeling for so long.
We’ll pamper you at Royal York Dental. We’ll make things easy for you. Gentle, comfortable dental care with all the modern conveniences.
Spa Dentistry? Perhaps that goes too far. After all, people want FAST dentistry so they can get back to the things they would rather be doing.
If I wanted a full spa experience I would go to the spa. Still, a little pampering at the dentist is always appreciated.
Fast, convenient, comfortable dental care – Dentistry for Softies – that’s what people want.
Stay healthy and keep smiling!
Dr. Joe 
| About the Author: Joe Bulger is a successful dentist in Toronto, Canada. Visit his blog on Dental Secrets Guide to learn more about dental services and opportunities. |
More Resources:
- Why Does Pain Tolerance Differ? – Report on pain tolerance variations
- Pain Tolerance – Wikipedia’s definition of Pain Tolerance.
- Pain Resources – information on Pain from MedlinePlus.
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
I totally agree with your theory that in North America we live pampered lives free of pain. With my parents being from the Caribbean, they too were tolerant of pain. Getting teeth pulled, to having serious dental work done overall was very common, and they had no real complaints per say. They dealt with their tooth aches as though it were another day! In North America with the slightest bit of pain, we panic.. (I too can be a victim at times). BUT, in truth, when I listen to the past painful dental experiences of my parents, I do see now why they are so grateful about their dental experiences in Canada. Finding a dental practice offering comfortable care is of utmost importance!
You are so right Roxy. When I read dental articles I realize the Americans are so concerned about a little bit of pain!
Khondoker´s last [type] ..Dental Veneer
Provably sedation dentistry is the only right dentistry for the Americans!
You are right. People in “poorer” areas are more tolerant of pain and hardships. We living in better circumstances are such babies, haha.
Why is everbody so afraid of the dentist? A soft society.
This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. This is very nice one and gives in depth information. Thanks for this nice article. Good post…..Valuable information for all.
Austin Dentist´s last [type] ..Veneers
Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!
how much for taking care of a growing wisdom tooth?
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It is really true, since I was born with lots of hard experiences I believe that I can survive with toothache. I can bear all the aching since I am used to it, going to the dentist has never been my choice because it would just add up to my burden for I need to pay for the service. It was only then that I have realize that we should really take total care with out teeth because it is one of the most important parts of our body.
Thanks for your comments. Teeth as one of the most important parts? I think of them as one of the most vulnerable parts. Teeth are incredibly strong but our mouths are a hostile place. People keep bombarding their teeth with nasty beverages and sweet stuff.
Joe
yeah right..so on this note, we have to pay much attention to our teeth. coz having a good white teeth could help boost the self confidence of a person..
charlotte´s last [type] ..Partition recovery solution in case of corrupt file system index error
I agree..teeth are one of the vulnerable part so they really need extra care..
Having a good teeth could help a person boost self confidence. On this note, every one must pay much attention to this. As you said, teeth as one of the most vulnerable parts.
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Thanks for the post! It’s so interesting reading about all the different techniques in dentistry.
When I had crowded teeth it certainly lowered my confidence I agree with this post and braces were painful to wear for a while but I got used to it and now I couldn’t be happier.
You have a great blog, and very educational for someone like me (I’m not a dentist, but I do love everything dental care) that isn’t as knowledgeable about the technical side of dentistry. The fact is, your blog could have probably trumped a few that were on my list. I’ll probably tweet this post soon…so stay tuned for that…hint hint…
i never thought of going to the dentist as particularly painful. but i guess my gums bleed when they use the metal tools and when i had to get fillings, the Novocaine shots can definitely hurt. but i can’t imagine if i had exposed nerves from teeth rotted out and serious issues like that, i guess people just learn to live with it or maybe their body blocks out the pain to a certain extent?
To avoid dental pain then take care of your teeth. Brush three times a day and floss everyday too. It is also best to get your teeth checked every 6 months.
This is so true that dental problem is one of the biggest problem that most of the people have to gone through at a certain stage of his life. So it is on us to maintain our dental health healthy. Very good post.
I agree, it is important to be comfortable when you go to the dentist, but some places go to far and turn it into more of a “day at the spa”. Great read, thanks for posting!
It is very important that kids are well acquainted in visiting the dentist to prevent anxiety and discomfort on their part hence; pleasant and frequent visits to the dentist will mean beautiful smiles.
This is a great post. We are lucky to have the dental care that we do in Canada and the US.
I’m not quite sure what niche I want to get into. I’m glad you article has provided me a couple good ideas. I’ll definitely bare down and figure out which areas to get into.
Well, if the teeth are healthy and good i don’t think that there is a need to visit the dentist then. Scaling made my teeth weak and sensitive i don’t suggest any one to go for it unless it is very necessary to.
Even though the teeth are healthy you must make it a habit to visit the dentist regularly so that if anything even tries to spoil your teeth you can know even befor things start happening.
Visiting the dentist to check in how healthy your teeth are is a very good habit if followed on regular basis. It should be the part of your routine at least once a month.
The Mayans are very stoic in nature and likely would tolerate pain well. I’m really glad that you went to assist those people. I’ve spent time in the area (oaxaca) and they are really wonderful people.
Thanks for posting this kind of topic because i do hate dentist. I have a low pain tolerance and i don’t know what to do when my tooth starts to ache. It drives me crazy. Please do help me with my problem.
Having a good teeth could help a person boost self confidence. On this note, every one must pay much attention to this. As you said, teeth as one of the most vulnerable parts.
This is a part of the body which is not completely protected by the daily practices to avoid the unwanted particles inside the mouth. First and foremost is to choose a right dentist where the dental practices are located. A dental health care is good which is fit to your schedule.
To have healthy and white teeth you should treat your teeth with a proper care. With a regular brushing and a regular visit to your dentist. Like they say, prevention is better than cure.
My girlfriend is absolutely terified of going to the dentist even though she rarely has any problems worth mentioning. She says it is not so much the pain of the treatment that freaks her out but the general atmosphere of the dentists office. Go figure…
This post is very informative as it courage the people to take-care of the dental treatment what ever the pain is …thanks for sharing
that’s for me. No pain = no pain. I never workout too hard and do tai chi so I won’t have pain.
This totally meets my experience. With pain in general and with dentists – it definitely takes more to ease the pain of procedures. Remarkably I’ve also been told that redheads tend to bleed more – particularly around child birth my doctor warned me ahead of time.
People are overreacting to the ‘pain’ that you feel at the dentist? I think it’s gotten a little out of hand, really. The years of having horrible teeth and gums would be much more difficult to live with than an hour or so in a chair. Perhaps it’s me but I think this stereotype of hating dentists is really costing us our dental hygiene!
Thoughts?
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Normally I do not learn article on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very pressured me to try and do it! Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thanks, very great article.
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Well I have to agree with your Dr.Joe. There is no doubt that we are softies but the worrying part is that people like from North America and other area’s of the world don’t realize how much of important these dentist and tooth caring is. Great job and great bit of information you have provided. I’ll sure to share this on Facebook.
Thanks
As you describe, Americans are often intolerant of dental pain. Children are taught at an early age that the dentist is a “scary” place. That is why pediatric dentists, who are trained specifically for children dental care, are so important. Children can have an enjoyable, positive experience at the dentist, changing children’s perspective of dentistry for the rest of their lives.
How i wish i could have your assitance now.
Ive had a crown fitted, but the dentist said it was 50/50 if the crown would be successful.
I work up this morning and i have a lump on the gum where the crown is fitted and it hurts