I was back at the optometrist two weeks ago for the first time in over a year.  Different doctor, same painful experience.

Now I don’t have any crazy weird phobia of the eye doctor.  I swear!  It’s that I hate the extremely bright lights shining in my eyes from all angles, and I really hate getting my eyes dilated (with more bright lights following).

The “better or worse” process doesn’t bother me as much.  For those of you wondering what the hell that means, let me explain.  A routine part of the yearly check-up is looking through a contraption at rows of letters on a screen in front you.  The contraption simulates glasses and the optometrist has the ability to change the power of the lenses you are looking through to determine your prescription.  With each variation of lenses that you look through, the doctor asks, “better or worse?”  (at least my optometrists have framed the question this way!)

The minute I make my yearly appointment I begin hearing this question in my mind.  “Better or worse?  Better or worse?  Better or worse?”  It’s not the better or worse part that bothers me; it’s the reminder of those annoying lights to come!

It’s only when they get to pull a tooth, fill a cavity, or do a root canal that they make the big bucks.

This may be true to some extent when seeing any doctor, but not as much as when we visit our dentist.   I swear that I’m not an “anti-dentite” by the way!

When visiting an optometrist for example, even if your eye-sight has deteriorated and you need a stronger prescription, you can very easily buy your glasses/contacts elsewhere.  Yes you have to pay for the appointment, but unless you are getting Lasik you are done.

Not all dentists are the same, but an experience I had with a one of my previous dentists fits into the “I wanna find something wrong with your teeth” mold.

This particular dentist attempted to convince me that I needed a mouth guard made to combat the effects of grinding your teeth while sleeping.  These cost a lot of money and are NOT covered under normal dental insurance.  When I went home a few weeks later to visit my family I got a second opinion from the dentist that I had grown up seeing.  His verdict- no evidence whatsoever of teeth grinding!

With some diligent cleaning and a lot of luck, I have managed to avoid any serious issues with my teeth and I certainly hope to keep it this way.  Anyone else have similar experiences at the dentist???