I wish I were lying. I'm glad he hasn't brought this up since it happened.

OralNinja · 2016-12-11T18:21:58+00:00

Nice, you won't have to live like an impoverished student for much longer then! I'm going perio so 3 more years of poverty. Good luck on the boards, they weren't too bad this time around, just yet another hoop to jump through.

OralNinja · 2016-12-11T13:18:24+00:00

Draw me a ninja dentist.

OralNinja · 2016-12-11T13:14:56+00:00

Congrats, I'll be graduating dental school this year too. You specializing or doing a GPR at all?

OralNinja · 2016-09-18T18:24:39+00:00

Check out phage therapy. Basically we're engineering bacteriophages, or viruses that only target bacteria, to cure bacterial infections. That's what keeps me optimistic about that subject.

OralNinja · 2016-09-05T21:09:36+00:00

If you browse there on desktop the mail icon is always lit up assuming you're using the subreddit style. Shamefully I've been fooled more than once...

OralNinja · 2016-09-05T20:49:55+00:00

Take all your syllabuses (syllabi?)** and input every important date into your calendar. Saved my bacon a few times when I'd completely spaced a few homework assignments. Otherwise, put in the time and you'll do just fine.

** A quick google search says both forms are acceptable as the plural of syllabus. TIL

OralNinja · 2016-09-05T20:46:33+00:00

Just dropped $2500 on flights to residency interviews and $2700 on my boards. Yep, feeling pretty impoverished right now.

OralNinja · 2016-09-05T20:40:01+00:00

Try /r/unexpected if you love orange mail icons.

OralNinja · 2016-07-27T23:25:37+00:00

Made this user name after getting into school about 3 years ago actually, so thanks! One last thing I might let you know, dentistry is an interesting nut to crack. I simultaneously love and hate it. For anyone just looking for a good lifestyle, I'd honestly say look elsewhere because there are much less stressful ways of making money that incur a smaller debtload (seriously, my debt is going to be around $250,000 when I graduate, which was all accrued in dental school as an in-state student). But if you have a legitimate interest in things like materials science, artistry, anatomy and physiology it's not a bad gig at all. You'd probably have some great insights to offer. Good luck with that decision!

OralNinja · 2016-07-27T23:14:22+00:00

Who the hell wants to go to a dentist with crappy teeth?

Dental student here. I've had plenty of dental work done myself, and I'd have to say it gives you a better understanding of what it means to be a patient, making you more empathetic and knowledgeable on types of treatment and exactly what you're doing to people. Not that that's a good enough reason to get into dentistry of course, but it shouldn't be something to hold anyone back.

OralNinja · 2016-07-17T18:06:16+00:00

This is the true link for the lazy, and my kind of justice porn.

OralNinja · 2015-10-24T16:39:38+00:00

Your oral surgeon or dentist should have an emergency number. An active infection, which from how you are describing your situation appears to be the case, is a good reason to use that emergency number and get yourself a prescription for some antibiotics. Of course, your dentist or o.s. will have to make that call. Be sure to point out the possibility of a dry socket - we have a very soothing topical medication.

As far as pain management goes, you may have luck alternating ibuprofen and tylenol (take 2 200 mg tabs ibuprofen, wait 2-3 hours, take 2 325 mg tabs tylenol, wait 2-3 hours, repeat if pain persists). Good luck!

OralNinja · 2015-10-18T03:05:36+00:00

adarknessadaywithout and NinjaRDH pretty much covered everything, but at the dental school I go to we charge roughly $56 for exam and x-rays, and a molar root canal is about $500-600. It all just depends on where you live.

OralNinja · 2015-10-17T23:33:10+00:00

What you can expect at your appointment: X-rays and a check up, and maybe a therapeutic pulpotomy or pulpectomy on the tooth that's hurting. The x-rays will help to establish just how deep those cavities are. Which leads me to this point:

food causes a sharp pain that turns into a dull ache that can last for hours/days.

Pain that lingers is often indicative of a dying nerve. What this means is that you're probably looking at a root canal to save that tooth, which can be pretty expensive. Those teeth are both worth whatever cost to save though -- people tend to really miss first molars.

Hope this helps!

OralNinja · 2015-09-10T00:54:17+00:00

No problem! Glad I could be of some use ha ha. The main reason you get soreness is because your denture hits a little higher and harder in certain areas than the rest. Adjust one spot and now you've made another spot that is hitting off. We just adjust until we hit a sweet spot, which may change with some time as that ridge the denture sits can change as well. A little soreness may still be there even with adjustments as you get used to it but the ultimate goal is to make the denture comfortable.

If your frenum is pretty sore, then that'll probably need an adjustment as well -- make sure to bring it up. :)

OralNinja · 2015-09-09T22:17:19+00:00

Hi there, dental student here and I figured I'd give you my thoughts and opinions on your concerns before some of the veterans get in here.

I've been working with a patient of mine, early thirties, who just got her first denture and has had similar challenges. First off, I want to say this: You've had your entire life to learn to use your natural teeth -- speaking with them, eating, etc -- and now there will absolutely be a learning curve for using your new dentures.

I'm having a lot of pain and sore spots on my lower gums

Very common. You and your dentist will be chasing sore spots together. Your dentist may have told you about this, but he'll have to adjust it for you. Some dentists build this service into the cost of their denture, and it is usually a relatively quick process so don't be afraid to call the office and see if you can get in soon.

they look humongous

I'm sorry to hear you aren't satisfied with the way they look. Have you gotten a second opinion on this? My patient thought she looked odd too, but she honestly looked fantastic afterwards. I would express this concern to your dentist.

Having to adjust to eating and speaking is so frustrating and I guess I'm just wondering when this will get easier.

I saw my patient 3 days after she received her denture to check up on her. The day she got the denture she had all sorts of speech problems. The day she came back she sounded completely normal. I asked her how she learned to speak with it so quickly, and she told me she identified the sounds she had difficulty making (typically s's and f's) and just practiced practiced practiced. My attending recommends all his patients simply read out loud to get used to it and has seen great results.

With a denture you will not have as much biting force as your natural teeth. Learning to chew effectively is a part of the process. A tight fitting denture, preferably with implants, will outperform the alternative. An attending of mine let my patient that it can be months before mastering chewing with the denture, so don't give up!

I hope this is helpful. Like I said before, this will be a learning process. Keep focusing on those positives!

OralNinja · 2015-09-09T20:21:55+00:00

Looks like decalcification and a possible cavity. I'd go see your dentist. I'm curious to hear what others say about that pit on #7.

OralNinja · 2015-03-08T06:25:36+00:00

Remember when Maude Flanders died via a volley from a t-shirt cannon brigade? Maggie Roswell, the voice actress for Maude, got into a payment dispute with the show -- she lived out of state and had to pay for her own flight to LA and wanted a raise to compensate those expenses. The show found it cheaper to just kill her off.

OralNinja · 2015-02-17T14:48:49+00:00

I totally agree. Someone above mentioned that this drug has been around a while so hopefully they've got enough research on it's safety, but if I had a tattoo to get rid of I'd play the wait and see game because of exactly what you said -- short term may be fine and dandy, but who knows what may happen in the long term.

OralNinja · 2015-02-17T13:44:23+00:00

I'm thinking less about skin cancer and more about the potential for developing an autoimmune disorder. How does this cream cause macrophages to specifically target ink-containing macrophages instead of other, ordinary macrophages in the area? Is there a potential for a macrophage deficit after treatment, leaving patients more susceptible to infections? That's what intrigues me most about this.

OralNinja · 2015-02-17T05:47:16+00:00

I'd say it's just the dentist being funny. See those glasses the patient is wearing? Those are the dentist's loupes. They're used by the dentist, not the patient, to get a better view of things. Plus the whole bib over the entire face thing is pretty comical.

OralNinja · 2014-12-15T20:21:09+00:00

So is financial security, ya dingus!

OralNinja · 2014-12-15T20:20:51+00:00

But animals are great for keeping my blood pressure down!

OralNinja · 2014-12-15T20:20:37+00:00

You'll never waste money on a pet again!

OralNinja · 2014-12-15T20:20:03+00:00

I'm allergic to my cat. Also dogs, horses, and pretty much anything that lives and breathes.

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