What was dental care like in your childhood ?

I went to a 'private dentist who was horrible. I was held down to have teeth out and his own breath stank. His hands always shook as he gave injections which never seemed to work. I've since learnt it was usual for the dentists to use the cocain themselves and use very dilute stuff on patients, especially children. I had loads of fillings and extractions and didn't go for a long time. I spent a fortune at a lovely lady and now I'm not bothered about going. Both my children had good teeth but far too many....ds had a complete extra set and I moved heaven and earth to get a kind dentist.

Urmstongran
I can see your ? from here!

Thinking about it - and not wanting to hex things - I’m lucky really because despite my fears and past history, my teeth are fine. All my own, no bridges, palates, crowns or root canal treatments etc. at the age of 66y.
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70s child here. Brushed teeth once a day. I have a mouthful of fillings although I’m convinced there was probably nothing wrong with them!

Had orthodontic treatment as a teen which resulted in problems later on in life and resulted in further orthodontic treatment and surgery.

After everything I’ve been through I don’t actually mind dentists, although I did get a bit arsey with one Polish dentist who refused to believe I’d had surgery and couldn’t understand why I couldn’t open my mouth any further - it was her last week at work before returning to Poland as she hated this country so I guess she was trying to take her anger out on her patients!!

Absolutely dreadful memories. No pain relief and fillings every time, and the smell of the gas mask. I also remember a rubber cube thing which he put in one side of my mouth to keep my mouth open. And we always went on our own. Put me off dentists for years, and by the time I plucked up courage to go again untold damage had been done. What a difference now. Still get nervous going, but I think dentists nowadays acknowledge our fears and are kind and patient.

My parents didn't bother about my teeth (They'd both had hideous experiences with army dentists during the war and never went to one again) the school dentist came when I was 5 and I had to have several teeth out with gas which terrified me. Why were they even removing what must have been milk teeth?

When I was about 12 my mother found a Polish lady dentist who was "good with children". She was awful and used to say helpful things like "If you move this drill will go right through your cheek"

I am so happy now with my lovely Indian dentist who knows that some of the things he does are horrid and goes out of his way to make it all as easy as possible.

Yes, fillings all over and remember the black gas mask, I still detest the dentist, at my last check about 6 months ago she said ‘you don’t want to be here do you?. I wish I was braver, if I was I’d have implants, rather than the part denture and cosmetic work that’s looming in the ever closer distance.

I wasn’t taken to the dentist as a child as my mother had a fear of dentists.
When I was 15 I asked her to take me as I had badly decayed teeth.
The wonderful dentist sorted me out over a period of two years and I still have my own teeth with a lot of crowns.
Despite this I have no fear of dentists.

My school dentist was awful he just pulled ones out without trying to save them, my new dentist today says he is picking up these early day errors (bet he’s loads of work)I remember getting gas and cocaine and a horrible mask to wear at the time

one time I wasn’t fully unconscious and felt the tooth being extracted And managed to move my big toe while in severe pain.

Oh I remember these days very well I’m thankfully no longer afraid of the dentist I’ve even gone as far as to have implants in order to get rid of my false upper and lower teeth best move ever

One word Barbaric!
So so different nowadays thank goodness. I’m happy to go now.

We all had toothbushes at home and cleaned our teeth twice a day. I have very little memory of dentists until I was about 10 when I was taken to the army dentist in Singapore about the possibility of ortodontic treatment for my very prominent front teeth. He did nothing as we were due to return to England withn 6 months.

Like most peripatetic army brats I went to boarding school at 11. It wasn't far from home, so I was taken to the dental practice that served the school. The dentist there, after examining my teeth and taking impressions, referred me to the Royal Dental School in central London, because my case was so complicated. I continued to see this dentist for ordinary dental care for the rest of my school years. I remember him as a kind nice man, who was aware that dental care could be painful and was scary.

I spent 5 years under the care of the Royal Dental Hospital. I had the Professor superintending my treatment and had extractions as well as having to wear all kinds of different dental plates to try and sort my teeth out. My teeth were eventually straightened, but I was left with a poor dental 'bite'. Thankfully all this treatment was all covered by the NHS

I had a playground accident in primary school and most of my front teeth were broken or chipped a wee boy swinging a rounders bat above his head I believe...I dont remember it at all.I was knocked out .The dentist wouldn't touch them,He said I had to wait until I had matured,I think he meant growth wise .Ihad no pain from them so I wasn't unduly worried ,until I developed an abscess under one and the dentist didn't offer antibiotics ,in fact didn't say anything ,just sat me down and pulled it out .No anaesthetic ! I've been pretty scared of them ever since.
I was in my mid twenties when I eventually got more than the gold filling he put in my front tooth when I was 15 ,I had them crowned,but not the bottom ones which are pretty much like they were when I was 9 .They still dont cause pain which is the main thing and my dentist still sticks with the if they dont hurt we'll leave them route.Luckily they aren't very visible .Like most who had teeth issues my children had perfect teeth and I was religious about them my 33 year old still hasn't had a filling ,my 43 year old only had fillings after her 3rd pregnancy and she says she was told that happens a lot as the pregnancy leeches the calcium.

Like others on here, I remember awful experiences at the hands of a dentist in the 50s. Fillings galore with no pain relief. Absolute torture. They certainly wouldn't get away with that nowadays.

I can remember walking by myself from Primary school to the dentist, my Mum died when I was 3 and my Dad was at work, I can even remember the smell of the waiting area now. Like everyone else I think all my teeth were filled by the age of 12 or so.
All my life I have hated going to the dentist, and in later life I had extractions rather than constant bigger and bigger fillings. At least once they are out they can't hurt anymore.
I was so pleased that I got both my children to the age of 18 without a single filling and now in their 30s they have had very few problems with their teeth.

I’m still terrified of the dentist aged 64
Horrid pink Dentifrice, horrid loud drill, horrid smelling gas masks, horrid thick black goo stuff to make impressions out of being rammed in your mouth making you gag.
The only upside of 2020 was that I had to miss my annual check up. My current dentist is kind and gentle but I think that he is getting slightly fed up of me being so anxious after being his patient for 20 years!

A yes from me. Dentist ruined my teeth I never took my own children to the dentist unless absolutely necessary. Luckily they have good teeth.

In fact it's no better now. I lost a filling after having a replacement I left in pain and after a few trips back doing goodness knows what it finally settled down. To go in with no pain and came out with pain is a first for me.

I had quite a few fillings, but as someone else said, no fluoride back then, we had sugar in our tea and were allowed to eat quite a lot of sweets and drink sweet pop. Perhaps mum felt treats were deserved after the rationing of the war years. She also wasn’t very fussy about teeth cleaning.

We had an NHS dentist, but also had a school dentist who was horrible. A fat little man with a double barrelled surname. I dreaded getting a letter which said you needed treatment. but if I was ever given one, Mum said our own dentist would sort it. I imagined school would make me have it done with him!

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In a word, awful! I had to have several of my baby teeth extracted by the school dentist - well apparently he gave me too much gas and my mother was left frantic in the waiting room for ages because they couldn't revive me! I was left coughing up blood for several days afterwards.

We brushed our teeth every day. As far a sweet things were concerned we had puddings but, being poor, didn't have many sweets, and no 'pop'.

Yes I brushed my teeth every day, but sometimes a group of us used to walk home from primary school and spend our bus money on gobstoppers etc.

There was no fluoride in the toothpaste either.

It was b*** awful! Huge amalgam fillings that I probably didn’t even need, I think that happened to a lot of people.

I also had my wisdom teeth out in hospital when I was about 18, I think I was in there for about 4 days which seems a bit drastic for teeth, but my bleeding didn't clot very well afterwards.

I remember coming back to consciousness screaming after having gas - and the dentist gave me one of those round sug ar traffic light sucky lollies for 'being brave'. No wonder I had so many fillings!

Yes I don't remember hygienists either Terribull not until I was an adult.

Oh dear.

We brushed our teeth every day. As far a sweet things were concerned we had puddings but, being poor, didn't have many sweets, and no 'pop'.

We had regular checkups and I didn't have a filling until I was in my teens. I had two teeth out by gas (not at all nice) to make room for straightening them, but I've never had any fear of the dentist. I even had impacted wisdom teeth out under local anaesthetic in my 30s. Interesting but not scary.

Mind you, my poor sister wasn't quite so lucky, she had fillings with no anaesthetic. Ugh...

My mother was evangelical about dental appointments. I always seemed to be having fillings, a whole lot of drilling was always going on. Our dentist was called Dr Keiller, but I called him Dr Killer☹️

Never knew about hygienists till I was in my 20s. I imagine dentists themselves did all that.