Riedlingen GERMANY My world includes both pleasant activities and chores that Must Be Done. The dentist is a chore. Jill, 61
Saylorsburg, PA USA I don't know if there's one bad memory in particular, but I hate going. Every time I have to go I almost cancel the appointment, but then I somehow force myself to go. When I get there I can hardly sit still and when I am done I can't run out of there fast enough! My hands get red from clenching them so hard while sitting in the chair. I just went, as a matter of fact, and I have a cavity (first one in like 15 years). So of course I have to go back soon to get it fixed. I've already informed my husband that he must be there to make sure I go! I'm nervous already!! Tracy, 24
Ocean City, NJ USA I think every one of my generation does. Jane, 62
West Linn, OR USA Yeah. The only dental work I've had done outside of wisdom teeth removal...removal of a baby tooth and its roots to get it out of the way of the adult tooth that needed to come in. I remember the needle prick for the novicaine shots. I remember rigidly gluing myself to the big chair thing. I remember cussing through a mouth full of blood and my mom just sort of glaring at me. Not sure how old I was, but I wasn't a teenager yet. Firelady, 24
Dallas, TX USA Nope, not really. Most of my dentist visits haven't been too scary. Angela, 18
Bella Vista, AR USA no Melodi, 19
Gahanna, OH USA Please. That's another whole talk show for me. My answer is an emphatic YES. Fisch, 46
Preston, CT USA Most of my unpleasant memories revolve around the orthodontist. Pounding metal bands around a person's molars is not a fun feeling. Felicia, 36
Lowell, MA USA Almost all my memories of going to the dentist are bad. There's a saying, "The brave man dies but once, the coward a thousand times." I've died a thousand times. Reba, 50+
Silver Spring, MD USA before i could get braces, i had to get 4 molars pulled. the 4th one didn't respond to the novacaine, no matter how many times they administered it to me. so they pulled it anyway. needless to say, i passed out from the pain. heh. that sucked. Jillian, 18
Indianapolis, IN USA only when i got seals put on my teeth. they stretch that green plastic thing on your mouth forcing you to drrol all over yourself and then they walk away from you so you are left to drool on yourself while people walk around and gawk at you. I have been fortunate enough to never have had a cavity or any drill work done. *crosses fingers* Nicole2, 20
FL USA At my age I have to have a lot of bad memories of dentist visits. It all started at age 17....... Laney
TX USA Actually, no. All my memories are fair to midland. I had a root canal done in the dentist's office instead of the oral surgeon, and it didn't hurt a bit. Hmmm. Guess I'm different. All my nasty memories are from going to Traffic Court. Nicci, 27
Las Vegas, NV USA Just getting my wizdom teeth yanked out and hearing the crunch crunch of breaking teeth... that wasn't so pleasant. Doug2, 29
Overland Park, KS USA Extremely bad memories. When I was a child I had several cavaties. The dentist I went to was not very fond of dealing with children. If you expressed pain or said something hurt, he just kept drilling. By the time you were in tears, he would be sighing heavily and telling me to just deal with it. I currently have a dentist that if you even flinch at something, he gives you more pain killers. I still hate going, but at least I know Triana, 29
Austin, TX USA The first dentist that we went to when I was a child did not use novacaine. I had to get eight fillings. I quickly learned the importance of brushing my teeth thoroughly. Surprisingly, that awful experience of the dentist didn't make me afraid. One of my sisters, however, still puts off the dentist until she has an emergency. Laura, 37
Lowell, MA USA I have about a thousand bad memories and they all involve being lectured. I'm paying them to clean my teeth, you'd think they could spare the berating. Man, if I brushed properly, would you have this much business? Keri-Jade, 21
Brampton, Ontario CANADA Growing up we could not afford a dentist. (this was before most companies offered a dental plan). So the first time I went I was 12 or so, my mother took my to this dentist that did not believe in novocaine. She took me because I had one eye tooth growing on top of the baby eye tooth. So this guy yanks it out without novocaine and proceeds to crack the tooth so now he has to dig into my mouth to get the rest of it out. It was killer. On top of this after he was done, he packed it in cotton gauze and my mother made me go to school Janet, 44
E. Brunswick, NJ USA When I was little once I threw up because I gagged on something. And one part of my gum is just naturally puffy. . .so the dentist, after years, decided that this bothered him. He gave me a shot to numb my gum but didn't give the drugs time to take hold, and he pulled my gum back between my teeth. That really hurt. And my gum just decided to swell back up again after a while. But mostly, I think my dental experiences have been about par for the course. Karen, 22
Ames, IA USA Nah. . . it doesn't really bother me that much. Eric, 19
Beverly Hills, CA USA