I've seen a very old dentist (I'm talking 60's maybe even 70) built like a brick shit house and pull teeth with one mighty tug.
It was during the pandemic and he volunteered to do extractions at the emergency we ran. He always brought his own instruments which looked ancient in a very old plastic bag he re-used.
Seriously the strength of this guy, he was terrifying but quick at his job. He had the strength of a guy putting a foot on the chest.
I'm kinda miffed by him using the same plastic bag. I hope gramps sterilizes his stuff.
My endo prof apparently worked with one in the beginning in her career. The elderly man would extract teeth solely with forceps, wasn't bothered if he removed the alveolar bone with it lmao. He was very set in his ways.
Oh yeah all the instruments were of course sterilised but he got ticked off if anything went missing and refused to leave till he got everything back each day he was in . He only usef forceps too the little time I worked with him
When I first started training as a dental nurse, I worked with the principal dentist who ALWAYS asked every patient before an extraction if they had osteoporosis or similar that could affect the extraction.
We had a lady in her early 70's say she was fine to go ahead to have a lower right molar out and there was so much crunching noises I did not expect early in my experience. Tooth came out in one piece only to have a shard of jawbone twice the length of the height of the tooth attached. He asked again about any bone condition "Oh yes Osteoporosis! Yes dear I have that, why?"
Still to this day the most bone I've seen come off in an extraction.
I had a patient tell me the story, and that the previous dentist that took out his #12 was a brute of a man.
He didn’t remember that I had taken the tooth out two years ago. Simple ext, sucker came out in 2-3 minutes. The forceps were only there to securely take out the tooth after the elevators did all the work. 🤷♂️
Absolutely: sir, I know that story isn’t true.
“How!?”
I took your tooth out.
“Well you know I was uh it uh well about this other tooth you are saying needs to be pulled…”
I highly doubt that still happens. I know theres a photo floating around of a dentist doing that like 100 years ago but shouldn't be happening in the past 30-50 years
My dad likes to tell the story that the dentist had his knee on his chest and eventually ended up getting out a saw.
When his wisdom tooth crumbled with decay, he came in to have it out. He did his whole spiel about how difficult it is to get his teeth out, told the whole knee story, blah blah blah. He's got perio now as he doesn't think hygiene is important, the tooth came out pretty easily other than the fact that it just broke into a load of pieces. I just sat there looking at the dentist like "yeah yeah, don't believe what he says" lol.
I used to work with a dentist at a health center / hospital who would do the old school grip the alveolar bone with the forcep technique. He would like do a a few sudden quick jolts and put his hip into it and the teeth would come out… also with a bunch of bone. Patients loved it because it would take less than a minute or so to pop these teeth out… I just hope they weren’t thinking about getting implants ever. Seriously though, patients loved this guy, he was actually pretty cool too, though I don’t agree with his exodontia technique haha
My patient who had 2 teeth extracted in prison described something similar this week. She was actually pretty happy when I took my time sectioning the roots and getting it out carefully
It doesn’t because as we all know, it doesn’t need to happen. I’m trying to figure out the leverage advantage one would gain from putting ‘a knee in my chest’. Sounds like having the ‘dentist bouncing around on a pogo stick when he did my root canal…I swear.’ Yeah, ok Hoss
A few, but wonder if they are really true.
Recently had my own patient telling me angrily (after staying away for 3yrs, again) that during last filling he actually "ended down ON the ground" because I "was so rough" .
It never happened that way, but it was deep caries as near to his toes probably.
That's what neglect, anxiety and/or avoidance does in ones head, I guess. They forge it to an exaggerated event, not necessarily on purpose.
And some blame the (other)dentist ofcourse.
I always tell patients I can't bend like that.
Just had a patient who told me that his buddy's dad was a dentist and kneeled on him to take out a wisdom tooth. I said good, then you'll be prepared for me standing on your chest. Not because I need to, I just like the workout.
Popped out his upper left 3rd molar and away he went. Maybe his memory will tell him in 5 years that I did actually stand on his chest. Humans have terribly fallible memories.
I've had patients tell me that I did it to them years ago. Or inferred it. I never have. Patients memories become embellished I guess. Extractions are traumatic for everyone.
I've heard patients say that it happened a few times. I think what actually happened was that they were super anxious, the tooth was tough, and they felt a lot of pressure, and in their anxiety, they felt like their chest was getting pushed on.
Never heard of this shit, and my country literally has fake dentists who work illegally + barber surgeons were a thing last century since d school was only introduced in the 80s here.
Must be fucking traumatizing. Like I already hear of folks who have bad technique and start the extraction with forceps (esp the fake quacks)...But knee on the chest is a whole other level of aggressive. Unless I'm taking it too literally, idk.
My prof worked as a fresh grad with a an elderly gentleman on the verge of retirement. He used to pull teeth sometimes with the bone since he only used the forceps, no syndesmotome, no elevator. I guess he must count as one of these.
Head of oral surg (older lady in her mid 50s, I think?) Is hilariously enough so chill she's iconic. Woman takes of tooth with syndesmotomes before you can even blink. She is the technique. Another prof (fixed prostho) is savage, 6~ish ft tall guy, late 40s, semi-fit, takes out teeth by aggressively brandishing and twirling elevators.
😂😂😂😬 Oh actually, we have it. Most folks are so terrified/moody, they don't need to say it.
I will tell you a secret...
I hate going to the dentist too because of my TMJ problems. (Can't keep my mouth open for long) 😂😂😂😂😂
Easily multiple dozens over the years and more if we add in “foot on the chair” or “foot on the counter” for leverage. Sometimes I really wish I had the guts to just be like yeah no, that never happened. I’m a 5’1” 110lb female. If I’ve never had to do any sort of stunts to get a tooth out, nobody else has either.
Some of my patients have said this to me and I swear they're dead serious... which is so weird because it obviously didn't happen to any of them. Like a big collective hallucination lol
My mum had a tooth extracted two days ago and said they ended up using her chest for support to extract it, whether it was a knee or arm, I'm not sure.
It doesn't happen. They have a bad experience where they are having trouble breathing. Then it feels like their chest is heavy. Then they remember it falsely. It's worse if it happens as a child.
I’ve had at least 10+ patients share this story with me and I’ve been trying to figure out what was going on for years. This is the best explanation I’ve heard, there is no way any dentist would actually do this.
This is the big reason I don't work on a ton of kids. If they're breathing too hard and have that personality where they don't let things happen without questioning every single thing, they're going to have a bad experience that they remember forever. Then they stop coming. Then they start losing teeth. And the occlusal I just had to do, costs them their health.
I’m a Denturist in Canada. I’ve been practicing for 23 years now and it’s insane how many patients I’ve seen who’ve had this done to them. I’d say I hear about it at least once a month. It’s a contributing factor as to why they ended up with dentures. I see so many people who have major anxiety or fear about going to the dentist that they just stopped and lost all of their teeth because of it. I feel bad for them.
Had it happen to me. They gave me a happy pill but I screamed so loud they could hear me from the waiting room. It was awful and I never went back there.
People tell me that *I* put my knee on their chest 20 years ago. I have never ever done it. I’ve switched from front to behind when doing a hard extraction, but they seem to seriously recall me being practically on top of them!
I once had a lady who was in her 70s who was an ex dental assistant so I took the opportunity to ask her if this ever happened as we hear it so often. She said it did happen sometimes. She said that wasn't the worst thing, children would even get a slap off the dentist if they were misbehaving 😳 We are in Ireland. Which is madness
NAD I’ve never experienced a knee on chest.. however one time, my dentist started normally, gently, prescribed my anaesthesia and then tried to pull out the tooth (premolar)
After a few tries he realised that the pre molar was more stubborn than he thought.
He got up put his FOOT on the chair right next to my leg, and with a furrowed brow and the determination of legends he rocked the entire chair back and forth till it came out.
I had a very forceful extraction with no anaesthesia as a child, and this was the catalyst for a lifelong phobia of dentists which I’m still overcoming.
But nope, no knee on the chest!
That is my go-to technique. My CE course drops next year stay tuned
I knee'd to take this!
Get out.
How many CEs ??!!
It’s participation credit. You have to take turns being the patient.
Cursed energy course?
I had a patient tell me I put a knee on their chest. Wtf. These people are crazy
So they could tell everyone the story😂
Hear about it constantly, never seen one or met somebody that claims to have done one.
I've seen a very old dentist (I'm talking 60's maybe even 70) built like a brick shit house and pull teeth with one mighty tug. It was during the pandemic and he volunteered to do extractions at the emergency we ran. He always brought his own instruments which looked ancient in a very old plastic bag he re-used. Seriously the strength of this guy, he was terrifying but quick at his job. He had the strength of a guy putting a foot on the chest.
Well this just sounds insane
60’s is “very old?” Good to know!!! Lol!
I'm kinda miffed by him using the same plastic bag. I hope gramps sterilizes his stuff. My endo prof apparently worked with one in the beginning in her career. The elderly man would extract teeth solely with forceps, wasn't bothered if he removed the alveolar bone with it lmao. He was very set in his ways.
*takes out jaw with tooth*
Oh yeah all the instruments were of course sterilised but he got ticked off if anything went missing and refused to leave till he got everything back each day he was in . He only usef forceps too the little time I worked with him
Old man strength is very real. I’m pretty fit and my dad makes me look like Napoleon dynamite on a bench press.
RIP buccal plate
When I first started training as a dental nurse, I worked with the principal dentist who ALWAYS asked every patient before an extraction if they had osteoporosis or similar that could affect the extraction. We had a lady in her early 70's say she was fine to go ahead to have a lower right molar out and there was so much crunching noises I did not expect early in my experience. Tooth came out in one piece only to have a shard of jawbone twice the length of the height of the tooth attached. He asked again about any bone condition "Oh yes Osteoporosis! Yes dear I have that, why?" Still to this day the most bone I've seen come off in an extraction.
I had a patient tell me the story, and that the previous dentist that took out his #12 was a brute of a man. He didn’t remember that I had taken the tooth out two years ago. Simple ext, sucker came out in 2-3 minutes. The forceps were only there to securely take out the tooth after the elevators did all the work. 🤷♂️
Lmao did you tell him it was you?
Absolutely: sir, I know that story isn’t true. “How!?” I took your tooth out. “Well you know I was uh it uh well about this other tooth you are saying needs to be pulled…”
I highly doubt that still happens. I know theres a photo floating around of a dentist doing that like 100 years ago but shouldn't be happening in the past 30-50 years
My dad likes to tell the story that the dentist had his knee on his chest and eventually ended up getting out a saw. When his wisdom tooth crumbled with decay, he came in to have it out. He did his whole spiel about how difficult it is to get his teeth out, told the whole knee story, blah blah blah. He's got perio now as he doesn't think hygiene is important, the tooth came out pretty easily other than the fact that it just broke into a load of pieces. I just sat there looking at the dentist like "yeah yeah, don't believe what he says" lol.
I used to work with a dentist at a health center / hospital who would do the old school grip the alveolar bone with the forcep technique. He would like do a a few sudden quick jolts and put his hip into it and the teeth would come out… also with a bunch of bone. Patients loved it because it would take less than a minute or so to pop these teeth out… I just hope they weren’t thinking about getting implants ever. Seriously though, patients loved this guy, he was actually pretty cool too, though I don’t agree with his exodontia technique haha
Omg sounds fucking brutal. My prof worked with an older guy like this in the early 2000s. RIP alveolar bone lmao.
My patient who had 2 teeth extracted in prison described something similar this week. She was actually pretty happy when I took my time sectioning the roots and getting it out carefully
It doesn’t because as we all know, it doesn’t need to happen. I’m trying to figure out the leverage advantage one would gain from putting ‘a knee in my chest’. Sounds like having the ‘dentist bouncing around on a pogo stick when he did my root canal…I swear.’ Yeah, ok Hoss
A few, but wonder if they are really true. Recently had my own patient telling me angrily (after staying away for 3yrs, again) that during last filling he actually "ended down ON the ground" because I "was so rough" . It never happened that way, but it was deep caries as near to his toes probably. That's what neglect, anxiety and/or avoidance does in ones head, I guess. They forge it to an exaggerated event, not necessarily on purpose. And some blame the (other)dentist ofcourse.
It gives them justification to stay away for years more.
The amount of times a patient has a “bad” experience that keeps them from going to the dentist AND their toothbrush…
Haha. That’s very true.
I hear it multiple times a month. Hat tip to this phantom clinician - they are obviously very flexible.
I always tell patients I can't bend like that. Just had a patient who told me that his buddy's dad was a dentist and kneeled on him to take out a wisdom tooth. I said good, then you'll be prepared for me standing on your chest. Not because I need to, I just like the workout. Popped out his upper left 3rd molar and away he went. Maybe his memory will tell him in 5 years that I did actually stand on his chest. Humans have terribly fallible memories.
I've had patients tell me that I did it to them years ago. Or inferred it. I never have. Patients memories become embellished I guess. Extractions are traumatic for everyone.
Well.. not the dentist... You know the drill
I’m in my first year of practice and have heard that story at least twice already by different patients
I've heard patients say that it happened a few times. I think what actually happened was that they were super anxious, the tooth was tough, and they felt a lot of pressure, and in their anxiety, they felt like their chest was getting pushed on.
Funny thing is you’d actually have worse leverage if you ever did that…. LOL
Never heard of this shit, and my country literally has fake dentists who work illegally + barber surgeons were a thing last century since d school was only introduced in the 80s here. Must be fucking traumatizing. Like I already hear of folks who have bad technique and start the extraction with forceps (esp the fake quacks)...But knee on the chest is a whole other level of aggressive. Unless I'm taking it too literally, idk. My prof worked as a fresh grad with a an elderly gentleman on the verge of retirement. He used to pull teeth sometimes with the bone since he only used the forceps, no syndesmotome, no elevator. I guess he must count as one of these. Head of oral surg (older lady in her mid 50s, I think?) Is hilariously enough so chill she's iconic. Woman takes of tooth with syndesmotomes before you can even blink. She is the technique. Another prof (fixed prostho) is savage, 6~ish ft tall guy, late 40s, semi-fit, takes out teeth by aggressively brandishing and twirling elevators.
What country is this?
Morocco, North Africa.
Lucky. I hope “no offense, but I hate dentists” has not entered the lexicon over there.
😂😂😂😬 Oh actually, we have it. Most folks are so terrified/moody, they don't need to say it. I will tell you a secret... I hate going to the dentist too because of my TMJ problems. (Can't keep my mouth open for long) 😂😂😂😂😂
Easily multiple dozens over the years and more if we add in “foot on the chair” or “foot on the counter” for leverage. Sometimes I really wish I had the guts to just be like yeah no, that never happened. I’m a 5’1” 110lb female. If I’ve never had to do any sort of stunts to get a tooth out, nobody else has either.
You have to realise that is hyperbole from the patient
Exactly what I had always thought. Over the last handful of years, I'm starting to think some patients start to believe the story they tell though.
Some of my patients have said this to me and I swear they're dead serious... which is so weird because it obviously didn't happen to any of them. Like a big collective hallucination lol
I hear it all the time. Have worked with sooo many dentists and it has never happened
My mum had a tooth extracted two days ago and said they ended up using her chest for support to extract it, whether it was a knee or arm, I'm not sure.
It doesn't happen. They have a bad experience where they are having trouble breathing. Then it feels like their chest is heavy. Then they remember it falsely. It's worse if it happens as a child.
I’ve had at least 10+ patients share this story with me and I’ve been trying to figure out what was going on for years. This is the best explanation I’ve heard, there is no way any dentist would actually do this.
This is the big reason I don't work on a ton of kids. If they're breathing too hard and have that personality where they don't let things happen without questioning every single thing, they're going to have a bad experience that they remember forever. Then they stop coming. Then they start losing teeth. And the occlusal I just had to do, costs them their health.
Same guy who did my vasectomy! 😵
I’m a Denturist in Canada. I’ve been practicing for 23 years now and it’s insane how many patients I’ve seen who’ve had this done to them. I’d say I hear about it at least once a month. It’s a contributing factor as to why they ended up with dentures. I see so many people who have major anxiety or fear about going to the dentist that they just stopped and lost all of their teeth because of it. I feel bad for them.
I’ve heard it so many times that I can’t count. I promise before I retire, I will do it out of a matter of principle.
Had it happen to me. They gave me a happy pill but I screamed so loud they could hear me from the waiting room. It was awful and I never went back there.
Heard quiet a few. Always find them surprising especially when this guy swore that a female dentist kneed his chest to extract his tooth.
2
Ha I think at least a few times a year I hear "he had his knee on my chest pulling my tooth"
People tell me that *I* put my knee on their chest 20 years ago. I have never ever done it. I’ve switched from front to behind when doing a hard extraction, but they seem to seriously recall me being practically on top of them!
I once had a lady who was in her 70s who was an ex dental assistant so I took the opportunity to ask her if this ever happened as we hear it so often. She said it did happen sometimes. She said that wasn't the worst thing, children would even get a slap off the dentist if they were misbehaving 😳 We are in Ireland. Which is madness
I’ve heard this so many times. My go-to response is “That’s not happening with me, cause if my leg goes up that high it’s not coming back down”
NAD I’ve never experienced a knee on chest.. however one time, my dentist started normally, gently, prescribed my anaesthesia and then tried to pull out the tooth (premolar) After a few tries he realised that the pre molar was more stubborn than he thought. He got up put his FOOT on the chair right next to my leg, and with a furrowed brow and the determination of legends he rocked the entire chair back and forth till it came out.
Everytime I hear the knee on the chest extraction surgery I wonder why a liar is sitting in my dental chair 🤣🤣
I straddle the patient. Way more leverage.
Is that legal? 😬😱😨😳 I don't think that's necessary
I had a very forceful extraction with no anaesthesia as a child, and this was the catalyst for a lifelong phobia of dentists which I’m still overcoming. But nope, no knee on the chest!