In preparation for the upcoming Chicago Midwinter Meeting (February 23-26, 2011), the Chicago Dental Society surveyed more than 300 members to find out the strangest dental requests they'd ever received from patients.
Here are their responses:
- "Can you extract my tooth without anesthesia?"
- "Please wire my mouth shut to aid in my diet."
- "Can you ID this set of dentures left in the bathroom of the bar I work at?"
- "I will pay you or your hygienist to floss my teeth at my office every day."
- "Pull all my teeth and just give me dentures."
- "I just broke off my engagement. Can you prepare my tooth so that I can keep the diamond in it?"
- "Will you give me local anesthesia in my lips? I'm going in for permanent "lipstick" tattoos on my lips and would like to avoid the pain."
- "May I have an emergency cleaning visit? It's my high school reunion and I need a bright, white smile to face my old boyfriend."
- "Can I keep the teeth you pull out of my mouth? I'd like to make a necklace out of them."
And the No. 1 strangest dental request ever received according to those dentists surveyed?
- "Can you give my dog braces?"
The survey also included examples of how patients attempt self-treatment. It found that nearly 70% of the dentists surveyed have taken care of a patient who tried to treat their own dental problem before visiting the dentist. The most common home treatment among patients, dentists said, is Super Glue for broken crowns and dentures.
Using an emery board to file chipped teeth or overusing topical painkillers, such as teething gels, to deaden pain also were common. Remarkably, several dentists had treated patients who attempted to give themselves a root canal using power tools.
