A trip to the dentist

[Godber]

As a kid growing up through the 1970s, whenever the dreaded trip to the dentist was due I was always taken to a practice on Springfield Road in Kings Heath, opposite the big, red church. That long walk up Poplar Road felt like climbing the steps to the guillotine. While sitting in the waiting room, the sound of a distant dentist drill was always accompanied by the sickly music of Mantovani, played at a barely audible level. That music still makes me nervous to this day. I always saw the same dentist, a doctor D V Harry who from memory looked like a cross between Elvis Costello and Jerry Lewis. At the end of each visit, which frequently involved the use of said drill or even an extraction (I blame the Cresta pop I used to drink) he always asked if I would “like a ride up and down in the chair?” No thank you, I wanted me and my swollen gob out of there, pronto.
All these memories came flooding back after a visit to the dentist I made last week which turned out to be a bit of a shocker, made worse because the filling has just dropped out!

 

[pjmburns]

There istill a dentist on the corner opposite the church. Facing the school.

 

[mw0njm.]

i need a trip to the dentisti have a broken tooth but i aint got one.they kicked me off the books for not going for 2 years

 

[johnny082]

My wife had a problem with a tooth last week and phoned the dentist she used to go to. She hadn't been since before lock-down and thought they may have knocked her off, but no still on, so went last Thursday and had extraction. Now has to go for extension to her present denture. seeing her one day for impression, and then next day for collection. We were amazed.

 

[superdad3]

As a kid growing up through the 1970s, whenever the dreaded trip to the dentist was due I was always taken to a practice on Springfield Road in Kings Heath, opposite the big, red church. That long walk up Poplar Road felt like climbing the steps to the guillotine. While sitting in the waiting room, the sound of a distant dentist drill was always accompanied by the sickly music of Mantovani, played at a barely audible level. That music still makes me nervous to this day. I always saw the same dentist, a doctor D V Harry who from memory looked like a cross between Elvis Costello and Jerry Lewis. At the end of each visit, which frequently involved the use of said drill or even an extraction (I blame the Cresta pop I used to drink) he always asked if I would “like a ride up and down in the chair?” No thank you, I wanted me and my swollen gob out of there, pronto.
All these memories came flooding back after a visit to the dentist I made last week which turned out to be a bit of a shocker, made worse because the filling has just dropped out!

Goodness me! Remember the practice well around the same time. "Harry the Hurryer" as he was known to us - operated between two rooms. Inject a patient in one & rush off to the other to deal with an already prepared patient. Went with tooth ache & he took the wrong tooth out. Had to return next day for another extraction. Never went back.

At least in those days, you could easily change to another NHS dentist - not like now. After covid we needed to change dentists as our old one had left & the nearest one we could find that was taking new NHS patients was miles away in Walkers Heath. Quite a trip from Moseley but turned out OK. New dentist is brilliant & has almost cured my fear of dentists.

 

[Godber]

There istill a dentist on the corner opposite the church. Facing the school.

Thank you, Janice, I’ve just looked on Google Earth and you’re right, there is. However I don’t remember it being right at the end of the road but a few doors down, my memory’s probably failed me there.

Goodness me! Remember the practice well around the same time. "Harry the Hurryer" as he was known to us - operated between two rooms. Inject a patient in one & rush off to the other to deal with an already prepared patient. Went with tooth ache & he took the wrong tooth out. Had to return next day for another extraction. Never went back.

At least in those days, you could easily change to another NHS dentist - not like now. After covid we needed to change dentists as our old one had left & the nearest one we could find that was taking new NHS patients was miles away in Walkers Heath. Quite a trip from Moseley but turned out OK. New dentist is brilliant & has almost cured my fear of dentists.

Yes, I remember him doing that, like spinning plates! I was unfortunate enough to undergo a couple of extractions as a youngster and was given gas for a general anaesthetic the first time. This made me very unwell indeed and I was violently sick, it took me a considerable amount of time to recover. The next time I had to have a tooth out, my mother explained what had happened previously and pointed out that I must not be given gas and we were assure this wouldn’t happen. Lo and behold, as I lay in the chair the mask was placed over my face and gas was administered. My last thoughts as I went under were “I shouldn’t be having g……” The result was the same and my mother went crackers!