European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 22, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Have no fear dentists done to bite a much Jeff Blair guest columnist a a a a lease done to take this personally a a j but i hate your guts a believe it or not in my line Al of work this is a greeting i receive More often than not. Most people done to mean me personally. At least i Hope they done to. They simply hate my profession. In a 1976 poll of randomly selected americans that asked a whom do you hate the most a i came in fourth preceded by Adolf Hitler Idi Amin and Richard m. Nixon. You see i am a dentist. A Long time ago while i was in school i realized i was setting myself up for a lifetime of being abhorred and feared by society. This fit right in with the dental school curriculum because the fifth most hated person in the 1976 poll was student dentists. After All imagine the apprehension one feels right before a dental appointment. At least there is a Little anxiety abatement in knowing the person you re about to have come at you with a v/2-Inch Long Harpoon and a Sharp Drill bit whizzing at 150,000 rpm has graduated from an institution of higher learning and is licensed somewhere. The Stout souls who Volunteer to be patients at dental schools have no such Comfort. I used to joke about that with patients trying to help alleviate some of their worry. One Day a lady came in to have a tooth extracted while i was working in the Oral surgery clinic and promptly told me How dentists always Quot scared her to  i replied that she  worry any longer because i Wasny to a dentist yet. In a Happy to report the paramedics did get her heart started again and that the Hospital was right across the Street from the dental school. The fear that people have of dentists is a powerful Force. Take my word for it a i see it at work every Day. Here is a transcript of a typical conversation with a sick Call patient. Doc a what can i do for you today a Joe a i have a Toothache and my jaw is  Doc a no kidding i thought you were siamese twins joined at the Mandible. How Long have you had this pain and swelling Quot Joe a about 6  Doc looking in the Mouth Quot yes i Sec a broken filling and some cavities. How Long has it been since you were last seen by a dentist a Joe a during the last ice age give or take a millcnium.�?�. I try to maintain a philosophical approach to these matters. From speaking to my patients Over the years i have determined that the old saying a one bad Apple does no to spoil the whole Bunche does not apply to dentists and the Way they arc viewed by their patients. Many of my adult patients Are still fearful because of something that happened to them in their childhood. Then again Many adults can be paralysed by two Dif Ferent sets of words a dentist May utter in their general direction a i think that tooth needs. Quot a. A Root canal. B. To be taken out. Either phrase guarantees a Sharp Rise in the blood pressure and heart rate of the patient. In a also convinced that Many people vicariously experience dentistry through their neighbor Best Friend fellow worker or even the stranger in the night. Just a few weeks ago i removed the Wisdom Teeth of a Young Soldier. All of the Teeth were a a impacted. Stuck under the Gums and unable to come in on their own requiring surgical removal and causing discomfort during Healing. He recently was in the waiting area of our clinic when another Young Soldier exited and stopped to make an appointment to have his wis Dom Teeth removed. This patient older and Wiser decided to Tell my new patient what he had gone through. 1 eavesdropped on their conversation from around a Corner glancing around occasionally so As not to be seen. I heard references to my foot and its being located firmly on his Chest during the procedure the smoke that exited his Mouth while i ground on the tooth with the Han piece my use of a a Rusty Drill and pliers a All accompanied by wild be stipulations of his arms and legs suggesting his painful struggle. This really made me angry. That Drill was definitely not Rusty. In All seriousness i got into dentistry because of my desire to relieve pain or at least control it. My Job would be so much easier if people would do a few simple things 1. Learn to recognize and use a Toothbrush the end with the bristles goes in the Mouth bristles toward the Teeth. 2. Learn to use and appreciate dental floss for its ability to clean the 40% of your Teeth surfaces a Brush can to get to. It makes a Good Kite string too. 3. Come in and get an exam every year so Teeth can be fixed before they become painful. 4. Done to listen to your friends neighbors or strangers about what the dentist does. Ask a dentist. Many of us Are quite lonely. Its a dirty Job but somebody has to do it. The War in Southwest Asia is Over but dentists fight a War every Day in the trenches our patients Call mouths., the War against tooth decay. Please do your part for the War Effort and help us do our jobs. Because for us Day in Day out its always the same old grind. We Are often Down in the Mouth but wed be much happier having a Little less pull in our communities. Capt. Jeff Blair is an army dentist with the 92nd medical Del in Budinger  in your column plus a photo of yourself to be our guest sunday Magazine the stars and stripes Apo 09211 or Postrach 11 14 37, d-6100 Darmstadt 11,  Ems from the cover.4-6 americans hit Europe a music Trail. Andy rooney.7 better ideas for inventions. Books and language 8-9 Hunter s. Thompson s a songs of the  Odds amp ends.10 Cindy Chambers misses both sides of the Atlantic. To plus .11 la Toya Jackson reveals an ugly past. Television listings .12-14 local Cable and satellite schedules. On the air.15 world leaders go to the camera. Home entertainment 16 a closet land Quot full of interrogation. Joe Bob briggs.17 a solaris Quot  weeks films 18-19 a the Fisher King has that sinking feeling. Complete cafes circuit  ads .20-23last laugh.24 Dave Barry dips into bean  is a weekly supplement of the stars and  editor Bucky Fox Art direction Susan p. Harris production Kelly Quinn Lisa Williams editorial assistance Marian Hamilton Louis Pierce la Toya Jackson sings a bitter Jackson tune. Page 11. A sunday september 22, 1991