Another common horror story is dealing with difficult patients. There was a student who had a patient with a very strong gag reflex. Every time the student tried to take an impression of the teeth, the patient would gag violently. It made the procedure almost impossible to complete and was a very frustrating experience for the student.
Probably the most common is the fear of hurting patients. Dental students are still learning, and they might accidentally cause pain during procedures like root canals or extractions. For example, I knew a student who gave a patient too much anesthesia in a nerve - block, which made the patient's face numb for a long time, causing distress.
Equipment problems are also quite common in dental school horror stories. One time, a dental chair suddenly stopped working while a patient was in a reclined position. The student couldn't adjust it back up, and it took the technicians a while to fix it. Meanwhile, the patient was very uncomfortable and the student was worried about how it would affect the patient's perception of the dental visit.
A common one is when the dental associate accidentally drops a tool in the patient's mouth during a procedure. It's not only a shock but can also cause injury.
I've known of a situation where a dental hygienist accidentally dropped a tool into the patient's mouth during the cleaning. It was a small instrument but it still startled the patient and could have potentially caused an injury.
One common one is the pain during procedures. Like when people get cavities filled and the anesthetic doesn't work well. Another is dentists being rough. For example, when they handle your gums too harshly while doing cleanings. And then there's the fear of getting bad news like needing a lot of expensive work or having to get a tooth pulled.
A dental school horror story involved a malfunctioning dental drill. It suddenly sped up uncontrollably while a student was working on a patient's cavity. The high - pitched noise and the fear of it causing harm to the patient were terrifying. Fortunately, the student managed to turn it off quickly, but the patient was understandably very distressed, and the student was extremely worried about potential legal consequences.
One common one is not changing the toothbrush often enough. Bacteria build up on an old toothbrush and can re - infect your mouth. Another is using teeth - whitening products too much and getting chemical burns on the gums.
One common horror story is about sterilization issues. For example, a dental assistant might forget to properly sterilize a tool. If this happens, there's a risk of infection for the patients. It's a very serious matter in the dental field.
Poor hygiene is a common one. In some stories, the dental tools are not properly sterilized, which can lead to infections. For example, a patient might get a gum infection after a routine cleaning just because the tools were dirty.
One common theme is misdiagnosis. Dentists might misdiagnose a tooth problem, like thinking it's just a cavity when it's actually a more serious issue like a cracked tooth. Another is poor dental work. For example, fillings that don't fit properly or crowns that are made wrong.
A common one is extreme pain during and after the surgery. Some people have reported that the painkillers they were given didn't work well. Another is when dentists make mistakes like leaving a piece of equipment in the mouth. For example, a small fragment of a drill bit. It can cause all sorts of problems later.
I think they are more isolated incidents. There are many great dental clinics in Thailand with highly trained dentists. However, like in any country, there might be a few bad apples that give the whole industry a bad name.