Dentists

[Captain Kong]

One of our firemen needed a Filling in his back teeth, he got some Thistlebond [ metal paste]out of the ER Stores and filled it himself, this Thistlebond is like steel and sets like steel. . I saw him agai three years later and he still had it in. no probs.
Cheers
Brian./

[David Bridgen]

That technique of distraction is quite well documented. You are the first person I have heard tell of the experience.

As far as I have read, dentistry is the only branch or surgery which uses it. I wonder how widespread it is?

[Raymond Witkowski]

while on a run to murmansk for iron ore had tooth ache went to dentists sitting 6 abreast with no russian language except ships agent translating i asked for the tooth to be taken out dentist decides to drill and fill a week later homeward bound get a taste in mouth like a dogs droppings on using a toothpick to investigate pulled a wad of cotton wool out the smell was worse than a fishmeal factory back in cardiff straight to dentists out it came with the comments what prat did this paided for by the company

[Bob MacIntyre]

I too sailed on the 'Athenic' but later on in 69. I remember losing a double filling from a bottom molar and being in agony walking the decks at all hours. I had a swollen left cheek that looked as if I'd got an orange stuck in it.
Anyway to cut a painful story short, as luck would have it we had on board an orthopaedic surgeon who'd been working in Auckland and was travelling back to the U.K. ( Edinburgh I think ). I went to see him this particular morning
and he cleaned the cavity out with a bit of fine fuse wire ( must have got it off one of the Lekkies ). I can feel it now just writing about it. He then got a piece of cotton wool dipped it in some resin and filled the cavity. Bloody genius
he was. The pain relief was almost instant. It did the trick. I managed with it for about 3 weeks till we got back to blighty and saw my local dentist to have it filled properly.

[Nigel Smith]

Never had a problem with my teeth during my time at sea but going slightly off topic (with apologies chaps), I was on a bulker loading soya beans just downstream from New Orleans (destined for Odessa). The deck was covered with these beans and it was like walking on marbles, anyway whilst trying to get to no.1 hatch the inevitable happened and I went ar$e over horlicks and landed on a bucket causing a lot of pain to my back and shoulder. The old man insisted I go to hospital to have it checked out, so within the hour the agent arrived and took me up to New Orleans.

I was met be a huge mama of a nurse (and I mean huge!), ok she said let me take some details. After the basics were given she asked what happened, I explained I slipped on the deck and landed on my back and was in pain. "What did you slip on?" I replied "soya beans", she then asked "were they big Soya beans or regular soya beans?" Not expecting that sort of question I replied "average size Soya beans" which seemed to satisfy her. Then she asked how I managed to fall, so I explained the situation again which partially satisfied her. The next question was about the bucket, what was it made of? was it a big one or a small one? By this time my fuse was getting shorter and I needed something for the pain.

I needn't have worried because she produced a huge bottle of painkillers and told me to take 2 immediately, which I did. At this point she told me the Doctor was on his way but might take a while, she then left me in the waiting room. I could see the agent waiting outside so as soon as it was safe I legged it out of the hospital and told the agent I would make my own way back to the ship. When he left I made my way to Bourbon Street as I decided there's more than one way to kill pain. Three hours later I arrived back at the ship with a bit of a glow and pain free, the old man said they did a good job at the hospital. The following day there were a few bruises but nothing to worry about.

[john sutton]

I went to the dentist once and he said to me"your teeth are OK but your gums will have to come out"

[Braid Anderson]

I got my bad ones out for free in the army. Problem was I was still spitting out bits of broken teeth a fortnight later, after the hammer and chisel job. That army dentist probably could have landed a job as a butcher in civy street.

[Rodney Mills]

My buddy next door had a deferment from the draft (Vietnam War days) while he finished dental school. As soon as he graduated he had to report to camp. As far as he knew he was a lieutenant , but upon checking in at the gate he found out he was a captain. So he thought that wasn't too bad for a start.

He reported to his commanding officer who told him as soon as he could, go to the camps photographer, and get photos for his I.D., pass, and security clearance.

He checks out his billet, the dental surgery and so forth, and heads over to the photographer, a young private. The private takes the photos and tells him that he has an appointment for some fillings in a couple of days and he'll bring the photos with him to save my buddy a trip.

The private shows up at the dental surgery some what sheepish. "I'm sorry Captain," he said as he sits in the dental chair, "but I screwed up and the photos didn't come out...I'm real sorry Captain, but I'll have to take them again...I wasn't a photographer before I got drafted."

"That's all right private, I know how it is...I wasn't a dentist until I got drafted last week."

Cheers, Rodney

[Richard Quartermaine]

I got my bad ones out for free in the army. Problem was I was still spitting out bits of broken teeth a fortnight later, after the hammer and chisel job. That army dentist probably could have landed a job as a butcher in civy street.

Braid, that hurts just reading it.
Richard

[john sutton]

I got my bad ones out for free in the army. Problem was I was still spitting out bits of broken teeth a fortnight later, after the hammer and chisel job. That army dentist probably could have landed a job as a butcher in civy street.

now I,m worried.i have an appointment next week with my dentist who was an army dentist before he moved to spain(he,s a scot)