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From my experiences, dentists are very... happy people.
Even when they start asking questions, I usually just respond as little as I can get away with. XD;; I feel like talking while you're working on someone's body is kind of rude, because you're taking the concentration off what you're supposed to be doing. Not to mention, it bugs me when people expect everyone to always want to talk, and they feel the need to drag the more silent types into their loud, obnoxious world.

I'm too lazy to go back to the beginning and find out what this "thing" is...the title honestly isn't giving it away.

So guess I'll just respond to the two things on this page, dated almost a year apart.

@Kits - I find cleaning teeth to be something I can do on autopilot, and I clean mine twice a day. I have a feeling that someone who cleans teeth about 15 - 30 times a day, with a better view of the target on top of that, can totally give 100% and hold a conversation. Or maybe all dentists/hygienists are AMAZING multi-taskers. I nonetheless don't find the conversation rude.

I find it awkward to talk with stuff in my mouth, but mostly because I see these people twice a year, like these people, and really want to talk to them. But obviously there is minimal amounts of times I can say stuff, and that's frustrating. However my dental people tend to just want to talk about me, and my life, so that might be why I'm so inclined to talk. I mean when you only see people twice a year, you always have an update - it's usually even interesting. So I hate when I don't get to share everything.

Unlike hairdressers - who just gossip a lot mainly - medical professionals tend to be just that, professional. At least that's been my experience. They talk to me about education, college experiences (not in relation to the drunken, in relation to the academic/travel/networking/etc), reading - tons and tons about reading. They give me recommendations. I rather adore it. I also like when they tell me stories, giving me time to respond with things like rinse, equipment change, etc. I think I'd feel very awkward just being stared at for 20 minutes to an hour (depending on what I'm sitting through).

@Morgey - Aww, that is nice, where does your family live? I guess for some reason I just assumed you were from Brum, now I'm starting to realize that duh you might just be there for school. I mean I did my bachelors in my home country, but not exactly within walking distance of my home city. I got my official posted confirmation of my acceptance from the University of Birmingham yesterday. Assuming I get my visa, I'm really going come Fall! *kinda scared*

Good luck with your exam! ((though you'll probably have taken it before you see it)) Is this the one you were worrying about whether or not you should take it? Or does that one come later? Regardless I hope you do very well.

Oh well I've had my dentist since I've had teeth. My relationship with my dentist is one of the longest in my life. I fully believe in the importance of dental care, and when he retires (which hopefully won't be for another few decades at least) I will of course get another dentist. However this is one relationship I have no desire to replace, and I will probably forgo my half year check up for the first time in my life when I move next year. Waiting until I come home to go back to MY dentist.

My doctor I haven't known as long, but she is my mother's friend, there are also some other connections in relation to her and my mother (and my doctor's other family members) both being in the health field as well.

So I guess I just really trust these people, and that's how I'd feel about any health care worker. I wouldn't go to someone I couldn't trust, someone I could tell everything, because it's important to not hold back in relation to medicine (again the whole medical family is probably why I take these things to be so important, their values are definitely mine). So if I'm going to be telling them the nitty-gritty anyhow, I just feel like it's kind of silly to be embarrassed or secretive around them.

And yea, I am interested in learning about them, I want to know the people I'm trusting with my life and health. It reaffirms that yes, I think these are good, educated, intelligent people that I trust not to kill me. I could never think of my "doctor" or "dentist" or the people who work on me as perfect strangers, I wouldn't trust a perfect stranger, and I NEED to trust these people. These are the people who CAN save my life.

I only went to a hairdresser once or twice though I think, I'm not big on other people doing my hair. The last several times I've had it cut it's either been my mom, or even myself. I have curly hair so I can get away with that. I had a bad experience with nails and haven't gone since. With these people yea, I definitely don't want to tell them about me, however I don't mind knowing about them. I mean I'm a writer, I'm a poet. I thrive off of other people. They are all fuel and inspiration, even weird random strangers. I think they are odd and gossipy, but I don't mind them talking if they want to talk. Generally these people don't talk to me anyhow they talk to each other. And that's just great. I mean I HATE having to sit still. So at least it's nice to have story time. I love to daydream but I have a hard time doing so when I'm being held in place. It helps to have them gossip until I get lost in thought.

As for the touching, I guess I like that. I often feel isolated, disconnected and emotionally stunted. I intimidate people and they don't touch me. I watch my friends and they are much more comfortable touching each other then me. For this reason, I guess I'm actually weirdly comfortable with being touched. Contact is something I feel starved of, so people who touch me generally don't make me feel awkward. Especially in one of these capacities. To be fair though, it takes a lot to make me uncomfortable. I thrive on discomfort, I find it utterly fascinating. But I guess for this reason, it also takes a lot to make me discomforted. I spend so much time thinking about how silly it is to feel uncomfortable with things, I thus can't feel uncomfortable myself. I can rationalize discomfort away...not sure how I feel about that though. Whatever.

Yea, my family always made our insurance work to have the people we know and trust. Though dental is so hard to get I'm not covered anymore anyhow. My dentist is expensive but I'm jumping through hoops trying not to get cavities, and just paying for cleanings twice a year. If I did ever have to change I'd still probably try and get to know them, I mean I like talking to new people, and I like rambling on about inane things. I mean I wouldn't necessarily want to talk about personal things - but I don't think school or the basic family stuff (college my brother is at, how are my parents - fine, etc) counts as personal. Besides I coach a swim team, I have 80+ parents asking me what I'm doing anyhow. I work as a substitute, so I have over a dozen office workers I just met (and probably will only see a half dozen or so times in a month or two - at the very most) asking me these things whenever I work with them. I'm just used to people asking about these things. I don't find them personal, I just find them "being friendly."

Although yes, if it made you uncomfortable I can't imagine someone prying. I don't know, maybe you aren't as transparent as you think you are? I guess just whenever you are at a doctor or somewhere just say - in as friendly a way as you can - that you don't really like to talk about yourself. If they really keep pushing it after that, then you probably don't want to see that person anyhow. I just think most patients prefer the talk. Medicine makes people nervous, and in general patients would rather prattle on about school then think about OMG I NEED A ROOT CANAL - OMG THERE IS A LUMP IN MY THROAT - OMG WHY IS HE FROWNING LIKE THAT WHEN HE LOOKS AT MY CHART?!? It's supposed to put people at ease but if it doesn't, tell them you don't want to talk, or you are tired, or whatever. I mean don't worry about being rude, most people would probably appreciate knowing that you are uncomfortable then make you uncomfortable. Especially people who went into the business of trying to make people feel better. I mean watch medical shows. They always show patients wanting to talk, feeling sad and dejected about being ignored by their doctors. In the end they always feel better when somebody cares about them. So most medical workers probably just consider it part of their job to try and care. And the easiest way to care about someone is to know at least on a surface level who they are. But if you don't want to be cared about in that way, you should definitely let them know that you are the patient they can just ignore (you know, on a personal level, not a medical one, hehehe).

I don't get claustrophobic from being too close, but maybe a little bit from being around too many. I'd rather have one person sitting in my lap then be centered in a crowd of 200, even if they aren't brushing against me in any way. Although if I didn't know the person it might be weird having them in my lap...o_O...hehe. Honestly though, if they didn't smell too bad and seemed nice enough I'd probably be ok with it. If they were really attractive on top of that I'd definitely be ok with it. wink

Me too! I have soft teeth so I have special mouth wash, floss, toothpaste, use a tongue scraper, and make sure to do these things at least twice a day. I finally cut my love - soda - out of my diet (gave it up for 6 months and now allow myself maybe one pepsi a month now, and maybe a few other times if I'm at a party and it's hard to avoid) because carbonation completely wears down your teeth (sugar is bad, but carbonation is even worse - and soda combines the two). Whereas I have friends/family who don't even brush and they are good to go. But yes, my teeth are straight and I've never had braces. Small blessings.

Well, you give a one-word answer to a dentist they just assume it's because your mouth is busy. As for "uninterested," you may think you sound uninterested, but like you said, these are strangers. They don't know you. For all you know that is your absolutely and utterly excited voice. Or they assume you are shy. People probably aren't trying to be rude or make you uncomfortable, but if you don't tell them they don't know you want them to shut up.

Haha, I totally don't mind my friends in my lap...a stranger might be really weird though, that was a bit of an exaggeration. Although hmm....random attractive person...I don't get many attractive people who want to sit in my lap, I might just keep sitting there... ninja

Yea, I found it gross doing it at first because blech, but yea thinking about it you really need to clean your tongue. It's just kinda gross to say, and kinda gross to have a tongue scraper, even if I do boil it everyday after use. Hooray tongue scraping club! xd

I know, I lost like 5 - 10 pounds since giving it up. I didn't necessarily need to lose the weight, but I feel much better being back down around 120. Being biracial and having SO many different builds and makes in my family makes it hard to anticipate where I'm going to end up, thus far I look like and am built like and grow like nobody in my immediate family I can observe. So I really hope I don't have weight control problems as I age, but I just can't know what I'm genetically predisposed to, since there are so many different things to chose from. I guess I just need to make sure I have will power just in case.

College actually made me cut down, mostly because I moved away for school and didn't want to buy it myself. Next year will make it even easier. I've had European models of soda - they fail! Inferior inferior inferior! So between not wanting to pay the pounds/euros for it, and it being gross, resistance should get easier. I tend to drink more when I'm at home because it's just here. My dad buys it case after case.

Hahaha, now I'm curious, I'm imagining like a Munster voice now and people thinking oh man you sound cheery. Like the fanart you did of that scary looking guy. You don't realize just how excited you make the people around you, hehe. I wish so too sometimes, and then I don't. Part of life's intrigue and mysteries are in it's complexities. And as pain in the a** as they can be, I wouldn't want to give them up.

Hahaha, I would love to see a random stranger come sit on you, I can totally envision the complete body tension that takes over. I'm guessing you are one person who - if you ever decide to entertain that crazy marriage nonsense - won't be ordering strippers for your bachelorette party. wink

Just fyi, my friend did that - BORING! I'm all about getting smexy men to dance for me, but if I wasn't I'd totally forgo the bachelorette party. Sitting around in small groups of people who know each other eating snacks and making idle chat - under the guise of something well stereotyped as manic last hurrah - kinda sad.

I know!! But yea, I was too busy being disgusted to be fascinated, but I guess in retrospect it is surprising.

Yea, that sucks. Not eating for a day is bad, it screws with your metabolism which makes weight control even harder. It's better to eat smaller portions several times a day. Even if you aren't hungry eating a piece of fruit, yogurt, or something light and small is probably best.

Ahh, yea going out with my friends also makes me less likely to drink soda. We all order the free water, because we are cheap like that. Unless we went out for alcohol drinks, but I don't do that too often because I don't like to spend the money.

Yaaaaaaay...I'm disturbing! xd

I know! They like pinned penises on this poster of Brad Pitt (actually it was a Mr. and Mrs. Smith poster, so Angelina got a few penises too), it was the most retarded thing ever. If you are going out of your way to not have strippers, then let the p***s go. I totally want a bachelorette party - a good one, get pretty smexy men to come dance for me? Yes yes. What I'm dropping is the bridal shower, I think that's retarded. It's just an extra gift party, that's lame! I don't want extra gifts, I don't even think I want gifts. I mean they always get you kitchen and bath things, and I'm OCD. I don't want anyone to pick kitchen and bath things for me, and registry means I have to know in advance. Plus what if I don't get everything? I mean I need to do my entire kitchen and bath(s) at once! So it can all match and be to my specific OCD needs!! No, wedding presents would not be desirable at all. Unless they want to write me letters and give me pictures...and collages. That would be awesome. It's what I wanted for my college graduation but only about 7 or 8 people did it for me. *sad face*

Haha, that's what I do...and it IS dirty. Filthy tongue...^_~

Yea it does, and yea if it's an often thing that's definitely something wrong with your health, if you can't keep anything down. That's just not normal. So hopefully it is a very rare occurrence.

Haha, I do that too, but it is for me how much I want to spend and if I want a drink as well. If I don't care how much I'm spending, and I really want something to drink I'm getting what I want (be it a milkshake, a margarita or whatever). If I don't want to spend the money I'll just stick with water regardless. If I don't care about spending, but am not all that inclined in regards to drink, and all my friends stick with water, I will stick with water. In general I like to not spend too much money, and so I usually stick with water - as do most of my friends.

Haha, best laid plans. But yea, that was all hypothetical of course, I don't know what I plan, and I definitely know better then to make plans that potentially involve other people. So we'll see. I definitely can't say I fan gimmick props and toys. If I didn't want strippers (but I so do, but if I didn't!) then it'd just be out for drinks and dinner. No silly weird games at home.