Apparently, four shallow fillings for 10 years without a dental check-up isn't bad. I explained to my new dentist: "Sorry," I said, "I really hate the dentist".

Yes, he sighed, almost apologetically, "everyone hates the dentist".

Ten years ago I had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted in one sitting under local anaesthetic. It wasn't a particularly pleasant experience — one was impacted and the dentist literally had to dig it out of my jaw.

In the end, his wrenching action paid off and the tooth pinged out of my mouth, landing with a plop on my chest, much to my amusement.

"Keep still!" he shouted at me, making me laugh even more.

So that was the last time I went to the dentist … you can perhaps imagine why I didn't feel like going back.

So there I was, on my new dentist's chair, in his nice, shiny clinic, overlooking Dubai Marina. I sat back and took a look around. It's a bit different from my last check-up, I have to say.

Before I had my wisdom teeth out, the check-up prior to that must have been when I was around the age of 11 or 12 (some time ago now).

I remember visiting our NHS (National Health Service) dentist with my mother and siblings, being called in one by one for our annual free check-up. Apparently there are still some NHS dentists left in the UK, although I'm told they're a rare breed.

Looking for cavities

Our dentist (a Dracula lookalike) would lean over you in a medical mask, ask you to "open wide" then take out a rather nasty wire tool, with which he'd poke your teeth to see if there were any cavities.

An ominous plaster-cast set of teeth was used to illustrate what happens if you don't brush twice a day, although I could never imagine my teeth looking that bad, plus they had been drawn on by some naughty child with a felt-tip pen. They looked like they'd been taken out of a corpse.

After having your teeth spiked, a disgusting pink tablet was dissolved in a plastic cup for you to rinse your mouth. I never discovered what this was and I hope it doesn't exist any more, if only to save everyone's tastebuds.

Although I was only young, I always thought it was strange that we were all given a "billy brush says clean your teeth" hologram sticker for being good, as well as a sticky sugar lollipop. Surely pure sugar lollipops are bad for your teeth, I wondered.

I think it was these two experiences that put me off going back to the dentist — plus I haven't got any fillings or ever had toothache. Nevertheless, I thought a check-up would be a good idea. And I was dreading it.

So, back in the shiny clinic, with a Marina view, I met the dentist who looked like he'd just finished university.

I braced myself for the pain of having a spiky spike poked around in my mouth but to my shock had a TV monitor placed in front of me.

Wow, I thought, dentistry has gone hi-tech!

Digital pictures

Two minutes and no pain later, he showed me digital pictures of my four molar teeth that need fillings. How deep do the fillings need to be, I asked. Well, he replied, that can be tested under anaesthetic.

Wait, so there's no painful spiky spike!? I secretly rejoiced.

After a bit of unpleasant cleaning, I was then shown a 3D animation of how encroaching plaque can damage and kill your gums. All very serious. And very pain-free. So perhaps the dentist isn't so bad after all.

Maybe I'll look forward to my next check up — in another 10 years.