I've had numerous bad experiences with dentistry, and have always been terrified of "the dentist'. When I was a kid (I remember I still needed a "booster seat"), A dentist tried to pull a tooth that he said wouldn't hurt, without any pain killers. It hurt so badly that I threw up all over the place, and felt extremely sick for days. My mom never took me back to that dentist. IIRC, his license was revoked shortly thereafter.
The "regular dentist" that I had as a child (after the above incident) through age 18, is an asshole. A complete, and utter, asshole. I understand dentists and their assistants telling you that you aren't flossing well enough, whatever... that fucker always made me feel like he was a Judge, and each time he was sentencing me to life in prison. I haven't been to any dentist since this one -- last time was when I was 19 or 20, I think. Since that time, I've learned that he has exceptionally shitty business practices that he conducts aside from dentistry, which have directly negatively impacted my current employer. I simply won't go back to that guy. Ever. Again. Period. And yes, if his name ever comes up, I'll bitch about him as loudly and violently as possible. I'd love nothing more than for him to be forced out of all of his businesses, and he and his family be homeless.
Oh, and the orthodontist that I had when I was in my early teens. That's another fucker that I'd love to see go out of business. Or cause his own death. Or something of that nature. It took all of my strength just to deal with the usual orthodontic work... and then he decided to pull a few teeth without drugging me or doing anything else for me to deal with the pain. It hurt. Like hell. For days.
In short, I've never _EVER_ had a pleasant dental experience. I don't think that my requirements for a good dental professional are that difficult. 1) Don't scold me. I don't care if you make me sign and have notarized a legal document telling me to floss, by penalty of death. But if you scold me, I'll do everything in my power to destroy your business. 2) I want to be put under/to-sleep/whatever for _EVERYTHING_. I don't care if I costs me 11tyB per visit, and I don't care if it has to be done at a hospital or where. I want to be OUT.