What about dentists is so much better now??
Electronic health records
Cordless instruments save pain for the hygienist / dentist and angst of moving around a cord
Cavitrons reduce hygiene pain and do a better job of removing calculus
Invisiline gives a significant part of the population an option of not having metal mouth
Then there's better techniques, materials and various other things. Dental offices have changed quite a bit in the last 25 years.
Cosmetic treatments like Invisalign use (really cool!) 3d mapping techniques to create a treatment plan and track progress.
Fluoride treatments are now more effective (the brush on fluoride vs the tray that you's soak your teeth in for a few minutes).
The most important part is what the handheld ones are used through the procedure so the doc can see and correct their action in the process and you don't even need to get up.
They also used to take impressions at the dentist where they'd fill your mouth with some kind of goop in trays. Now they have cameras they can just move around your mouth and it stitches a model together.
I opted for my wisdom teeth to be taken out with local and don't regret it. The worst part is the recovery anyway, not the 20 minutes in the chair.
(I am guessing that if you have 10 root canals, you've gotten the short end of the stick genetically or through childhood.)