Monday 7 April 2008

IT'S A PAIN

TOOTHFULLY !
.
There are few among us who relish a trip to the dentist and I am one of many procrastinating dental attendees, putting off that visit until pain gnaws away at tooth or gum ! My last dentist was fine in every respect except one - his breath stank. I can still vividly recall his heavy mouth-breaths blowing into my defenceless open mouth as he drilled a back molar. As I repeatedly gagged he kept reassuring me that it would only be another few minutes, guessing that my discomfort had all to do with his drilling. How wrong he was, as the problem was not in my mouth but his and each rasp of his halitoxic breath did nothing to indicate that this physician could heal himself.
So when I experienced that irritating first pang of pain at the back of my mouth about a fortnight ago I knew that a trip to dentist was imminent. A friend had recommended a lady surgeon that he had found satisfactory and pleasant and I arranged an appointment last Thursday. After an extensive x-ray taking a panoramic view of my ivories I found myself in the dentists chair as she examined my teeth. I basked in the sweet-breathed wafts of feminine fragrance that seemed to puff on my face and immediately realised that my previous bad experience was well and truly behind me. When she told me that she would have to extract the offending tooth, becalmed by all the freshness and light I demurely nodded and let the procedure commence.
After the local anaesthetic had kicked in the tooth was whisked out in a minute without any discomfort. I was feeling rather chuffed leaving the surgery with the cause of my discomfort now once and for all removed. I realised that after the anaesthetic wore off there would be some pain and had painkillers at the ready for this eventuality. However when by Saturday the pain seemed to be intensifying I went to a G.P. who confirmed that I had picked up an infection and prescribed a double dose of antibiotics and more painkillers. My dream-like visit to the fresh-breathed dentist had now turned into another nightmare and the initial cost had by now quadrupled. In the light of all this my deep deep reservations about the dental profession continues, and I am faced with a return visit to ensure that she hasn’t left anything behind that might be causing the ongoing infection. People say there is nothing worse than a pain in your tooth, I know this to be untrue having experienced far more excruciating pain without the tooth than before! Is there a moral to my tale…not really, like most of the events in our lives these things just happen.But why oh why do they happen to me ?
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Gerard O'Shea

4 comments:

Tony said...

hope you are on the way to recovery.

Anonymous said...

Hope you feel better soon.

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Anonymous said...

The Dentist, that explains it!!!!