Category Archives: Dental

Her eastern european accent was thick.  Just had some extractions – going over the rules (ie:post-op instructions).  You know – no smoking for 24 hours; no alcoholic beverages, etc.

“Vat!  You’re joking, no?” 

Explanation follows of the reasons for the rules.   Silence.

“Just a leetle bit of vodka vould be ok, no?”

My left index finger had a very pointed encounter with a four year old’s teeth this morning.  Right at the first knuckle. You know those little creases that run across the knuckle from side to side?  I had a few extra little indentations right there for about an hour – not quite running in line with the other creases which shortly after the incident swelled out of existence. 

However, my finger seems to have recovered nicely now.  Only a small swollen spot remains.  And fortunately it was my left hand – just my mirror holding hand. 

Most frustrating thing about my work day was realizing that the wait to get kids done with sedation is presently as long as the wait to get a kid into the OR.  Sedation’s big advantage is now reduced to the safety of sedation vs a general anesthetic – that is safety for the children.  My fingers are safer when the kids are sleeping.  Oh yeah, sedation does have the very large advantage of providing a more smooth transition to having work done in the office without sedation at some time in the future for most kids.

OK, I admit that most of my posts lately have been a little heavy on the contemplative side.  Sometimes I get that way.  But my days are not usually spent in solemn contemplation and if I was really that “spiritual” I don’t suppose I’d be so …  Anyway, ask my kids just after I’ve blown up at them how “spiritual” they think I am.  But the routines of work and home don’t always give me a lot of exciting or stimulating stuff to talk about.  It’s just life.

Interesting day at work – soooo slow this afternoon.  How to endear yourself to your dentist (not!) – cancel out on a 90 minute appointment 30 minutes before!  And no, we did not have snow or any other natural disasters that would justify such a sudden cancellation. 

This am had a guy in that had really neglected his teeth – very nervous.  He was honest enough with us about that that we were able to plan some sedation.  I figure it is no shame to be afraid.  But it is sad to be unable to admit it and accept a little sedation to make it bearable and to therefore neglect needed work till it is hopeless.  So a little blue pill makes life a lot easier for this guy and his wisdom tooth fairly popped out anyway.  He left impressed.  Sometimes I love doing extractions – and then again – sometimes I hate them.

I got a call last night.  The emergency doctor needed help.  Some poor guy had had a tooth out and was back bleeding so badly they had already matched blood. 

Usually dental call means we have a lot of emergencies at the office during the week.  Sometimes, we see someone for trauma.  But, since most dentists don’t much appreciate getting out of their comfortable houses after hours, the docs have agreed to only call us for the real emergencies.  There is an emergency room physician on all the time so it does help cut down on the people who think that going to emergency after 5 is more convenient for their work schedule. 

I stopped by my office for a few tools.  Emergency has just about nothing to deal with any dental emergency.  Then headed up to the trauma room at the Vic. 

I walked in and there was blood everywhere!  No doubt that the guy had been bleeding badly enough to come in!  Brought in actually – for the second time that day – from our local federal penal facility.  So there was blood, an emerg room dr, guards, several nurses, and now me.  They offered me a cute little gown and gloves of course.  Were going to give me some glasses when I pointed out that I was wearing some and that this was no different than what I usually did in the office.  They didn’t offer a mask – that was a bit strange to me since I always wear a mask. 

But the dr had done a good job of stemming the tide.  A finger in the leaky dike works wonders to stop bleeding.

So I looked, froze him up and put in a couple more stitches where they seemed to have pulled loose, waited a while and then went home. 

Went home to cold pizza.

Every summer, we at the office, experience our own little invasion of Canadian greatness.  We lay claim to a hockey wife – yes a real NHLer’s wife – for the summer.  We’ve done this now for about four years, I guess.  It works great.  She gets a chance to practice dentistry and keep her skills honed, so to speak.  We, Roger and I,  get a chance to take some vacation time without having to close the office or slow down to a crawl. 

So here we are, Roger and I, about the least hockey minded of all people getting to know the family of a guy who actually was on the team that won the Stanley Cup a few years ago.  She really is a fun person to work with.  Very laid back.  And they have the cutest little girl.  This year they are going off to Germany – an NHLer no longer.  He is there.  She joins him in a couple of weeks.

This summer we went all out and had another hockey wife with us part time.  She is a dental assistant.  Today was my last day of working with them since I have tomorrow off.  She heads back down to Indiana soon.

Both have been great to work with.  Very fun people.  They have raised my opinion of hockey players.  Guys that have such great wives must be OK too.  Even if they are hockey players. -:)

Just seemed so weird.  There were so many patients that didn’t show up.  It’s not like the weather was bad or anything.  And we have been unable to book in more patients for about a week since I have been so booked up.  Then all these no shows out of the blue, leaving me with great holes in my schedule.

And then a bunch of weird patients.  One wanting to know if the valium her physician prescribed shouldn’t be “knocking her out completely”.  She was already out of it enough in my opinion.  My assistants would have had to carry her in if she had taken any more. 

Then a family that I find hard to like.  All of them hanging around the operatory as if the child is having major surgery.  Just cementing a spacer that they finally have gotten around to bringing him in for.  Maybe their solicitousness is directly proportional to their lack of taking real care of him.  Or their own fear.  Or their trying to make up for their lack of parenting skills – he is very spoiled and wimpy! 

Or maybe I am just a grouch today and this is all just my distorted view of the world today.  Just found out that I am on call this week too.  That explains all the emergencies that were fit in to the spaces left by the cancellations.

Anyway, sometimes I have these days when I just get a bit disgusted with the patients.  They demand too much.  Especially those emergency patients who do not look after themselves and who are having an emergency because they didn’t come months or years ago when the problem started.  I can’t repair all the damage they have done to themselves.  So I find myself getting arrogant and impatient.  A dentist should not get impatient!  Usually I have a pretty good feel for what is what is happening when I am extracting a tooth.  But get impatient and I don’t take the time to “feel” what the tooth is telling me about itself.  Today I did that – and snap!  There went that root.  I ended up spending extra time on that one – mostly due to my own impatience.

It looks as if we are going to have some more changes at our office.  My assistant is going to be moving.  Her husband accepted a transfer – which is great for them, they will move closer to family and he gets more of a management job.  But for me the change will be huge.  She has been my assistant for over 6 years.  And she is a good assistant and has special skills in orthodontic assisting that I need. 

So anyone know of a dental assistant who is looking to work for the worlds greatest boss?  Ortho assisting would be a great asset.  Oh – yes, a sense of humor and a willingness to work hard would be useful too.

Yesterday we were looking through my schedule at the office.  Checking what date we should set as the last day for booking certain procedures – like crowns.  These have an associated second appointment that has to be completed before I leave for the Congo.  I don’t want to leave anyone in a temporary crown for a month while I’m away.  The fact that Monday is going to be my last day for crowns – four of them that day – makes me realize how soon I’ll be leaving.

So today we had one of our favourite patients in for his crown. 

Today’s patient is a favourite since he makes us all laugh.  He is getting married in July and going into nursing in the fall. I hope he carries his sense of humour with him.  Laughter may make people with stitches hurt but others it just may heal.  Meanwhile, he is assisting one of the local veterinarians. 

“I pulled four teeth yesterday,” he says.  “And today I do some more dentistry.” 

“More teeth to pull?” we asked.

“Don’t know,” he replied (through the mouthful of cotton rolls, etc.). “Never know till they are under.”

At least most of our patients can be examined awake and most don’t bite.

“Is this going to hurt?” 

Not a bit”

Are you sure?”

Yup.  If you are quiet long enough to get the freezing done!”

Left him for a few minutes while the retraction cord did it’s work.  He wanted to know if he could join us downstairs for coffee!

So, did you have a good coffee?  What kind do you use?  My boss bought a Tim Horton’s coffee maker.” He’s really quite good at talking with cotton rolls in his mouth!

We finished packing the second cord and as he sat there in the chair with his mouth full of impression material we told him, We’re going back down to have coffee.”

Sitting around in our staff room downstairs – contemplating what we should have on the ceiling.  I suggested we paint images of the bottom of people’s feet or shoes since that is what we hear above us – we are directly bellow the waiting room.  Roger got a little carried away with the idea.  Thought we should then paint what we’d see as if we could look up peoples “pant legs”.  Yeah, right!!!  Pant legs?  Well wait a minute – with his perverse sense of humour someone’s hairy legs might be just his idea of art!

Tomorrow another favourite patient comes in for a crown too.  But I think he’ll have his ears plugged in to better things to listen to than us.

Adults coming in for regular dental check ups should not have decay around fillings or on easy to clean surfaces of the teeth. 

We had just completed all his fillings last year.  Now there were at least a half dozen new areas that needed filling.

So we began to ask What are you doing that is so different from other adults?”  What is so different from what you were doing before?” 

It turned out that he drank a lot of a certain carbonated brown beverage that starts with P.   He drank it all day long not just one or two.  I think the brand is irrelevant.

Today he came in for some fillings some of those teeth that have to be fixed again.  He has given up his favorite drink.  Switched to the diet version.  He wants to write the company and suggest a warning label.  And he has, by switching, lost ten pounds at the same time.  Stomach problems he had have disappeared.  Not only has he cut out the sugary drink he has cut down on drinking all pop since he doesn’t like the taste of the diet version as much.

He’s enough of an enthusiast that several of his acquaintances have switched too.  There is nothing like a convincing personal story.

Now we just have to convince him to quit smoking!

…I didn’t realize that the publisher site had changed location.  That is just because I am probably not computer smart enough to realize that it of course had moved.  Oh well.  This is just one day late and it could just about as well have happened today.

Ooooh…It was so hard to get out of bed this morning! Usually, I am an early riser-up with the sun.  But not this morning.  This morning my dear, sweet husband said to me, “Let me get you coffee this morning.  You’re always so good to get it for me – so just stay in bed for a few minutes.” 

So I did.

Our last patient of the morning was…well, she was 8 – too big to force to do things our way. The weird thing was that my assistant took x-rays just fine.  Then I sat down to examine her teeth and she freaked out on me.  Just started to sob.  I hadn’t even looked.  Mom couldn’t do anything; I couldn’t do anything.  Finally they left, no work done.  That is a wretched way to end the morning.   Leaves me feeling like I did something bad to her, but honestly, I did nothing!!!

And this afternoon I saw my youngest patient.  5 days old today.  A little armful of new life.   I loved how her mom nestled her head carefully in the crook of her arm as I checked her little mouth.  She had developed some sore spots under the little feeding appliance we made last week.  Baby mouths are delicate.  She’ll heal fast now that the appropriate adjustments are made.  My reward I got to hold this precious little bit of a thing for a few minutes.