Category Archives: Dental

September 10, 2009 · 7:47 pm

A sad first

I had a first time experience yesterday.  I guess it was kind of first time for the whole office.  We called the police to come and remove a patient from the waiting room.

I also had my first one on one conversation, of sorts, with a patient so inebriated that she swung from being in tears to drooling to using descriptive phrases we don’t normally allow people to use in our office.  Finally sort of convinced her that we could NOT work on her and that she would have to go back out to the waiting room and call someone to come and pick her up.

It was rather pathetic.  She knew a number to call but the answer we got was that it wasn’t their business.  The next phone call got a promise to come that was never carried out.  Meanwhile she passed out in our waiting room only to wake up every now and then to tell everyone to shut up and stop making so much f…ing noise.  Sort of disruptive.  And very sad actually. 

Hated to call the police to take her away. 

Sad combination of fear, pain and long standing problems with alcohol.  And we could not help her.

Comments Off on A sad first

Filed under Dealing with stuff, Dental

June 30, 2009 · 10:36 am

Way to go kid!

It is very encouraging when a four year old who we treated in the OR comes back in for a 3 month post-OR check with shiny clean teeth, no new decay and a totally changed attitude.

He told his mom that he never wanted t have to go to the hospital again to have his teeth fixed and that from now on he wanted to sit in the “big boy” chair.

He made my day!

2 Comments

Filed under Dental

April 1, 2009 · 10:43 am

Some Crying Going On

Little kids stumbling around in a daze.  Staggering.  Some crying because they are here.  Some crying because they do not want to go home. 

It’s another sedation morning.  Mostly went fine except for the kid who had not come for a year.  His work is so extensive now that he has to have it done under general anaesthetic. 

Great way to start Wednesday morning.

4 Comments

Filed under Dental

March 27, 2009 · 10:33 am

She wants the day off!

Just took out two wisdom teeth on a good friend.

I hope she heals up quickly and with no complications.  I hate complainers and since she works here, I will have to sympathize and listen to her.  :)  Of course she is not the complaining type – at all.  So maybe our friendship will remain intact.  It did after the last two wisdom teeth.  I really do love my friends and hate to hurt them.

4 Comments

Filed under Dental

March 10, 2009 · 8:09 am

Wonders Never Cease – or The case of the parking lot microwave

I got a call from the security company that monitors the alarm at my office early this morning.  Back door(staff door) sensor had gone off and should they dispatch the police.  I said “no” that I would go and check on it.  Although it was only 4:45 am I was up and moving.  (Leo had to leave for Lloydminster early this morning.)

I arrived at the parking lot to see a microwave sitting there with the light on, plugged in to one of our parking lot plugs.  No door left, broken glass plate beside the sidewalk.

I immediately thought that I had misjudged this call, that in spite of
-35 temperatures someone had been wandering around or had entered our office and done some vandalism.  But the doors were both locked and as I gingerly opened the back door I could see no evidence that we had had a break in.  I walked through the clinic and nothing was out of place.  Our microwaves were both in their places down in the staff room.

So, I have no idea who was out cooking in the parking lot last night.  It will likely remain an unsolved mystery.  Maybe we will have to turn off the outside power at night to prevent late night snacking at the office in the parking lot.

4 Comments

Filed under Day to Day, Dental

March 8, 2009 · 6:37 pm

My weekend

This has been one of those weekends when I will be glad that my stint of being on call is over.  The cases that kept me occupied were bona fide emergencies and I don’t regret that I was called out to help.  but it disrupts the days – and nights.  Saturday, after getting a fitful sleep waiting to be called in the middle of the night, I was tired all day.  I probably would have been no more tired if the Dr in Emerg had called me at 2 am.  But he was kind and was able to handle the bleeding patient without my presence.

Last night I did go in around 11 PM.  A young girl playing had slipped and pushed her front teeth backwards so that she could no longer could close her teeth well and had lacerated her gums so badly that stitches were needed.  I got home around 12:30 this morning and then was wide awake.  I had to settle a bit, before crawling into bed half an hour later.  It wasn’t that I was upset, more on a sort of high that comes with doing a good thing and feeling pleased.

Then this morning, we were victims of the time change in Ontario.  Rachelle actually woke us up when she called at 7 our time thinking she had better catch us before we left for church.

Tonight my day wraps up reading Scot McKnight’s The Blue Parakeet with the superintelligent group of women that I call  friends.  We have a good time together and it is good to read, study, talk and pray together.

Comments Off on My weekend

Filed under Day to Day, Dental, Reading

February 2, 2009 · 10:00 am

Preserving the door.

This morning when I got to work, I was met with the fact that our outside door had come unhinged.

That’s right.  Had completely come off its hinges.

Its a big glass door and as the staff opened up this morning, it kind of came off in their hands.  And of course the frame of it is metal.  Metal that gets very very cold when it is -33 outside.  T and K grabbed it with bare hands.  Now they have little spots of frostbite where they had to hold on to it.

How does a boss thank those two for such dedication to door preservation?

Comments Off on Preserving the door.

Filed under Day to Day, Dental

Tagged as

January 16, 2009 · 10:00 am

In the middle

I like doing a preparation for a crown like this.  It is in the middle of the mouth(not at the far distant reaches of the mouth), on top(no tongue in the way), mouth is clean and healthy(gums are not bleeding all over the place), and the patient is pleasant.

We are about half way into the procedure; at one of those spots where I let my assistant take over for a few minutes.  That lets me have coffee or blog you see.

But I like these procedures that demand precision and finesse and let me use my “artist” side, matching shades and hues to get a beautiful crown; using my handpiece more like an artist’s pen than a cutting tool.  I’m happy and the patient is happy.

It is just a good way to end the week.

1 Comment

Filed under Dental

Tagged as

January 8, 2009 · 1:31 pm

Lessons

Compassion

This morning during my private talk with God in the quiet of my living room, I told him about this patient that I was dreading. Last time he was so arrogant, called me “girl” as if I was of no importance at all. The world revolved around him after all and I was just a female figure that he would use to get what he wanted – which was a new crown for his broken one – at my expense, I think. I believe he was trying to intimidate and manipulate me so that if I responded out of sympathy for his situation, he could then disappear and have his crown for free.

Continue reading →

Comments Off on Lessons

Filed under Dealing with stuff, Dental, Reflections, Writings

December 14, 2008 · 3:50 pm

These days

This preaching gig (if one can call it a gig) has its rewards.  It seems that if I speak my family lets me off from noon meal responsibilities.  And lets me nap in the afternoon.  Not bad.  They don’t let me take a long nap or cook my meals after doing a good wisdom tooth extraction at the office.

Today we had a most delicious stew prepared by Rachelle.  Venison, vegies and potatoes in a tomato based sauce.  Very very good. 

And a good nap is – well, always good.  And after partying with my staff last night doubly good.

  DSCN1818

Yesterday we went on a sleigh ride with real horses in the absolutely freezing cold.  We were all bundled up to an almost unrecognizable state.  I am sorry I have no pictures of that! 

I loved the smell of horse and the out of doors.  It brought back memories of my dad.  It was just the sort of thing he would have done and enjoyed.  Funny how memories are triggered by smells and places. 

Comments Off on These days

Filed under Christmas, church, Day to Day, Dental, Photos