day six and dentist
a photo a day, day six
Ok, so.
Back around my birthday, I had a chunk of a tooth fall out. All in all, it wasn't really surprising, since MK hasn't felt it was 'necessary' to spend the money on annual dentist visits since we got back from Japan. (Where going to the dentist was on the military's bill.) Since the bit fell out, I've been trying to get him to let me go to the dentist to have it looked at, and he's been all 'yeah, I'll look it up and see which is covered by our insurance, blah blah blah.' Now, my birthday is back in APRIL for those of you who don't remember stuff like that, so in the meantime my tooth is steadily getting more and more tender. Around mid-September it really started bothering me, and since then I've been taking Excedrin to keep the toothache pain under control as much as my migraines. I also started getting more forceful about the 'look the shit up so i can go to a dentist' thing with MK, and the two combined finally got him to do so.
The original call to the dentist put me with a 'cleaning and exam' appointment at the end of November. I managed to get in sooner by mentioning that i was like... in pain, and stuff - and my appointment was yesterday. So cool, I'll finally be able to be rid of the pain from my tooth, yay! I am not one who hates the dentist, so i was upbeat about getting this out of the way so i could be tooth-pain-free. We walk into the dentist office and fill out all of the insurance stuff and they bring me back to one of the exam rooms. The dentist strolls in and says 'ok, so a filling, eh? which tooth was it? that one? ok.' I tell him it's been -extremely- tender and he kinda... nod/grunts. He leans the chair back and takes a look, then shoves the needle into my gum to numb the area with no warning. Now, i am a big girl and needles don't bother me but ... fuckin' rude much? He could have at least said something. He gets up and wanders out without a word to let the stuff take effect. Now, this was the highlight of the visit - Rob Thomas "Ever the Same" came on while i was sitting there alone and i got to listen to it all. Woot.
Anyhow, the dentist wanders back in. Before he can do or say anything, i tell him i am concerned about the tooth being drilled through to the nerve, because it's really been hurting me and that I've actually been having nightmares of him (well, not him him, but a dentist him - since I'd never seen him before in my life) doing so. He kinda smirked and said "Honey, i could drill into it and pull it out and you'd never feel a thing." He proceeds to lean the chair back again and begins to drill.
OMFG.
OMFGHURTHURTHURTOWOHGODIAMGOINGTOSCREAM.
I jerk away from the drill. He tells me "now, come back here" and gets back to it after i take a few deep breaths. Again, it hurts. And not just hurts, people, it HURTS. You've got to remember, i deal with migraine pain just about every day. I've got a -very-=high= tolerance for pain. I can take a lot and not even flinch. And here this dude was making me want to CRY. Anyhow, he tried one more time before he said 'ok, that's a little more tender than normal, we'll just send you off for a root canal.' He quickly (and shoddily) stuffed a temporary filling into the hole he'd started and walked out.
.... ooookaaaay?
The tech walks me out to the reception area, and i get MK's attention. He can tell immediately that i am not happy and that i am really in pain. He gets something sorted out for an appointment (twice, actually. the receptionist hooked us up at first with someone who doesn't take our insurance, despite 'getting in touch with someone who takes our insurance for us.') He manages to get her to get a prescription for the pain i am obviously in from the dentist, and we get the hell out of dodge. It took everything i had, and i do mean everything. i. had. (i was picturing strangling the dentist) not to cry in that office and wait until we got into the car. Once we were on our way home, i bawled like a baby for ten minutes straight.
Let me summarize for you.
It's been 10 years since I've been to a dentist. Yet this dude didn't bother taking x-rays, or even looking into my mouth except to find the bit i was there for.
He didn't talk to me nearly at all. He didn't ask questions. He didn't want to know a damn thing about my tooth or my mouth. When he did speak, it was condescending.
He didn't listen to me. I told him not once, but twice that my tooth was tender and i was -worried- about the drilling.
The temporary filling was just... jammed... into the hole he'd made. I was still getting damp pieces off from it in the car on the way home.
The receptionist was incompetent and wasted not only our time, but that of another dentist who doesn't take our insurance.
So, i get to take vicodin for the next week or so. My root canal is scheduled on Monday through a completely different dentist's office. While i am not looking forward to the procedure, (does anyone know if they put you to sleep for that? wikipedia didn't say) i am looking forward to this mess being over with. MK and i will both be scheduled for an exam and cleaning once this is over. He keeps snorting at me when i say both, but i am not fucking kidding about this shit. He's going in too.
Ok, so.
Back around my birthday, I had a chunk of a tooth fall out. All in all, it wasn't really surprising, since MK hasn't felt it was 'necessary' to spend the money on annual dentist visits since we got back from Japan. (Where going to the dentist was on the military's bill.) Since the bit fell out, I've been trying to get him to let me go to the dentist to have it looked at, and he's been all 'yeah, I'll look it up and see which is covered by our insurance, blah blah blah.' Now, my birthday is back in APRIL for those of you who don't remember stuff like that, so in the meantime my tooth is steadily getting more and more tender. Around mid-September it really started bothering me, and since then I've been taking Excedrin to keep the toothache pain under control as much as my migraines. I also started getting more forceful about the 'look the shit up so i can go to a dentist' thing with MK, and the two combined finally got him to do so.
The original call to the dentist put me with a 'cleaning and exam' appointment at the end of November. I managed to get in sooner by mentioning that i was like... in pain, and stuff - and my appointment was yesterday. So cool, I'll finally be able to be rid of the pain from my tooth, yay! I am not one who hates the dentist, so i was upbeat about getting this out of the way so i could be tooth-pain-free. We walk into the dentist office and fill out all of the insurance stuff and they bring me back to one of the exam rooms. The dentist strolls in and says 'ok, so a filling, eh? which tooth was it? that one? ok.' I tell him it's been -extremely- tender and he kinda... nod/grunts. He leans the chair back and takes a look, then shoves the needle into my gum to numb the area with no warning. Now, i am a big girl and needles don't bother me but ... fuckin' rude much? He could have at least said something. He gets up and wanders out without a word to let the stuff take effect. Now, this was the highlight of the visit - Rob Thomas "Ever the Same" came on while i was sitting there alone and i got to listen to it all. Woot.
Anyhow, the dentist wanders back in. Before he can do or say anything, i tell him i am concerned about the tooth being drilled through to the nerve, because it's really been hurting me and that I've actually been having nightmares of him (well, not him him, but a dentist him - since I'd never seen him before in my life) doing so. He kinda smirked and said "Honey, i could drill into it and pull it out and you'd never feel a thing." He proceeds to lean the chair back again and begins to drill.
OMFG.
OMFGHURTHURTHURTOWOHGODIAMGOINGTOSCREAM.
I jerk away from the drill. He tells me "now, come back here" and gets back to it after i take a few deep breaths. Again, it hurts. And not just hurts, people, it HURTS. You've got to remember, i deal with migraine pain just about every day. I've got a -very-=high= tolerance for pain. I can take a lot and not even flinch. And here this dude was making me want to CRY. Anyhow, he tried one more time before he said 'ok, that's a little more tender than normal, we'll just send you off for a root canal.' He quickly (and shoddily) stuffed a temporary filling into the hole he'd started and walked out.
.... ooookaaaay?
The tech walks me out to the reception area, and i get MK's attention. He can tell immediately that i am not happy and that i am really in pain. He gets something sorted out for an appointment (twice, actually. the receptionist hooked us up at first with someone who doesn't take our insurance, despite 'getting in touch with someone who takes our insurance for us.') He manages to get her to get a prescription for the pain i am obviously in from the dentist, and we get the hell out of dodge. It took everything i had, and i do mean everything. i. had. (i was picturing strangling the dentist) not to cry in that office and wait until we got into the car. Once we were on our way home, i bawled like a baby for ten minutes straight.
Let me summarize for you.
It's been 10 years since I've been to a dentist. Yet this dude didn't bother taking x-rays, or even looking into my mouth except to find the bit i was there for.
He didn't talk to me nearly at all. He didn't ask questions. He didn't want to know a damn thing about my tooth or my mouth. When he did speak, it was condescending.
He didn't listen to me. I told him not once, but twice that my tooth was tender and i was -worried- about the drilling.
The temporary filling was just... jammed... into the hole he'd made. I was still getting damp pieces off from it in the car on the way home.
The receptionist was incompetent and wasted not only our time, but that of another dentist who doesn't take our insurance.
So, i get to take vicodin for the next week or so. My root canal is scheduled on Monday through a completely different dentist's office. While i am not looking forward to the procedure, (does anyone know if they put you to sleep for that? wikipedia didn't say) i am looking forward to this mess being over with. MK and i will both be scheduled for an exam and cleaning once this is over. He keeps snorting at me when i say both, but i am not fucking kidding about this shit. He's going in too.