One of Vidur’s favorite riddles, when he was around 5-6 years old, would be:
Question: “When do you go to the dentist?”
Answer: “Tooth Hurty”. 2.30 🙂
Hmm.
The dentist is going for my jugular or that’s what it feels like. Am paying through all my apertures for this dental work – all triggered by a muruku from a Rs.16/- pack – a muruku which I didn’t even make – a total WTF moment for me. One new “muruku” root canal and one old ignored root canal. Lovely, isn’t it? What fun stuff to look forward to! The dentist also speaks Telugu – ah, so homely.
Anyway – sitting no.4 looms ahead next week because the root has calcified and the doc doesn’t want to put me through too much strain – very considerate indeed.
Actually the biggest challenge is keep the anesthetized mouth open for so long. it hurts hurts hurts, while the doc scrapes, scrapes, scrapes. And the nurse keeps suctioning the saliva off. Talk about the grand treatment. The last time, they gave me the injection and – I think they forgot I was waiting. I felt the anesthesia beginning to wear off.
While I waited, a huge guy – who’d had his dental work done just collapsed when he got up from the dentists’ chair and walked. Later came to know he had low BP and probably hadn’t had anything to eat – so the anesthesia messed up his head. Poor guy, luckily he did not land on the floor – the dentist caught him as he fell and they lowered him gently on the ground, and put a cushion under his head. Some quick thinking there.
So – moral of the story – before you go to the dentist –
- Always eat well and go – because you can’t tell for how long you must avoid food after the treatment.
- Also – if you have to have an injection, food in the stomach helps you handle it better.
They won’t tell you in advance. How considerate, eh? If you suffer from low or high BP, be sure to tell the dentist. Some of them, I am sad to say – don’t ask. If you are on medication for something else, tell them. Ultimately we’re responsible for our health – and the dentist cannot guess anything.
Anyway – the next visit, I hope will finish the root canal. The waiting is awful – both in between visits and at the dentists. The last time, even though my appointment was at 4.30pm, my turn came at 6.30 pm – and when I mentioned it to the doc, he asks “Am I Superman”? Hmm. What can I say? I replied with “Yes, to me you are” – and he burst out laughing. Apparently the receptionist had allotted the 4.30 slot to three patients. Clever move eh? NOT.
What do I miss most about all this? My Mom’s cuddling and love. Sigh.
