Hey The Living!
I'm back finally. After much encouragement. Especially what happened today. I would say, i was very lucky to encounter this. I strongly believe that my story will definitely take a lot of those horror stories at the National Dental Centre stand out of their limelight.
I had 4 wisdom tooth, one lies with a perfect perpendicular, one with an angle, the other two acts as if they are part of other teeth.
I removed one of the tooth 3 years ago, the one that have 90 degrees view, rotting right to its core, exposing its center. Caused much pain even when drinking a glass of water. That i endured for about a year before my husband accumulated some spare cash for the operation. My dentist then was a 60+ years old. It took 1 hour of shoving (and shifting) the entire row of teeth, to get it out, and cost wise. Oh People, you know the market rate of private dentists. After the operation, the hole recovered well, but i felt something wrong with the teeth beside it, so, i tried my best not to further damage it.
However, i knew the other 2 wisdom teeth are also decaying badly, but his charges are really too high, and the operation gave me jitters.
The day finally came, about a fortnight ago, when i accidentally touched the 2 decaying wisdom teeth when trying to get the struck food out of it. I guessed, one of the cores is exposed as well, since then, i got cuts on my tongue when attempting to clear struck whatever from it. Since then, the dull pain lingers.
During the whole of last week, the pain increases. i posted a post on Facebook, asking for alternatives for a dentist, for my old dentist had retired 2 years ago. Not much alternatives given, i check forums, groups, even blogs. I was given a few solutions, i decided to give it a try probably early next year.
Last night, the pain came sudden, and horrifying, i woke up in the middle of night, just to brush, to rinse with mouth wash. (i nearly tried using brine). I made another decision, i'm going to start the process earlier.
After work after mid-day, i traveled down to the public doctors.
I reached the public doctor's after 1 and a half hour of waiting at the registration and waiting area for doctors just to get a referral letter to see the dentist. The wait and pain is excruciating, it is affecting my right ear, starting to cause some strange buzzing sound, my sinus is not doing great due to the cold environment i was in since 9 am.
The jovial doctor, was telling me off that visiting the private dentist will be a faster way out from the pain. Because waiting for the public dentist will probably take at least 6 months of waiting just for the first appointment for consultation, whereas private dentist will probably do it right away. I do not quite agree, because it is what i experienced from my old dentist. However, i was there, i am prepared to wait for one year for the appointment to extract the offending tooth (still thinking of removing the most decayed tooth only) because i did it for the first one.
So, referral letter set. Now see referral officer. This is where the fun is.
He called the Dental General appointments office, guess what i got. The other end of the line, told him, there's a cancellation of appointment, on the same day, one hour time, ask the girl whether she can fill the appointment. I was shocked, surprised, and happy to hear the news, took the offer immediately. So he advised me to walk over immediately, to set the registration going.
I walked over, which takes less than 5 minutes. Took a lift up to the 6th floor. Register, in less than 15 minutes, a nurse came out and check if i had a x-ray at the public doctor's. Got my teeth x-ray immediately after that. I do not know about you readers have encountered the x-ray machine for teeth, it is pretty cool!
Then, it is the wait. i ran out of battery to surf Facebook, twitter and the internet. I made a short run for the expired magazines at the rack, keeping my mind out of boredom, tiredness, and hunger as i had not eaten since the vegetarian breakfast.
The call finally came, i walked into the consultation room. Made to wait for the busy dentist, but is ok, gave me time to accustom the environment, it is definitely very different from private dentist. My private dentist place, is very cramped up, with merchandise, phone, notes, tools, and the whole room looks dusty and dark. This one i had, was very bright, spacious and very clean, very sterile. I can actually walked around with the nurse working around. I get to see my x-ray, super-imposed on the computer, now, i can see the condition of all my teeth. The nurse explained a bit about it, asks few routine questions.
I am shivering from anticipation, from extreme cold. I was given a blanket, something you really don't get from private dentist.
Then, my Dentist finally came, to what i understand from the conversations with other staff, she sounds like some big shot in the department, very busy. She explained further about my condition, and now, she suggested me to remove 3, not 1, but 3 wisdom teeth, in one session. i was a bit worry about the cost. but i mentally brushed it off first. Then, she explains about the different color on the x-ray (even though it is only black and white). But with her explanation, now i finally understand why and how my jaw hurts every year, with the two major decaying teeth. And my doubts is cleared about the tooth beside my previous tooth, and i have 2 teeth to patch up, after i'm done with these 3 extractions. Like the public doctor, she tells me to go private dentist to do the "scalding", what i understand about the patching up of the broken teeth caused by the 2 wisdom teeth. I guessed is the general waiting time for the appointment is too long, 6 - 9 months, as rumored.
Actually, to think of it, i can start queuing for the public dentist for scalding now, it will have sufficient time for the holes i will then created to recover.
Now, it is time, i find it strange, the dentist only ask for 4 capsules. Nothing else. I was looking for the scalpel. Then, comes in the jabs, several, i lost count. 3 of it, extremely painful, but i was taught on the spot to relax, and i followed the instructions, the pain was lessen much more, and shorter. subsequently, she promised the later jabs will be painless... and she asked her nurse to get longer needle... !!! Okay, then, here comes the last few jabs, with the longer needle, frightening, initially, but she kept to her promise, it is really not that painful.
Then, the nurse was instructed to bring me Downstairs, 3rd floor. I thought it was only for financial counselling, like normal hospitals. So i followed her, she left me. i wondered if she will come back me, which in the end, i realized, she never came back. i find it strange, on 3rd floor, there are 2 groups of people, one with those sterilized greens, and the uniformed administrative nurses outside. I could not talk very well. my 2 sides of the mouth was numb. Even my injured tongue is numb, i don't understand, i didn't get any jab there at all, the place is colder, i am really shivering, i can't even sign properly. After All administrative stuff settled, they brought me in, teaches me to put things in locker and wear shower cap, wear some green cover for my shoes and wear some surgical clothes, then i realized the surgery is actually performed here, by another dentist! Okay, to be exact, a Surgeon!
No wonder, the administrative assistant, asked me if i am ready... i thought, she is sending the nurse back to fetch me back upstairs 6th floor.
Ok, now i am in a bigger room, less cheery, more groomy. but still feels much better than in the private dentist. the old nurses, now there are 3 of them, very much aged, Full of experience, check my condition, realised i'm really cold. They gave me hot water bottle, wrapped me up with thermal blanket. I was so grateful, because the warmth of the bottle and the blanket stopped my shivering almost instantly. Then.
My Sugeon came in. She looks fierce, strict. Yet one of nurse which i managed to catch her attention and i managed to chatted with her a bit, she re-assured me, i got one of the best surgeon, Big Doctor, she told me, the whole process will be very fast, and i won't know what happened. And the nurse told me, that my case is simple. It seems, the information had been passed around very fast, and they analyse the situation, and what to do, very fast.
So, given time to prepare for the surgury. The tray is finally pushed out. I am now in fear, not cold. Yet, i was told by the surgeon that the whole operation will take 15 minutes. Wow. And She explained about the procedures, and steps, and reason. And before every step, she re-assure and lightly touch on the reason, which i quickly acknowledge and thank her, tried to smile, but the numbness is catching on, i think i couldn't do much.
So, i was covered up, had a nice cool mask over my eyes, with little light seeping beside the nose area. But reminded that covering eyes to prevent infection, so, i promptly closing my eyes, shutting out my curiosity.
This is really very different from private dentist, he does not covers me up, i keep having the glaring lights in the closed eyes during the whole gluing 1 hour.
I was told she's starting on the upper right, which i slowly hearing drills and cracks. The pushing and shoving was warned before it is done, but it is very very gentle compared what i had 3 years ago. When i hear the cracks, i was told, she is cutting the tooth into 2, which i accept the fact. In Fact, i hears these cracks before, even today, the cracks is gentle compared what i had with the private dentist.
And i felt the push and pull, and a crack, at my left side, and she announced. "All Done!" I was surprised and shocked again, because i only counted 2 teeth, the less damaged ones. The worst tooth, i didn't wear and felt anything at all. I even inquired and checked, then, the elderly nurse handed me my souvenirs, 3 teeth. I was so amazed, and she kept her time, 15 minutes.
Then, she and her staff ensured i do not feel giddiness, step by step, something i'm famous for, however, for certain reason, i did not black out.
The stories, of 6 months of wait for first appointment, another 6 months wait for the operation All Brushed aside. I got it all done within a day, from the referal letter to the extraction of not just one, but all of my left-over wisdom teeth!
Price? Most of Today's bill is deducted from my pension funds, total bill is as much as 3 years ago, not 3 times as much. Woah!
It's real worth it, for a better Smile. To enjoy life without decaying teeth in the way, no more stuck food, no more painful plain water drinking.
So, Smile : ) ... after i recovered from the surgery... i can now, because my numbness had not wear off... now is the aftercare, and stoppage of bleeding in importance.
Oh, they set a appointment for me to see the first dentist consultant, guess how long... ... 2 weeks time!
The only problem is now... i can't tutor my children for the weekend.
Signing out
;)
Jane
Night Desperato Project
