The Dentist Visit

One of the many things that I was instructed to do before this surgery was to visit the dentist. Having worn braces as an adult I am very conscientious about regular check ups and general dental care. I had a regular checkup booked in August but then I came down with a nasty cold on the morning of my appointment so I called and they were happy to reschedule it for yesterday morning...

A long, long time ago, when I was a girl, a visit to the dentist was a dreaded occassion. I don't recall coming home with a toy or even a new toothbrush and I only remember that two people worked there -the dentist and a "nurse" at the front. I was not a fan of dental visits. 

Fast forward to my adult years when I made the decision to have braces and discovered that dentistry had progressed, a lot. After three years of braces, several root canals, a gum transplant and lots of other stuff I was much more complacent about opening wide. 

Moving ahead to my retirement years: I now have a very conscientious dentist and his hygienists and other staff members are wonderful. When I arrived for my regular check up yesterday I had a pleasant conversation with Heather (the hygienist) until having her hands inside my mouth made talking impossible. When the implement she was using touched a certain spot on a tooth in the lower back left corner of my mouth,  I jumped. She retreated from within my mouth, checked the chart and said "I am so sorry, I had that spot flagged and didn't see the flag." She then proceeded to use highlighter and red ink to mark it more clearly on the chart. This zinger only lasted a brief second but they are always unexpected and my reaction happens instantaneously.

As she moved to the top teeth she made a comment about a tooth at the very back. I explained that I was just getting over a cold and that my ear had been bothering me. She didn't think that it was due to my cold. Knowing that I was going in for a knee replacement in a week she told me that Kevin (the dentist) would check it out and hopefully it wouldn't interfere with my surgery. That possibilty had not crossed my mind and I went into denial. My immediate thoughts: No that can't happen. I have waited too long for this to have to cancel it. I think I actually said this out loud. 

I totally understand the dangers of having major surgery if you have an infection but I was overwhelmed by the possibility of an additional delay.  Before I could get even further upset Kevin came into the room. He said something that calmed me down before he took a look and gently probed the area. He checked the Xrays and then looked at me and said, "I don't think this will be a problem."  At that point I realized I had been holding my breath.

He gave me a prescription for an oral rinse that I am to use twice a day. I stopped at the pharmacy on my way home to fill the Rx and this morning my ear didn't feel quite so plugged.

I have seven more sleeps and 13 more rinses and I will be fine!