Had a dental appointment this morning. It was brief and uncomfortable. The drilling wasn't a problem, as the dentist jabbed me about a dozen times with his numbing needles. However, he wedged my jaw open with something that looked like a small door-stopper, which was highly unpleasant. I do not have a flip-top head. Also fun was the delightful suction/spray-thingie constantly making me feel like I was being waterboarded.
"Waterboarded" is of course an exaggeration, but I didn't like it at all.
6 comments:
Must be a Canadian dentist.
Must be a Canadian dentist.
It is always informative, and entertaining, to hear a patient's perspective of their dental experience. Tell them that the "bite block" hurts your TMJ and you'd much prefer rests when needed. They come in 4 sizes so maybe a smaller one might help you if they insist, which they shouldn't. Sometimes, they can use a "rubber damn" which blocks all the water from getting into your mouth. We truly don't wake up each day with glee at who we get to torture that day, although perhaps some patients do cause a bit of a smile at the thought!
I'm loathe to complain (in person), as I have several visits to go before my treatment plan is complete ;)
And it wasn't painful--just uncomfortable. It seems crazy to think I can get away with no discomfort, even!
Once we know what bothers a patient, we do everything we can to readjust and use different techniques. Voicing your discomfort is really helpful, in fact. We use this cool thing called an AlphaStim http://www.alpha-stim.com/. Ask if they have one!
We use it more to relax a patient - gets you all dreamy without using drugs. Basically, you don't really care what's going on.
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