Conversations with Myself

I haven’t been to the dentist in some 10 years so when I was forced to go due to a decaying painful wisdom tooth, I was terrified! In typical Kathy fashion I got on the internet and researched all about wisdom teeth and their extraction. What I found was not reassuring in the least. Horror story after horror story filled with pain and more PAIN! Nope, I was not reassured.

That is why I am writing this post. Because mine is not a horror story, and maybe by reading this someone will be reassured.

It all started February 22 when I (re)discovered pain and wow, it was hell. I always thought I had a high tolerance for pain but a simple little tooth had me curled up on the couch not wanting to move. Suddenly, staring fixated at the wall- a meditation of sorts- was one of the best pain relievers out there. Unfortunately it was not very productive, so instead I became addicted to aspirin. Every 3 hours I popped another pill. Skip a dose and I was brought to my knees with a piercing, non-relenting pain. Something had to be done.

As previously mentioned, I haven’t been to a dentist in years, so obviously I didn’t have a regular dentist. I didn’t even have dental insurance, which partly explains my long lapse in care. So how does one go about finding a dentist? Referrals? Recommendations? References? Investigating the many offices? Those all sound like good ideas, but I found mine from a newspaper ad. That ranks right up there with the yellow pages, doesn’t it? Trust me, 2 days before my appointment I was really starting to question the wisdom of my choice. But I stubbornly stuck with my decision. Why? Perhaps I should add that it wasn’t your ordinary newspaper ad. Rather it was an advertisement for the office’s Feb 14 Have a Heart Day during which they offered free dental service to those who could not otherwise afford it. To me, that is a sign of a kind and compassionate dentist and I wanted to support such an office. So off I went to see Dr. Wezeman.

Flash forward to Feb 28, doomsday. My appointment was at 10:30 but of course I was up at 6 am, counting down the hours with dread. I was thankful when the hour finally arrived. At first glance, in the 10 years that I’ve been absent, not much seems to have changed in the dental world. That overpowering dentist office smell still hits you the minute you walk in the door. Yuck. The chair is still grey vinyl and the dental pick is still a dental pick. And yet now there are computer monitors in every exam room, attached to a network that lets everyone know your arrival time, time in the waiting room and in the chair, reason for visit (I was listed as a NP emerg ext), and the like. Even better than that was the X-Ray device. Simply plug it into a USB port, position the wand end properly in your mouth, take the necessary precautions (lead apron and all that), press a button and presto! The X-ray of your tooth is instantly displayed on the computer monitor! Wow! I was impressed!

But here is the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the nitty gritty details of wisdom tooth extraction. If you don’t like needles, stop reading now! Once the dentist determined that mine would be a Simple Extraction (thank god! that means my wisdom tooth wasn’t compacted or attached to the bone..the latter would necessitate a trip to an Oral Surgeon) we were ready to go. Back went the chair and then my gums were coated with a gel of sorts- extra strength Ambesol perhaps? Then out came the needle. I was warned of the ‘little prick’ that I’d feel, and indeed it was just a little prick…..but that little prick seemed to go on forever! Finally he withdrew the needle, but only to get another one and shoot again in another location! Good heavens! I can’t remember if it was a total of 3 or 4 needles as I did my best to block it out.

After the shots they sat me back up to sign some papers and watch an educational video on post-operative care. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely sign. I thought it was just nerves but turns out there was epinephrine in those shots. The assistant explained it was like drinking 10 cups of coffee in fast succession- that’s why I was so shaky. Papers signed and video watched, back down my head went. Time for the serious business. They handed me some safety glasses (that’s new to me!) and I closed my eyes.

The dentist explained that he’d be rocking my tooth. I would feel pressure but not pain. If I felt pain, let him know. I did feel pain and he gave me another shot, waited a bit, then started rocking again. One, two, three times and out came the tooth! I didn’t know it though because my eyes were still closed. After activity had been stopped for a while I asked what was going on. The assistant said “that’s it! Your tooth is out!” I was shocked! That was amazingly quick and painless!

Of course the story doesn’t stop there, because the pain comes when the anesthetic wears off, right? So, my tooth was out, they sat me back up, explained post-op care once again, wrote me a prescription for Vicodin should the pain get too bad, gave me some extra gauze and a plastic syringe to help clean the area, had me sit for a bit and then I was on my way….to pay the bill.

The bill, the bill. A part we all dread. I had an idea of the cost since I asked when I called to make the appointment. Still, I was extremely happy to see that no surprise charges were added. In fact, it seemed as if the office went out of their way to keep costs down (no excessive X-rays and what not), realizing that I didn’t have insurance. This was MUCH appreciated. I found out later talking to a friend that he paid more to have his wisdom tooth pulled, and he HAS insurance.

So I left with a swollen cheek and the advice to take a painkiller before the anesthetic wore off (in about 2 hours). Terrified of the potential pain, I drove to the nearest store to pick up from extra strength Tylenol and Motrin (I was hoping to avoid the Vicodin) and then drove home. I popped in a movie, settled on the couch and waited while I watched Two Weeks Notice, my pill bottles beside me.

I must be extremely lucky because the pain never came. It’s been 24 hours and I’ve never felt a thing. Certainly none of that horrific pain everyone talks about. I’ve got a gross looking blood clot where the tooth once was and I’m still restricted to soft foods, but no pain. Hooray!!!!

Final thoughts- if you live in Oak Harbor WA and are looking for a good dentist, then I would definitely give 2 thumbs up to Dr. Wezeman’s Office. The staff was superb! In fact, I’d call them more than a staff, I’d call them a family. Their web page (www.drwezeman.com) shows that they’ve been working together for many years and it shows. Everyone is happy and comfortable, which can’t help but make you feel, well, comfortable anyway. It’s hard to be happy with you are terrified! But I left happy, so that’s saying something. It does sound a bit corny to say they welcomed me into their family- and I was a stranger reading this I’d definitely be rolling my eyes- but they were certainly warm and friendly. Not cold, stiff, and strictly business-like, which is what typically comes to my mind when I think of a dentist office. I would without a doubt return to their office…thank goodness my stubbornness paid off!