I recently had my wisdom tooth extracted. I know this not a big deal for most people.
It was for me.
For over 60 years I had never been to a dentist. I was very fortunate to never had any problems which required me to go to the dentist. My dad was very strict about brushing and taking care of my teeth growing up. It was a constant thing which ingrained a discipline in me to take care of my teeth.
I never gave my teeth much thought until a couple of months ago when I was eating a snack and discovered a piece of my tooth had broken off.
Oh no! Panic ensued.
What’s happening?
How painful is this going to be?
Oh no! Panic ensued.
What’s happening?
How painful is this going to be?
How much will this cost?
I scheduled my first dentist appointment where he found that I needed to go to an oral surgeon to have the remaining part of my wisdom tooth removed. The dentist office referred me to two oral surgeons however, neither one was covered on my dental insurance.
That was the next challenge which was to find an oral surgeon who was covered under my dental plan. I went down the list of oral surgeons from my insurance website. I finally found one on the third attempt.
The next challenge was getting the referral and X-rays from the dentist to the oral surgeon. It took four phone calls to get this done (and I thought pulling the tooth was the pain). Resolving the dental insurance and getting the necessary paperwork from one office to another was an annoyance for something I was already dreading.
I scheduled my first dentist appointment where he found that I needed to go to an oral surgeon to have the remaining part of my wisdom tooth removed. The dentist office referred me to two oral surgeons however, neither one was covered on my dental insurance.
That was the next challenge which was to find an oral surgeon who was covered under my dental plan. I went down the list of oral surgeons from my insurance website. I finally found one on the third attempt.
The next challenge was getting the referral and X-rays from the dentist to the oral surgeon. It took four phone calls to get this done (and I thought pulling the tooth was the pain). Resolving the dental insurance and getting the necessary paperwork from one office to another was an annoyance for something I was already dreading.
Once we had everything finalized and the date set, it was time for my anxiety to begin. Unfortunately, I read some mixed reviews about the oral surgeon. I resisted the urge to cancel.
My wife assured me things would be fine. I know that I annoyed her with my worry about the procedure. I will honestly admit that the anxiety almost overcome me at times. I even had a nightmare one night about going to the dentist. Yes, it worked on me pretty bad.
When the day of the procedure arrived, my nerves were on edge. We arrived for the appointment where I was not expecting the waiting room to be packed with people. It was NOT what I needed. I didn’t need to hear other people’s conversation or their dental stories. I wanted it to be over. After several agonizing minutes, I was called back.
I was led back to the room where the procedure would take place. It was an intimidating scene. The dental assistant sat me down and positioned me in the chair. She attached the blood pressure monitor which first read 166/103. Then she proceeded to attach monitors to my chest and lay other surgical things around me and on me.
The oral surgeon arrived and introduced himself.
“Hi Mr. Hooper, I’m Jeffrey Carter and I will be doing the procedure today.”
I responded with some humor.
“I have heard that you have done one or two of these before”
He came back with: “Yes, today already.”
He asked about my previous experience with general anesthesia. I told him of a surgery many years ago and had no trouble with it then. He started looking for a vein to use for my IV. He had a little trouble at first as he tried my wrist, top of my hand and my arm. He had me make a fist. Finally he inserted the port into the top of my hand.
“What kind of car do you drive?” He asked.
“Honda SUV” I answered.
He was obviously asking these questions waiting for the anesthesia to take effect.
My blood pressure reading hit 177/111.
“Who drove you here?” He asked, continuing his questioning.
“My wife Crystal.”
“What do you do Mr. Hooper?”
“I’m an eDiscovery Specialist.”
“What’s that?" he asked.
“We can take the information off of your smartphone and……”
I was out.
It is really weird how anesthesia works. I assume I would gradually drift off like going to sleep but it was like I was turned off immediately from the world.
I woke up with the dental assistant helping me into a wheelchair. She wheeled me out of the office to my wife who helped into our car.
I don’t remember much after that. My wife said I kept asking about my tooth and that I needed it to give to the insurance company to prove that I had it done. She said I asked about my tooth repeatedly. I also said I wanted a steak. Not something I would have normally asked for.
Clearing the fog from the anesthesia took the rest of the day. Aside from the soreness, I have felt no pain. Makes me feel a bit silly that I was so anxious about it before.
I’m still eating soft mushy foods right now but I am relieved that it went as smoothly as it did.
I guess I need to do a better job dealing with my anxieties for situations like these. Although, I hope I never have to do this again, at least I have this experience behind me.
My wife assured me things would be fine. I know that I annoyed her with my worry about the procedure. I will honestly admit that the anxiety almost overcome me at times. I even had a nightmare one night about going to the dentist. Yes, it worked on me pretty bad.
When the day of the procedure arrived, my nerves were on edge. We arrived for the appointment where I was not expecting the waiting room to be packed with people. It was NOT what I needed. I didn’t need to hear other people’s conversation or their dental stories. I wanted it to be over. After several agonizing minutes, I was called back.
I was led back to the room where the procedure would take place. It was an intimidating scene. The dental assistant sat me down and positioned me in the chair. She attached the blood pressure monitor which first read 166/103. Then she proceeded to attach monitors to my chest and lay other surgical things around me and on me.
The oral surgeon arrived and introduced himself.
“Hi Mr. Hooper, I’m Jeffrey Carter and I will be doing the procedure today.”
I responded with some humor.
“I have heard that you have done one or two of these before”
He came back with: “Yes, today already.”
He asked about my previous experience with general anesthesia. I told him of a surgery many years ago and had no trouble with it then. He started looking for a vein to use for my IV. He had a little trouble at first as he tried my wrist, top of my hand and my arm. He had me make a fist. Finally he inserted the port into the top of my hand.
“What kind of car do you drive?” He asked.
“Honda SUV” I answered.
He was obviously asking these questions waiting for the anesthesia to take effect.
My blood pressure reading hit 177/111.
“Who drove you here?” He asked, continuing his questioning.
“My wife Crystal.”
“What do you do Mr. Hooper?”
“I’m an eDiscovery Specialist.”
“What’s that?" he asked.
“We can take the information off of your smartphone and……”
I was out.
It is really weird how anesthesia works. I assume I would gradually drift off like going to sleep but it was like I was turned off immediately from the world.
I woke up with the dental assistant helping me into a wheelchair. She wheeled me out of the office to my wife who helped into our car.
I don’t remember much after that. My wife said I kept asking about my tooth and that I needed it to give to the insurance company to prove that I had it done. She said I asked about my tooth repeatedly. I also said I wanted a steak. Not something I would have normally asked for.
Clearing the fog from the anesthesia took the rest of the day. Aside from the soreness, I have felt no pain. Makes me feel a bit silly that I was so anxious about it before.
I’m still eating soft mushy foods right now but I am relieved that it went as smoothly as it did.
I guess I need to do a better job dealing with my anxieties for situations like these. Although, I hope I never have to do this again, at least I have this experience behind me.
