It's only 12pm, and I'm so frustrated I could cry.
Went to the dentist this morning because I've been having pain in one of my teeth.
Back story: A few years ago, I cracked a molar chewing ice and had to have the crack filled. That molar also happens to be a baby tooth with no adult tooth behind it, so it will never fall out and will just be a baby tooth forever. It's been hurting for about 2 weeks, so I've been trying to make appointments and I've even gone to several walk-in hours at the dentist, but the language barrier makes this difficult and I keep getting told to come back a different time.
Anyway. Today, I get to the walk-in dentist at 7:45am because it opens at 8. There were already a few people there, and when I took a number, I was #11. Not bad.
So I waited. 11 is not called until 9:45. So at this point that's already 2 hours of waiting. They tell me immediately I need an x-ray to know anything. So I walk down the hall, wait 20 minutes for an x-ray, get an x-ray taken, then they send me back down the hall until someone can read the x-ray.
I wait until 11:30. Almost 4 hours of waiting, now. They finally call my name. This is the conversation I had with the dentist at this point:
Dentist (Pointing at the X-ray): This molar is a primary tooth (aka baby tooth)
Me: Yes, I know.
Dentist: It has a filling already.
Me: Yes, it does. I cracked the tooth a few years ago.
Dentist: You have pain?
Me: Yes, I told you. It hurts, but it isn't too bad.
Dentist: We can take it out to stop the pain.
Me: The tooth!?
Dentist: Yes.
Me: No, I don't want to remove the tooth. Why? Is there a cavity near or beneath the filling?
Dentist: There is some inflammation, but you can't really see on an x-ray.
Me: Ok so what does that mean?
Dentist: I don't know. We could do a temporary filling and see if that makes it better. We have to take this filling out to see if there is anything going on below.
Me: And if it gets better with a temporary filling?
Dentist: We'll put in a new permanent filling.
Me: And if a temporary filling doesn't help the pain?
Dentist: Root canal. But I've never heard of a root canal on a primary tooth. So I don't know. Also, we are too busy. No more patients today, you have to come back tomorrow morning at 8:15. We'll remove the filling and look underneath it then.
Case in point: I waited 4 hours at the dentist to be told that I need to come back tomorrow.
Ok, done wallowing. Off to write a paper.
Went to the dentist this morning because I've been having pain in one of my teeth.
Back story: A few years ago, I cracked a molar chewing ice and had to have the crack filled. That molar also happens to be a baby tooth with no adult tooth behind it, so it will never fall out and will just be a baby tooth forever. It's been hurting for about 2 weeks, so I've been trying to make appointments and I've even gone to several walk-in hours at the dentist, but the language barrier makes this difficult and I keep getting told to come back a different time.
Anyway. Today, I get to the walk-in dentist at 7:45am because it opens at 8. There were already a few people there, and when I took a number, I was #11. Not bad.
So I waited. 11 is not called until 9:45. So at this point that's already 2 hours of waiting. They tell me immediately I need an x-ray to know anything. So I walk down the hall, wait 20 minutes for an x-ray, get an x-ray taken, then they send me back down the hall until someone can read the x-ray.
I wait until 11:30. Almost 4 hours of waiting, now. They finally call my name. This is the conversation I had with the dentist at this point:
Dentist (Pointing at the X-ray): This molar is a primary tooth (aka baby tooth)
Me: Yes, I know.
Dentist: It has a filling already.
Me: Yes, it does. I cracked the tooth a few years ago.
Dentist: You have pain?
Me: Yes, I told you. It hurts, but it isn't too bad.
Dentist: We can take it out to stop the pain.
Me: The tooth!?
Dentist: Yes.
Me: No, I don't want to remove the tooth. Why? Is there a cavity near or beneath the filling?
Dentist: There is some inflammation, but you can't really see on an x-ray.
Me: Ok so what does that mean?
Dentist: I don't know. We could do a temporary filling and see if that makes it better. We have to take this filling out to see if there is anything going on below.
Me: And if it gets better with a temporary filling?
Dentist: We'll put in a new permanent filling.
Me: And if a temporary filling doesn't help the pain?
Dentist: Root canal. But I've never heard of a root canal on a primary tooth. So I don't know. Also, we are too busy. No more patients today, you have to come back tomorrow morning at 8:15. We'll remove the filling and look underneath it then.
Case in point: I waited 4 hours at the dentist to be told that I need to come back tomorrow.
Ok, done wallowing. Off to write a paper.
No comments:
Post a Comment