From: nolan@twg.com (Nolan Hinshaw)
Subject: Toothsome happenings (was Take up a hobby, instead)
Reply-To: nolan@twg.com
Organization: California Association of Dental Victims
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 18:43:00 GMT


In article <By1w4M.7tH@news.iastate.edu>, z1dan@exnet.iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson -- Agro-Barbarian) writes:

[dumped some stuff]

	Peeve: my wisdom teeth are scheduled for removel on Tuesday, a

[dumped some more stuff]

	Note: I'll be sure to describe the procedure in annoying detail
--
Well, then. It's about wizzers, is it? Mine came out when I had a gum lift.
The neighbor fella and I were talking one day as I was wrestling with knotty
automotive problems, at which time I discovered he was a dentist. Since I
hadn't seen one in almost a decade and since he was a neighbor and all that I
made an appointment. The exam revealed a serious but non-fatal case of
periodontal distress. The Dentist happened to be part of a study group
learning about perio surgery, so I became a charter victim^H^H^H^H^H^Hmember
of the Study Group's Patient Club. You shoulda been there - the pockets back
by the molars were 6 to 9 cm deep! This necessitated the peeling back of the
gums and the regrinding of the bone to eliminate the selfsame pockets, after
which the gums were thinned before being stitched back in place, and all this
with only local anaesthesia. The Dentist wore specs, so I got to see the whole
thing reflected doubly, too

!Peeve: it was extremely educational - I learned all about positive and
negative architecture, and trolley cars, and nifty gadgets, and all that stuff

!Peeve again: I finally discovered why I tend to get mild anxiety attacks in
the dentist's chair. No, it's not stress. I found that all local anaesthetics
contain varying amounts of epinephrine, a central nervous system stimulant,
to prevent shock. Since I'm so sensitive to stimulants that a cup of
decaffeinated coffe will give me a buzz, I REALLY go over the edge with a
mouth full of Lydocaine or the like. The subject had arisen during the
preflight check, so The Dentist got some stuff with so little epinephrine that
I got only a decaff-level buzz during the 2 hour sessions in The Chair.

Peeve: I only got 3/4 of my mouth done, as the last 1/4 was in good shape.

!Peeve: I got rid of my wisdom teeth the easy way, since the appropriate
neighborhood of my mouth was already open.

!Peeve: Me molars is much easier to clean now that there's more empty real
estate in the mouth

Peeve: 3 of the wizzers came out with no problem.

!Peeve: The Dentist had to dig the 4th one out. You want impacted? This one
was a prime exemplar! It was laid perfectly parallel to the gum and was
pushing on the molar in front of it. It hadn't even broken through the thin
covering of bone over it. Since that part of the mouth was open already, The
Dentist got out the heavy equipment, excavated through the bone, and the tooth
damned near fell out.

BonusPeeve: I still have the plaster casts of the upper and lower teeth that
The Dentist made prior to the surgery. They're mounted on one of those nifty
hinged brackets that holds the teeth in alignment.

'NotherBonusPeeve: It cost exacly NO MONEY. The Dentist waived the insurance
copayment and write the cost off as part of his inservice study.

--
Nolan "Real men bite bullets" Hinshaw
Internet: nolan@twg.com			Dingalingnet: (415)962-7197	

Newsgroups: alt.peeves