When it rains, it pours

Did you ever hear the adage ‘when it rains, it pours’? Today I was reminded of that. It’s been a busy two weeks, what with the school holidays and everything but really I seem to have an amazing number of surgical cases this week too.

Most dentists are actually dental surgeons … this means that in actual fact, we are trained to do Minor Oral Surgery (with the exception of a few Universities). Our degree is Bachelor of Dental Surgery.

The most common surgery we are called on to do is the humble tooth extraction, however there are many a time when the slightly more complicated Wisdom Tooth (you know the last tooth that usually appears in your mouth somewhere between the ages of 17 and 35) gets stuck and does not come out straight up or worse ends up in your cheek instead of your mouth, needs to be removed.

This two weeks, I have treated no less than 5 wisdom teeth in as many days! What made me write about it today is because of a common problem …

Sri had come in for surgery today. She first came in last week with a swollen face as her left wisdom tooth was stuck in her cheek and had got infected. After some antibiotics she was fine and came in for a review and surgery.

I told her that not only was her tooth half in her mouth and half in her cheek, but it had a big hole in it and so it was just a matter of time when she just HAD to take it out.

Yes, it was surgery.

Yes, it was scary.

But yes, it was not whether she should take it out but it was a matter of when she should take it out.

And yes, now that she was fine and was no longer swollen, this was the ideal time.

I told her that she either took it out today, or tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year ….. the point was she HAD to take it out, and it was just whether she was willing to get all swollen up again or just do it!

She did it!

Some pointers for those of you who are holding onto the time bombs: 1. The only choice is to when you are going to get it out. 2. Please make sure an xray is taken

first so the dentist knows what they are dealing with, 3. Relax…. it’s in the dentist’s hands and usually the whole thing will be over in less than half an hour. (my record is 15 minutes from start to end!!) 4. Take all your medications and you will be fine!

Soon after Sri left smiling (with tooth, xray and medication in hand) ….. Kamarul walks in with the same problem! And now he’s scheduled for Wednesday after he finishes his antibiotics!

And Idayu my clinic manager briefed me that we have another surgery scheduled for tomorrow!!

Yes, when it rains it pours!