Day 1322 Jaws

25th March 2021

The day I dreaded had arrived, I had to go and have my root filling. The appointment had been cancelled once, and deep down I hoped the same would happen again.

The building was drab, opposite the main Holland hospital, and not the shiny modern building I mistakenly went in first.

All the safety protocols were in place as I entered the reception. I had to wear the mask they gave me, and shown to the lift to go down to the ground floor. There I had to fill out registration and health history, and sign that I could not hold the practice responsible for anything that went wrong.

I was collected from the reception by a nurse who led me to a small room to have my mouth scanned. I had to stand against a structure that gripped my head whilst the thing spun around my face.

Afterwards I was led to a small room with a really narrow doorway, I could only enter sideways and asked to sit on the reclining chair. The surgeon came in and studied the images, then he moved a larger screen in front of me to go though the various options.

He explained that the damaged tooth, the one I thought the appointment was for was not worth saving, there was very little tooth left to work with. He said that he could clean out the root, but warned that any crown fitted would not last more than a couple of years.

The tooth next to it had a cavity that was close to nerve, and advised that he work on that one.

Reluctantly I agreed, at between 1100 and 1200 dollars for the treatment I didn’t want to waste money on something that wouldn’t last.

So the procedure started, face numbed, a machine resembling a large microscope was moved into place that allowed the doctor to see what he was doing.

The smell of burning tooth wafted into my nostrils and then the bouquet of cloves. Within thirty minutes it was complete.

I handed a wad of notes to the receptionist who said I would get a reduction if paid in cash.

I left, and drove back home with the left side of my face frozen, and my wallet much lighter,

and a number of new decision to make about my dental health.