Open Wide

Open Wide

Eeew! The dentist! No one likes going to the dentist in any language! We don’t want to offend dentists out there, but we bet even dentists don’t like going to the dentist. Still, it’s one of those things that must be done. Most dentists recommend a checkup every six months. The hygienist will do a cleaning, and the dentist will check for any problems and make sure the mouth looks healthy. But you know it’s bad news when you wake up with a throbbing headache and a pain in your mouth. What a nightmare! There’s no time to wait for your regular checkup appointment; you need to have it checked out immediately. Oh, come on; it’s not so bad. Don’t think of it as 20 minutes you’re spending with your mouth wide open, while someone puts sharp instruments in it and pokes around. Think of it this way: you’re spending 20 minutes in a big comfy chair while someone else is home taking care of the kids! (Somehow, we think you’re not buying that . . .) DR. SMILEY: Hi, Lia. What seems to be the problem today?

LIA: I hope you can tell me! A chunk of my tooth broke off yesterday.

DR. SMILEY: That’s not good. Did you bite something hard?

LIA: No, I didn’t . . . that’s the weird thing. It just kind of fell out.

DR. SMILEY: Did it hurt when it broke?

LIA: Yes, it did, just a little; but it started to hurt like crazy this morning.

DR. SMILEY: I think we’d better take a full set of X-rays . . . Okay, open wide. Let me take a look. Oh, boy. Yes, it looks like you’ve exposed the root on your left molar.

LIA: rgscht rfghsh!! ghs gtfhhkj?

DR. SMILEY: Sorry. I’ll be done in a minute. I’m afraid you’ll have to have a root canal. I can put in a temporary filling, but you’ll have to come back in two weeks for the procedure.

LIA: Do I have to have a root canal? My tooth doesn’t really hurt too much.

DR. SMILEY: If we don’t take care of this quickly, it may become infected, and it will hurt a lot. I’ll tell Dina to set up an appointment, and I’ll see you back here in two weeks, on Tuesday, the 14th, at 3 p.m.

LIA: Will the procedure hurt?

DR. SMILEY: I’ll give you medication so that you won’t feel any pain. Relax! It’s not so bad!