Pulled Teeth: Thank Goodness NOT Tom Hanks Style

For about two months now Kevin has had a toothache, well actually he has had several teeth aching.

If I could think of one one thing that Kevin REALLY, REALLY doesn't like its a dentist. He says its something about having anything in his mouth that makes him feel like his throat is being blocked off (like the dentists hands, or gauze, or dentists tools or even that spit sucking thing that they use.)

Anyway I swear he was in so much pain that he was considering pulling a Tom Hanks ("Castaway") and knocking out his own teeth with a rock.

There's just something about the horrible mess that that would leave all over my kitchen floor that I have a serious problem with! I begged and begged him to call the doctor, any doctor and explain the situation to him and ask for a valium to take right before he goes to a dentist. Well he would have no part of that! He wanted to be "knocked out cold" as he put it. So the search began. I searched far and wide, I phoned everyone I could think of in an attempt to save my kitchen floor...I mean in an attempt to find a dentist that would indeed knock him out cold. Well I found two. So I called the first dentist who was able to get him in the very next day, amazing! Well once we got there and after an hour back in the room, the dentist informs Kevin that he would need two teeth pulled and one would need a root canal. At this point Kevin was elated, he seriously saw himself pain free and pictured me happy as ever that I wouldn't have to mop up the kitchen floor after all. Just then doc informs him that this visit is just a consultation, and oh by the way Mr.Waters, this process is going to take at least three visits, probably four, one to extract tooth number 1, one to extract tooth number 2 and possibly 2 more visits to complete the root canal. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! For any of you that know Kevin at a time like this he makes one of two choices, he either "BLOWS" or completely goes silent to keep from "BLOWING"!

Thank goodness he chose the high road and clammed up! Seems this dentist had over spent on his office decor (which was nicer than most homes I have seen in any "parade of homes" anywhere).

When Kevin asked why the work could not be done in one visit the doc informed him that not only would it take 4 hours (yep, you heard me right, 4 hours, unbelievable), he then went on to explain to Kevin that he wouldn't need to be knocked out for the root canal he would just "numb him up" for that. He then apparantly acting as if he really did care, went on to add "Kevin, you wouldn't want me to put you out for the root canal, it costs $250.00 each time (ya each time you come to my office for unnecessary appointments that could have been taken care of in 1 visit at one cost of $250.00, and if we did that how would I afford my humble office decor?) At this point the dentist was lucky not to have needed his dental assistant provide clean up material for his "kitchen floor" as Kevin was about to forget his own pain and inflict some serious pain on this young, apparently under educated, non-concerned for the patient, over spent on his office decor dentist.

WOW I just went back and read what I had wrote so far, seems Im a little angry over that whole thing. However there is a HAPPY ENDING to this story. I got home and phoned dentist #2. Talk about a complete opposite of what we had just been through. Dr. Bullock in St. George was awesome! They too got Kevin in the next day, but to Kevins surprise he was swept back to a room within minutes of entering the office. Once in the room as the nurse was giving Kevin an IV, the doctor was asking a few quick questions. Kevin remembers thinking HMMMM I wonder how long it will take for the medicine to...............ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Twenty minutes later the doctor came to the waiting room to give me a report. All had gone well and oh by the way Mrs. Waters we extracted all three teeth. All three teeth were beyond saving. HMMMM wasnt it just a day or two ago that a young fresh from dental school, can't control his decor fedish dentist had suggested a root canal for tooth #3, thus requiring a trip back to him in a few short months, probably at an increased price (office decor is never cheap) for service to have the poor, poor tooth extracted anyway.

Just as a quick note (ya right, proven from my previous quick version), as I was escorted back to see Kevin after 20 minutes of very impressive surgery, Kevin was just beginning to wake up. He saw me and said "Vhahets efinnelly va wa to do et!" Which interpreted from someone whom was not numb and not groggy means "Thats Definately The Way To Do It!"