Latest Moan From You and Me 2025

My dad was admitted to hospital with a suspected heart attack … and it turned out the problem was an infected tooth. My sister similarly had an investigation re chest pains. No cause could be found but she had been waiting 6 months for a dental procedure. As soon as that was carried out, her chest pains disappeared.

 

I take my granddaughter to have two molars extracted tomorrow. On one side, upper and the opposing lower one. The other side will be done later. She simply has no room in her mouth for these molars and when the two (only ones she has) wisdom teeth start descending, they will have to go. My dentist is a wizard with the freezing and he has replaced most of my old amalgam fillings with the new white stuff. He told me last week that in all the years I've been going to him, I've only had to have broken fillings replaced, never a new cavity - touching wood here. I still have all my own teeth other than my wisdom teeth that had to be removed 50 years ago due to no room there for them.

He will be giving her gas tomorrow as well as freezing her solid. I believe the fact that they use epinephrine in modern freezing, it lasts longer and is more efficient. The gas is just to help her keep calm.

We did have a bit of an issue once when some must have gotten into my bloodstream and I thought I was having a heart attack because my beat was racing and I started shaking. After it wore off, all was well.

 

I was a very late adopter of the electric toothbrush, I don't think the benefits were well enough advertised. I always thought they were just for people who were too lazy to move their arm up and down!

I also had a lot of teeth extracted as a child for overcrowding reasons. Eight baby teeth and four adult ones, had gas both times. I vaguely remember having psychedelic dreams the first time. Then I had to have an operation to remove an extra tooth they spotted in the gum at one side - apparently this runs in the family.

 

The purpose of the epinephrine (UK Adrenaline) is to cause the bloodvessels around the injection site to contract so keeping the local anaesthetic local; means you may be able to use less anaesthetic and it can last longer.
I asked a few years ago when I had a minor procedure.

 

If you were Ukranian would you be getting concerned when you hear that Trump and Putin are having a phone call tomorrow to discuss splitting resources and assets.
To me sounds too much like crooks divvying up the spoils after the jewellery heist.

 

I only had gas once as a child, well I think it was ether, I think I remember having dreams.

They did at one point around the 70s do an injection in the arm to knock you out, I remember my Mother having it, they used to have to get a doctor to come and do that.

I think a few people might have died during the process so they stopped that and its just a numbing of the gum, and tongue, these days.
Usually about an hour after they have finished.

 

My ex dentist was a pessimist, and unfortunately a vocal one.

He used to start with looking at my records, shaking his head, and with a sigh, start with a comment like "well, let's see if there is anything we can do".

While poking about, he used to make quiet "tut tut" sounds, sudden sharp draws of breath and in general look more and more concerned as he went along.

Once released, I sprang up and with terror demanded to know what horrible things he had discovered and how much time I had left.

Then he reluctantly admitted that everything was fine, see you again in 6 months.

He also insisted that I had to take up flossing (which I can't do), and predicted everything from early, painful death to being hit by a meteor if I didn't. I did point out that I had never flossed and my teeth are just fine, but that lead just to some more sad shaking of head and sighing.

My current one just mainly waves a mirror around and says all fine see you in six months, that's £26.80 please . The experience took me seven minutes the last time.

Sometimes I miss my Dr Pessimist

 

As a child in the 40/50s I lived in a small village (Penshaw Sunderland)
I was about six when I visited the dentist for a filling, which was done with a treadmill drill
Like the old Singer sewing machine tredle Ouch

 

Yes, after that incident I had a long conversation with the manufacturer because it scared the bejeesus out of me.

Epinephrine in the blood stream will certainly give you the jumps. If someone has a heart condition, it could be deadly.

 

I asked my perio guy why, when you use an electric toothbrush, the timer still is recommended to go 2 minutes. It strokes many times faster than manual so why still so long? He shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't know.

 

Yes, me too. Different dentist, same type of drill.

In fact, when the new screaming banshee high speed drills came in I asked if we could continue with the old one as it was less terrifying.

 

You can have Epinephrine-free injections at the dentist if you have a heart condition.

 

There are alternative local anaesthetics that are safer than the ones containing adrenaline, but they weren’t always quite as effective. As @NigelJ said, the vasoconstrictor keeps the anaesthetic in the place it’s wanted, and reduces the amount getting out into the bloodstream. There are also available versions with no vasoconstrictor, but the anaesthetic effect is much shorter as it gets washed away, and you have to use a smaller quantity. They are useful though, particularly for someone with a higher risk of biting their lip or cheek before the numbness has worn off.
One of the reasons why we all have to answer so many medical questions before treatment.

It is horrid and very scary when you get adrenaline in the bloodstream, @CanadianLori. The syringes have a tiny plunger mechanism to pull back when the needle is in place. If a puff of blood appears in the syringe, you know you’ve hit a blood vessel, and that you have to slightly reposition it to avoid injecting into the blood stream.

The drills with the string were still being used when I was a student in the 70s, although thankfully with electric motors rather than the treadle ones! I lost several clumps of hair when getting my head too near the cables!

 

Our last dentist, looked like an Elvis impersonator and would take a minute or so to look at your teeth, then 20 minutes to tell you what he'd been up to. He was a good old fashioned bloke that really put everyone at ease. He retired just before covid, which was good because he was a self admitting hypochondriac, so we had to find a new dentist. We found a lovely Spanish lady who's mother became sick so moved back home and she has been replaced by what I can only describe as a robot. The new dentist is super efficient but is on the computer when you go in, talks so fast, has checked your teeth before you even notice and then is straight back on the computer saying see you in a year. After 3 visits I still don't have a clue what she looks like because she is always facing her computer screen.

 

Council tax bill has just hit the doormat!