o tempora, o mores!

[lol, wordplay. this has nothing to do dams or any sort of protection-y things of that nature.]

My wisdom teeth are currently the bane of my existence. All of them are developed, I have four; the two on the left side of my mouth are cutting in and it is a pain. There have been points in time where my jaw has become somewhat swollen because of them. I delayed contacting a dentist because, well, I’m not particularly fond of them [Why should I be? I don't really enjoy other medical practices.] and because I know the circumstances surrounding their removal is going to be a pain in the ass.
You see, I am severely allergic to the family of local anesthetics which includes novacaine, lidocaine, articaine, and benzocaine–which is found in the sunburn relief product, Solarcaine [lidocaine in small doses is used in sunburn relief stuff as well, and in things like Orajel]. I’m certain I’ve mentioned this before in a previous blog, but I just cannot come into contact with the stuff. Be it anesthetic in a dentist’s office or OTC stuff, it messes me up. I do go into what is pretty much anaphylactic shock; I experience intense airway constriction, my tongue and eyelids swell a little, I break out in full-body hives, and I feel quite toasty or run a fever. I’ve fainted once and experienced other icky effects.

I finally phoned a dentist/oral surgeon after finding one my insurance covered. I spoke to a nurse there, and I explained my situation to her. I heard her relay it to someone who she called by what my doc-to-be’s name is, and I heard him tell her to tell me that it could be worked around and that I can be put under general anesthesia for the procedure. Great! I was so anticipating getting them out, so so so very much because they’re a pain. Literally. I don’t enjoy having a swollen jaw or finding eating to marvelously uncomfortable. I had my appointment set, and I was instructed not to eat or drink [hey, i've heard this before..] for twelve hours prior to the appointment.

Needless to say, around noon that day I was a sorely ravenous beast, because I do like my food.. but I kept myself from consumption. I had trouble finding the place because, oddly enough, it was in a less-than-pristine strip mall-type shopping center.
And that’s where it began.
I go into the place, the receptionist gives me way outdated and redundant paperwork. Upon glancing around only the reception area, it seemed dingy and cluttered. Who am I to judge? My room is a catastrophe about 60% of the time. Who am I? Well, I’m a patient who has to have her mouth dealt with. And oral surgery. Things. Must. Be. Clean. But I shrugged it off and figured, “Well hey, maybe it’s meh out here because they focus on the inside being clean.”
Bwahaha.

A nurse or X-ray tech called me back to get an X-ray of my mouth and I got a glimpse of how things were kept. First of all, there were not rooms in which you were worked on, there were pretty cramped little alcoves off a hallway. Instruments were just laid out on the small counters inside these openings, not appearing to be kept in a state of sterility… medications, anesthetic, and nitrous tanks were just strewn about, evidently free for anyone to grab if they liked! The vinyl on the chairs had split, fluorescent lights flickered… it was just NOT a good or reputable looking place.

I was eventually called back for what was supposed to be my procedure, but my dentist/surgeon was like, “Er, what’s this about a severe reaction to the local anesthetics?” So I told him. “Well… how severe? Can you describe the reaction?” So I did…but like I need a sketchy dentist to tell me whether or not it was actually an allergic reaction I have [but that's for a separate rant]. He goes on to tell me that that is very problematic, because even with the sedation, I need to be numb. He said, “Well, even if you’re asleep, if you can feel the pain, you will fight.” Newsflash, buddy.. the locals don’t WORK on me because of, I assume, my allergy. I got a tooth pulled when I was eight and it didn’t anesthetize a damn thing. Fight? I’ll fight a lot more if I am conscious and can’t have anything to dull my senses. I thought there were facilities for people with my or similar issues; dental chairs with restraints?
He then tried to argue with me over my allergy, telling me it can’t be that bad…and actually tried to goad me into going through with the procedure anyway! “Are you sure it isn’t the epinephrine?” “Yes, I’ve never had a reaction.” He tries to persuade me to go through with it anyway, and then says, “Oh, but if you do go through with it, you do have to be conscious in the event of a reaction.” As if there was any chance of it getting done, it decreased. He continued to badger me about it, but I very briskly told him that I had no interest in it under the present circumstances. I mean, there was no discussion with me about the procedure or the state of my X-rays… very unprofessional.

The dentist tells me I need to go to an allergist before any further action is taken so we can see how harsh my allergy is. I’m not fond of knowingly and willingly being injected with things I know I am very allergic to, but regardless of this procedure, it is a good idea. However, if I am still very allergic, why would I bother making an appointment with a typical dentist again? They aren’t equipped, apparently, to handle it. I’ll probably end up having to go to the hospital and setup an appointment with an oral surgeon there who is equipped to handle things.
However, to see an allergist, I have to go through all this red tape as per my insurance policy… I have to go see my physician whom I haven’t seen yet–nor do I want to because he’s in the same office as my last one…who was a goddamn quack–and get a written referral from him, submit it to my insurance company, wait for them to approve it and send it back, and then I can get an appointment with an allergist. So, going that route will take me another 2-3 months, probably.

Furthermore, I am not content with the state of the office my HMO sent me to; for a doctor’s office, it did not appear to be very clean–and more specifically a dentist’s office where they deal with your mouth so much, and ESPECIALLY with what is technically surgery!–sanitary, or even really safe [what with materials strewn wherever]. I don’t feel comfortable with that situation or office, and I’m not sure that I can trust an aspect of my health to that somewhat unprofessional staff, so I really don’t think I will be returning.

Aside from that, I’m not happy about not being able to eat for 12+ hours without yielding any sort of results [you know, removed teeth?], and I’m definitely not happy about the fact that I had requested time off of work–yesterday and today–to get this done and recover…for nothing.