How Silly Am I?

The pain is an unrelenting throbbing from the top of my mouth right to the top of my head. My entire face aches. If I close my eyes it eases a little.

8 months ago I went to a local Dentist and had a tooth taken out from the top right hand side of my mouth. I went to the guy with a decent tooth ache and a real sensitivity when the tooth was touched.

Apparently my wisdom tooth was coming down and pushing out the tooth that was there.

So out came the tooth in the way and the wisdom tooth. The Dentist took an x-ray at the time and then wrote me out a form to have another x-ray 4 weeks later because it looked like the same thing was happening on the other side.

I was to have the x-ray taken and then go back and see him in 6 weeks.

I’ve Never Been Back

I’ve never been back. The x-ray form is still in my In Box here in the office.

What’s happened now is that on the other side of my mouth wisdom tooth is coming down. It’s been putting pressure on the tooth it’s trying to displace for a good while now. The tooth split a few weeks back and part of it came away in my mouth.

I’ve been eating with just one side of my mouth for a 2 weeks.

But I still haven’t been back to the Dentist.

And Now I Know Why

I’ve been reading Malcom Gladwell’s book ‘blink’ and have just finished the story about which Doctors are more likely to get sued. The answer is the one’s that the patients don’t like (you don’t sue people you like).

And that’s the simple reason I haven’t been back to the Dentist. Because I don’t like him.

I remember thinking at the time he was very abrasive and arrogant. There’s few more vulnerable times in your life than when you’re sitting in a Dentist’s chair with your mouth wide open.

Not My Idea Of Fun

And to have a guy you don’t like sitting there with a few instruments in my mouth as you squirm in agony ain’t my idea of fun (I’m a bit of a wimp).

We all make almost instantaneous decisions. You’d better believe it.

Check out Malcom’s book for a great read.