Dentists don’t make housecalls, and many
disappear after office hours, so I hear about problems for which I am not trained.
During a weekend, a woman explained that her
daughter had undergone dental work before they left town two days earlier. She
was still in pain, and her jaw was swollen. She needed a visit.
So I felt stress driving to the hotel. I don’t
like making a housecall where I might not solve a problem.
The daughter’s jaw didn’t appear swollen, but any
painful part of the body looks abnormal to the sufferer. The tension rose as I
washed my hands after putting a thermometer in her mouth. What would I say if I
didn’t know what was happening?
Those situations have occurred but not this time.
When I peered at the affected tooth, it looked normal, but on the nearby gum I
saw an angry half-centimeter ulceration. She had a canker sore. They’re
excruciating, but they heal in a week. I used to suffer them after accidentally
striking my gum while brushing my teeth, so her dental work might have provoked
it.
I reassured the parents and handed over a bottle
of liquid Lidocaine to alleviate the pain.
“I’m sorry I called you out over something so
trivial,” said the father as he paid me.
Men often feel they’re not getting their money’s
worth if the problem turns out to be minor.
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