So I am seriously disturbed. Jeff, a guy I work with, went to the dentist, and while he was in the chair, the dentist was talking to the hygenist about one of his patients. Apparently this patient was out of town and she had a serious dental emergency. So she went to a dental urgent care clinic. I didn't even know such places existed but whatever. The dentist on duty told her that the tooth was in terrible shape and the only option was to have it pulled. She said OK. (I'd get a second opinion, but that's just me. I'm rather attached to my teeth and they're rather attached to me, but moving on...) So she got knocked out to have the tooth pulled, and supposedly when she woke up and ALL her teeth had been pulled and they broke her jaw in the process. Like all her teeth. As in none left. Imagine it. No teeth.

Does this weird anyone else out? I never want to go to the dentist again. My first reaction was that this was just another urban legend, like where you wake up in the morning in a tub full of ice down one kidney. But why would Jeff's actual dentist be talking about it? Like he was trying to figure out what they do for this woman now. Dentures, implants, etc. So that makes it seem possibly true. Unless Jeff's dentist likes to freak out his patients while they're being drilled. Which is just mean. (I checked urban legends online, by the way. I can find no such legend.)

So can this really happen? People get the wrong limbs amputated and stuff, so I guess it can. And for teeth, I guess I could understand the wrong tooth (easier than I could understand the wrong limb). In theory, a tooth that needs to be pulled would be brown and nasty or something. So you think it'd be obvious, but assuming it wasn't, getting the wrong tooth pulled would suck. You'd be damn pissed. But it wouldn't be catastrophic. But having all your teeth pulled would be like going in to have a finger amputated and them cutting off your arms instead.

Well, I guess I can rest somewhat assured that this was an out of town dental emergency. And that I have 3 months to get over it before I'm next due at the dentist.

SOTD: Matt Nathanson, Answering Machine

Posted by blueostrich at 7:19 PM
Something to say?