A Trip to the DENTIST

i've never really liked going to the dentist. i don't know why. haha.. but they are ppl we NEED
to see from time to time. my recent trip was quite an interesting one :-D

so off we (me & my dad) went to this dentist in s'pore (it's sorta my family dentist, since we
moved to JB, more often during my JC days) haven't been there more than a yr.. surprisingly,
dr lam still remembers me. it's nice when someone remembers u.. haha.. initially i thought he
was just being the friendly person he is, (& having my records) he gave me a hearty handshake
& said hello christine! u've finish ur a levels right. what are u doing now? medicine? ahh.. yes.
so i gave him the standard answer (u know what i mean? i'm in IMU in my second yr.. blah
blah) & yes.. the ever popular question.. so, which uni will u be partnering to? & once again,
i get wise doctorly advise.. on which uni is reputable & known for its medical degree.. haha!
(in my mind, yea, easy for u to say, u're earning big bucks & both ur children are @ concorde
already..)

ok anyway, chief complaint: wisdom tooth growing outwards, n it's quite a bother..
after a check & an x-ray (ok this x-ray machine is so super hi-tech! it's this revolving
thingy.. reminds me of star wars kinda set-up) oh well.. i was even given a lead gown to
wear. reminds me of gleneagles days. haha!

& surprise surprise! not only my wisdom is growing outwards. that's not even the main issue.
my other 2 wisdom teeth are growing front-wards! pushing all my other teeth. no wonder
my front teeth overlaps (although i've worn braces) anyway, the dr rated it 4/5 in terms
of difficulty. so poor me had to undergo surgery :-(

i was terrified, petrified by then.. but hehe.. thank God for good dentists :-D anyway,
dr lim was very nice, he explained everything to me in detail, pre, during & post operative,
what to expect & all.. the risks involved etc. n in came dr lam, psst, she's gonna be one
of us, u can talk to her in medical terms.. -_-" so the dr started speaking jargons, inferior dental
nerve la, arteries & veins, paraesthesia.. the best part, he promised to be as gentle as possible.
n true enough, and i believe by God's guidance & mercy on me. haha.. the operation was not
painful at all! i was singing songs in my head whilst the operation was going on praying
real hard that there won't be any pain. haha.. it's quite hard when the drilling sound is quite
gruelling & overwhelming. anyway.. it went smoothly. i'll take a picture of the teeth n show
em to y'all!

oh yes! hehe.. being a medical student has its benefits too ;-) the dr waived the consultation
fees, didn't charge me for the medications & even gave me a 20% discount because.. we're
all malaysians! :-D

but the local anesthetic wore off rather fast for me.. so the pain came.. n it was miserable.
i was in s'pore! shopping haven! sales everywhere.. & i didn't have the mood to shop.
immediately popped 2 ponstan n it got better.. even tried on a gown. haha.. that lightened up
my mood! it was really cool! it can havee 7 different styles! hehe.. ok bck to the main issue.

now it's day2. i ended up with a huge swelling on my right cheek. that's to be expected. but i
didn't expect it to be that big! i look like i have mumps! elephantitis! anyway.. hehe.. it's just
a manifestation of the FIVE CARDINAL SIGNS of INFLAMMATION (quiz time! quick,
tag the answers... hahaha!!!)

something the dr said really striked me. haha.. not that i didn't know it before.. but it's more
evident now. he said, to become a good dr, u have to be a patient first, at least u'll feel
more empathy towards the patient. for me, more than that! i learned to be more sensitive
to other ppl's feelings. cos today in the complex, i got a lot of weird stares. it made me a little
uneasy & conscious of how ppl looked at me. n i must admit, i'm guilty of that too. so............
nxt time, i will not stare at ppl who may not look so normal because i now know it's not a nice
feeling at all. .

my post ends here.. erm, i'm still considering whether i shld attach my ugly picture or not. haha!