Just Another Day At the Dental Clinic
1. Hubby’s permission, and 2. Dad’s slap
Husband’s permission
One of my dental patients this week needs a front tooth removed. She had a fainting episode a decade ago. While she was passed out, some well-meaning person stuck a spoon into her mouth to prevent her from biting her tongue. The tooth they injured didn’t initially look hurt, but slowly died over time.
The infected tooth needs to be extracted immediately; there’s no other option. Pity is, it looks nice and even, but it’s dead inside and has a root infection to boot.
The lady was hesitating before taking the appointment. She needs her husband’s okay for the extraction. It’s a front tooth and she’s going to look different after the the tooth is removed.
I asked her: If the infection spreads and leads to septicemia, resulting in death, does your husband permit that?
If he doesn’t allow the tooth extraction, that’s a (questionable) choice. But do you, his wife, have his permission to die of septicemia?
Dad’s slap
The second fellow is a twenty-year old. His dad slapped him in the face in 2022. Since then, he can’t close his jaw without using his hands to help. He lived with the problem for two years…
