I went on the UK's 111 phone service the other day and there was a friendly chap on there who tried to help as much as he could. He said that, as I have cancer, there should be no problem getting an emergency dental appointment. He gave me four local numbers to call. I called the first three, only to find that they were all (strangely enough) about to close down that same day, as they had been told to by the government! The fourth and last number, was for the Siskin Centre in Norwich, who were the people who extracted this tooth in the first place! They said I had to ring back in the morning (as usual) for an emergency appointment at 08:30. They are only open for a maximum of 60 minutes and if you don't get an appointment then, you have to ring back the next day and so on. Well after having been 'Caller No. 1' since 09:15 (what do they talk about for so long?) I eventually got through at 09:26! Just made it! I got there at about 10 to 1 as told to (appt. at 1 o'clock), only to find a big truck handing out food supplies to NHS staff (there are many other dept's too) and blocking the entrance to the car park! I eventually got into the centre at about 12:59, where I had to wash my hands and don a face mask! When the woman dentist examined me, she virtually shouted at me and asked why I felt that I needed to see a dentist. I told her about my pain, STILL unhealed socket and tooth/tongue problem. I also told her about my cancer and how the dentist? Dental assistant? I had spoken to the day before, had told me to go somewhere for an emergency dental appointment. She shouted at me again! "You spoke to a dentist yesterday and yet you still came here! Why?" I AGAIN explained about the pain and the waves of fear and panic attacks and the cancer. "Well you really shouldn't have come!" She remonstrated with me. When she finally calmed down, she explained that my tooth pain was probably caused by my diabetes, which apparently slows down the whole healing process and is why my socket was not yet healed, but was getting there. I'd never heard of this before, but I suppose it made sense. Regarding the stress, anxiety and panic, she very nearly laughed in my face at that, as anyone who doesn't understand, or has never had a mental health problem, usually does. Although I wouldn't have expected it from an NHS professional! I tried to get across to her about how debilitating I was finding it and her only solution, was to buy a few Babybel cheeses, remove the waxy red rind from one and rub it on the sharp edges of my teeth! Some hope. I haven't bothered trying that yet, as I don't like the taste of wax, though someone had earlier mentioned using dental wax, which is maybe preferable, I just haven't found any yet.
I understand why dentists have had to close, yet she was wearing a cloth face mask, under a full-face plastic mask, so couldn't possibly have caught anything, even if she'd been drilling away all day! Yet hospitals are still open and doing some procedures. Maybe they should have sent me to the oral-maxillofacial dept, who would probably have been a bit more helpful!
I don't have a small grinder Old Barry, but I'm sure that I would be using it by now, if I had! And about the Iglu Protect Lyn, is that the mouth ulcer stuff, or the one for brace wearers?
Just to add, I bought some 'Extra Strength OraJel' the other day and have been trying that, it is a mouth-numbing gel that you just rub on a sore tooth or another sore spot. Well I put some on my tongue and it numbs it up, though it seems to concentrate the feeling of the teeth digging in, without taking any pain away! The worst bit is that, even putting quite a bit on, the effect lasts no longer than 15 minutes anyway, so is a complete waste of time and money!
Regards, Ross.
Edited by member 28 Mar 2020 at 16:00
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