Harry's Dental Appointment

Today Harry had an appointment with the dentist to have 1 Molar pulled and Root Canal Work on 2 more Molars done. The appointment was at 10 am. So we left at 8.30 and got to Van Nuys around 9.30. We decided to get into the dental office early so we could start on the paperwork. Around 10 am they called him into the Operating Room. He laid down on the operating table and the nurse connected the monitor cables to his chest. After that Dr. Gottschalk, the anesthesiologist made sure that he didn't have anything to eat or drink from midnight on. Then he started the anesthesia IV. The last thing he remembered was the doctor telling him that the next thing he would remember would be waking up from the anesthesia. Harry says he never even saw his dentist.

I headed out and went shopping at Target and then picked up some lunch at El Pollo. I got to the dental office around Noon (the time they told me he would be done). When I walked in they said it would be another 45 minutes until they were done and then he would have to recover from the anesthesia, which could take an hour or so. I hung out in the waiting room, watching Deal or No Deal. The nurse came out and chatted with me about what Harry might go through and how to deal with the swelling.

They finally brought him out around 1:30 in a wheelchair, he looked groggy. He asked about this glasses which weren't on his face and the nurse had to run back and get them. They wheeled him out to the truck and I helped him get into his seat. We stopped by CVS to order the Meds he had been prescribed. His dentist prescribed Vicodin for the pain and Amoxicillin (an antibiotic) for the extraction.

We got home and I sat him down in his recliner, took off his shoes and got him as comfortable as I could. He was still very groggy and slept on and off as we watched TV. About 2 hours later the effects from the anesthesia wore off and he was in so much pain. I feel horrible seeing him in that much pain. I quickly got him a Vicodin from a previous dentist visit and a cold pack for his face. He took the pill and placed the pack on his face. The cold pack helped dual the pain slightly until the Vicodin could do it job. I had to head back to CVS to pick up his other meds but when I felt he looked like he was doing better and when I got home he was just fine.

The rest of the day was uneventful, taking his Vicodin every four hours that managed the pain, he was able to eat dinner that night and he very little swelling and not much bleeding. All in all with exception to the 20 minute of EXTREME pain this visit to the dentist wasn't so bad.. well if you don't call paying the $10,000 dentist bill painful.