Two Hours in the Chair

The dentist that I see has two sides to the office complex. One side is for the routine cleaning appointments. The other is for procedures!

Crown Splitter

Yesterday, I spent two hours in a chair on the procedure side of the office. While I was happy that the office was open and seeing patients, because I had chipped a tooth over the weekend; I was unhappy that I had to visit the dentist to begin with. As it turned out, I had chipped an existing crown and not a tooth--which meant that they had to cut the crown off. When the dentist told me that he had to cut the crown off, I admit I was a bit perplexed--but as it turned out the procedure went well.  During the procedure, I was introduced to a tool known as a crown splitter. I made a not-so-funny joke about kings and queens being afraid of that tool. 

After some cleaning and reworking the tooth that remained beneath the crown, I was fitted for a replacement crown and a temporary crown was emplaced.  

After two hours in the chair I was happy to leave with the understanding that I get to return for more fun in the chair in about three weeks when my new permanent crown will be installed. The time I spent reminded me why I try to take good care of my teeth--I do not like visiting the procedure side of the dental office. 


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD