Wolfy has a Bad Fang
Jun. 6th, 2017 02:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
baratronI have tooth pain. I was asleep on Sunday afternoon because my sleep patterns are completely messed up. Woke up on Sunday night having dreamt about tooth pain, and woke up to find it was real :( Specifically one of my wisdom teeth (bottom left) has decided to start breaking through the gum line and my gum is all puffy and swollen.
It wasn't too bad on Sunday night but by Monday morning I was in raging agony and had to send Richard out to buy some medicine. He returned with "extra strength" benzocaine gel and advice from the pharmacist to go and see a dentist, who would be able to cauterise the nerve. Sadly, I don't have a dentist. Yes, yes, insert joke about British people and their bad teeth, but what happened specifically was that my chronic fatigue syndrome got bad enough that I had to start using a wheelchair, and my old dental practice wasn't accessible.
And, y'know, neither are most of the dental practices in this area. Because they are either in converted Victorian houses, or upstairs offices above shops.
Besides, my health was bad enough in general that dental health was basically second from bottom of my priority list. (Eye health being the very bottom - I saw an optician about 5 years ago which was the first time I'd seen one in 20 years, and the only reason I went was to check for signs of diabetes like retinopathy, since there is nothing wrong with my vision. I can't remember how they described my vision on a scale like 20/20, but it was "there is literally no way to improve your vision". It's nice that SOME part of me works as intended.)
I called around trying to find an NHS dentist. There basically aren't any. Not in Kingston taking new adult patients, not once you also need wheelchair access. The shiny new dentist in the centre of town has absolutely appalling reviews. The NHS dentist on the way to Surbiton with amazing reviews is up a couple of flights of stairs.
Well stuff it, I need to see someone a.s.a.p., so I booked an appointment with the private dentist on the Richmond Road which has wheelchair access. I am feeling somewhat reassured by the receptionist asking clueful, polite questions relevant to dentistry about my wheelchair and mobility.
It is £36 for checkup plus £17 for x-ray plus £56-160ish for fillings, which I swear is no worse than what we paid at my old dentist. (Of course, if it was NHS, the highest charge would be £53.80). My appointment is at 11 am and I need to get there a bit earlier to fill in some forms.
Very worried, but I need to get this pain sorted. While I'm there I can enquire about getting my rotten tooth at the top left filled.
It wasn't too bad on Sunday night but by Monday morning I was in raging agony and had to send Richard out to buy some medicine. He returned with "extra strength" benzocaine gel and advice from the pharmacist to go and see a dentist, who would be able to cauterise the nerve. Sadly, I don't have a dentist. Yes, yes, insert joke about British people and their bad teeth, but what happened specifically was that my chronic fatigue syndrome got bad enough that I had to start using a wheelchair, and my old dental practice wasn't accessible.
And, y'know, neither are most of the dental practices in this area. Because they are either in converted Victorian houses, or upstairs offices above shops.
Besides, my health was bad enough in general that dental health was basically second from bottom of my priority list. (Eye health being the very bottom - I saw an optician about 5 years ago which was the first time I'd seen one in 20 years, and the only reason I went was to check for signs of diabetes like retinopathy, since there is nothing wrong with my vision. I can't remember how they described my vision on a scale like 20/20, but it was "there is literally no way to improve your vision". It's nice that SOME part of me works as intended.)
I called around trying to find an NHS dentist. There basically aren't any. Not in Kingston taking new adult patients, not once you also need wheelchair access. The shiny new dentist in the centre of town has absolutely appalling reviews. The NHS dentist on the way to Surbiton with amazing reviews is up a couple of flights of stairs.
Well stuff it, I need to see someone a.s.a.p., so I booked an appointment with the private dentist on the Richmond Road which has wheelchair access. I am feeling somewhat reassured by the receptionist asking clueful, polite questions relevant to dentistry about my wheelchair and mobility.
It is £36 for checkup plus £17 for x-ray plus £56-160ish for fillings, which I swear is no worse than what we paid at my old dentist. (Of course, if it was NHS, the highest charge would be £53.80). My appointment is at 11 am and I need to get there a bit earlier to fill in some forms.
Very worried, but I need to get this pain sorted. While I'm there I can enquire about getting my rotten tooth at the top left filled.
no subject
Date: 2017-06-06 07:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-06-07 03:07 am (UTC)I probably could have found an NHS dentist taking new adult patients if I'd gone as far out as Tolworth or New Malden, but I really wanted somewhere I could get to without having to worry about public transport. And I just needed to see a dentist right away. In fact, if I'd realised sooner that it was an infection rather than just "teething" pain, I could have gone to the emergency dental clinic at the hospital. Oh well.
Although they are only taking private adult patients, they were able to write me an NHS prescription for antibiotics, which meant that I got them for free with my Prescription Exemption Card.
no subject
Date: 2017-06-07 05:43 am (UTC)