What a weekend!
Had originally decided not to go in on Saturday 12 September, as it was The Great North Swim, and the roads had been threatened with “Total Gridlock”. Nothing to do with “Total Dental”. Ambleside has been completely thronged all summer due to ’staycations’.
Anyway, was just having a coffee, basking in the Autumn sun, when a text arrived:
“Call me if you are up” cheeky ….”I have a huge favour to ask”. This was from Phil Broughton who I spend half my week with at his practice in Manchester. Very high profile. We carry out a lot of cosmetic dental procedures like veneers, crowns, tooth whitening, implants and orthodontics. And the favour was to see if I could see a poor unfortunate young chap who had come off his Mountain Bike at Centre Parcs at Penrith.
To make it worse, this guy’s sister and brother in law were both dentists and with him.
How grim must that have been for them. Away from home, no kit, helpless. The connection with Phil I hear you asking was that the brother in law was a delegate on Phil’s year long advanced cosmetic dentistry course, so not knowing the area, had rung Phil for advice.
So, of course I arranged to meet ASAP, before The Great North Swim traffic built up.
Actually that never happened. Everyone was either walking or swimming. Cones everywhere !!
Greeted at the practice with a broken front window, glass everywhere. I’d like to think it was a football and not a dissatisfied customer. Then Neil arrived. Poor chap cuts, bruises, distressed and in PAIN.
Anyway, no pressure Mike, role your sleeves up and work wonders…..with no nurse and two concerned dentists looking on!! I nearly said, well please feel to use my surgery. Anyway, thought better of it, and decided to use it as an opportunity to hopefully impress.
Not many people like going to the dentist, so it requires great people skills at the best of times, anyway, poor Neil needed that and massive TLC. I always like sorting out trauma cases. I know that probably sounds a bit ghoulish, but it’s the one time when you can really help a fellow human being. Neil’s worst problem was a fractured incisor, with a loose semi-attached fragment……and lots of exposed dentine….remember Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man !!….God that hurts.
Carefully administered local anaesthetic…instant pain relief for Neil, removal of the fragment, and tooth patched up if only temporarily. Didn’t give the tooth much hope really. It would definitely need a root canal, and then a post crown. These always have a limited prognosis after trauma. I advised that he would probably be better having a planned and controlled extraction, and then an implant and crown. I took a panoral X-ray, and fortunately, no broken bones, or apparent problems with other teeth. Much better prognosis. But that was for another day. Neil definitely perkier now, and sent away with painkillers and anti-inflammatories. Can’t say another satisfied customer, but definitely a much less uncomfortable one…….Now let’s pick-up the glass and get the window boarded up.
Following day, Sunday, had promised to visit Eleanor up in Wasdale. It’s just like being a dental James Herriot!!. Poor Eleanor had had some elective back surgery in Manchester, very specialised and clever, but had started her orthodontic treatment some weeks earlier, and was now off school at St. Bees. She wasn’t able to get in a car, and she was overdue for some adjustments.
Cheri and I thought we’d make a day of it. We set off, and of course I’ve always had this innate ability to get to places without a map, and always know better than the SatNav. So what should have taken one and a half hours took two and a half!!
Have you been to Wasdale recently, or at all? God it’s beautiful, at least it is on a lovely sunny day. The best of the Lakes and no people. Eleanor’s Mum and Dad have got an amazing farm of about 100 acres and look after Herdwick sheep and goats. I suspect it’s very hard work, and Mum and Dad hold down full-time professions as well!! Eleanor was in good spirits, and had even baked for us. My kind of girl!!
The teeth were looking pretty amazing and I duly used the couch as a make shift dental chair and did my bit. Will need to see Eleanor back in Total Dental Ambleside next time though, in a couple of weeks.
Back to Arnside, mowed the lawns and bed. It will soon be 6am Monday and back up to Ambleside.
Tags: Crown, Crowns, Great North Swim, Implants, Orthodontics, Root Canal, Veneers, Wasdale