The worse thing about root canal treatment is the name. It sounds like a prolonged, painful series of attacks on your dental system. I think it's that word root with its connotations of digging deep (Ouch!) that makes it sound so bad. After three longish visits to my dentist with no pain and little discomfort I have an as-new pain-free Upper Right Seven.The dentist and I agreed that while it might be quicker and cheaper to extract the offending tooth, its strategic position in my dental geography meant that the better plan was to do the root canal treatment. I still have all my own teeth. Actually that should read - All the teeth I have are my own.
Anyway it's over now and I'm glad it worked out well. The dentist showed a diagram and explained in general terms what it was all about and I just left him to it. I have no desire to know what all the whirring or beeping was about or what exactly all the smells were or what were those things he asked his assistant for. You're the professional, just get on with it is my motto.
Paddy said that dentists should show movies on the ceiling while a patient is being treated. One movie which would not qualify is Marathon Man. That's the one where Dustin Hoffman's character gets into trouble with a gang of ex-Nazis and one of them, played by Olivier, is a dentist who uses his skills to extract information. Terrifying! Video here.
Paddy also reads this poem regularly at our Knightsbridge Home Poetry Readings. Not one of my favourites.
If you are interested in the details of Root Canal Treatment there's a video here and information here.
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