What was I thinking?

Well, since there was a fire at my workplace, I had Thursday and Friday off.

For the couple of years, I have been wondering if I should get my wisdom teeth removed. They are a little cramped in my mouth, which has truly been a "money pit" for my parents. My teeth are crooked and have plenty of cavities, even after decades, not years, of braces and my mom trying to keep my teeth healthy.

On Friday, I was bored, so what do I decide to do. I thought, "why not go see my friend's dentist, make an appointment and see if the dentist can fill the cavity or pull my tooth in the future?" More on the "future" part later. It is a wisdom tooth that has a cavity, so the option of pulling isn't too absurd.

My friend gave me a business card of her dentist because I said I needed some work done. She said that the dentist could speak English and was a good dentist that she had seen since she was a young girl. So, that was enough for me to check her out (yes, the dentist is female). It took me a while to find the dental office since Korean addresses are vague. They only give the neighborhood and building name. I ended up walking past the office and having to stop by a local realtor. Even though the realtor didn't speak any English he was able to point to a very detailed map where the building was and where I was at the time.

Once I got to the dental office, I ran into the dreaded receptionist who can't speak any English. I try to use as much Korean as I know and ask to see the dentist who is supposed to speak English. After a little bit the dentist comes out and talks with me. Luckily, the office wasn't too busy. I talked to her and told her I had a cavity that might need fixing, but I didn't bring my x-ray that my American mom took before I left for Korea. (Aside: My American mom is a dental hygienist.)

It is Korea, but they do have very modern dental equipment. So, the dentist suggested I take an x-ray. They took a panoramic x-ray of my mouth and before I knew it she was having me sit in a exam chair. She told me that I had two cavities and that I should get them pulled out. Dumb me, says "ok", I guess we can take one out, but she saw fear in my eyes, so she didn't push to take out more than one. I don't know why, but I was more afraid for this situation than any time in my whole life of seeing a dentist or orthodontist. And yes, I have spent HOURS in a dentists/orthodontists chair.

The "future" ended up being "right now." Getting the anesthetic was probably the worst. I was a little surprised because it didn't actually make my cheek or lip numb, only the top of my mouth, so I was a little worried that she missed the nerve. But, she started working on getting my tooth out and I didn't really feel to much, except her trying to pry out the tooth with the tool levered against the side of my mouth.

After the procedure, the ladies at the front desk tried to give me some precautionary advice. They said "no smoke, no drink alcohol, and no sauna." Those three things maxed out the two ladies English vocabulary. They gave me the bill which was about $10 for x-ray and $70 for tooth pulling, but I got a discount due to telling them my friend is a client, so I only paid $50.

All in all, from beginning to end, it probably took less than 30 minutes in the dental office, but I am not sure if I want to go back and get the three other ones pulled like the dentist recommended. I have already lost enough teeth due to orthodontics if they pull three more, I will have only 24 left of the maximum 32.