Photoessay #2094 - Not a root canal

Sophoeuy asked me to accompany her and her 11 year old daughter (my granddaughter Melina) to the dental specialist for a root canal for Melina.  She did not want to drive in Seattle, she didn't have a car available and they were all nervous.  The dentist said she had to have a root canal before they could put her lower braces on.

After researching the address, I realized we weren't talking downtown Seattle.   Turns out to be the Center for Pediatric Dentistry run by the University of Washington at Sand Point, a closed down Navy facility on Lake Washington.

We see Melina quite a bit.  We've always provided all transportation.  Not trivial,about 40 minutes away.  So it's there and back and then there and back.

They were all in a state of worry.  It didn't quite make sense.  Maybe it was in a bottom tooth.  I asked Melina if it ever hurt eating cold things.  Maybe in her top teeth.  Not the bottom.

Melina fretted and worried.  The more I listened, the more detail she revealed.  Ah, this girl had researched this all out on the internet with computer we gave them last year.  She had watched youtube videos of root canals.  She knew all the steps.  Now, how many of us are blissfully unaware of what's really happening with dental procedures.  Yeah, me too.  I don't know what they're doing, just make sure it doesn't hurt out and get it over with.  Melina truly had Too Much Information.

The old naval station can look kinda creepy because some of the buildings are renovated, some not.  We found the place, it looked ok on the outside, certainly refurbished nicely on the inside.  One of those open layouts where it's all done in a big room and the parents are right there.  Melina's getting panicked.  But she can see the other kids, they seem to survive.  We saw how the nitrous oxide worked on the kid in the next chair.  Melina's not convinced.  Will they put me to sleep, she keeps asking.

They ask for some more x-rays.  OK.  Sophooey leaves for work at 3pm, how long will the root canal will take?

The assistant says that they usually take about an hour and a half.  But this is just the consultation.

Just the consultation?  They're not going to actually do it?

No, not today.  Today's just talk.

What?

We're kind of frustrated.  Melina is thrilled.  After they .look at the x-rays and do a bit of an exam, they're not sure if the root canal is even necessary as there's no sensitivity. They suggest coming back and doing the fillings and, at that time, if it looks like a root canal is necessary, they'll do it right then.

So we all go out for hamburgers instead.

Sophoey asks me if I will come the next time.  OK.  But I've driven four times around the lake already  today....remember that full tank of gas?  Yeah.

Some kind of something about a root canal.  Nobody really wants to know.  Lifted from the website of Elite Dental of Omaha.