I still feel a tad groggy from the local anesthetic. I had my two lower left tooth removed and I must say, the experience is weird.
For starters, I’m afraid of the dentist. I blame it all on my primary school dental visits which probably left me scarred (and scared) for life. So obviously, I was totally petrified when I had to see one. The only reason why I decided to see one in the first place was because of my mom. She wanted to do a consultation about her own tooth, and since I’ve been having trouble with mine, I thought, “why not?”
So la di da, we went to a dental clinic in Old town about two weeks back, and met the doctor. He was a loud guy. I think it’s his way of trying to make the patients feel comfortable by conversing (in a loud manner) with them, but I was anything but comfortable. Instead, I felt a little guilty and (even more scared) after meeting him. Why? Because he kept saying things like, “Aiyo, how come you let it become like this?!” and ” Aih, I dunno what to do with this la…”
And I was just going there to inquire about the cost of everything (which he was very vague about as well) but he was like, ” Depends on the root of the tooth la…etc, etc.” and he wanted to do an extraction then and there. I wasn’t even prepared for the whole ordeal. o.O So in the end, my mom and I only paid RM 8 each for consultation (cheap, yes).
I decided I wanted a second opinion and the S.O decided to make an appointment with his dental surgeon. I was skeptical. Can’t blame me, right? So yes, met up with Dr. Ng and I must say, he definitely made me feel much better. I told him the story as to why I’m afraid of the dentist, and he just listened. After that, he took a look and sent me for an x-ray (which was next door. XD) After the x-ray was done, I went back in for consultation and then came the news. Everything is fine, nothing major.
Fast forward to today. I was completely nervous when I went into the clinic. Even the doctor could see that. XD I opted for the “Happy Gas”/Local Anesthetic cos I didn’t exactly know what to expect. So here’s a recap of what I (think I) remembered from the whole “trip”.
1. Doctor tried to calm me down by talking to me. I smiled nervously.
2. I had this contraption placed over my nose and was told to inhale. Doctor said it was pure oxygen. Then he slathered a paste on my gums. The smell and taste was vaguely familiar. Tongue touched a little of the paste, and I could feel the whole area slowly becoming numb.
3. Doctor injected me with something. Still very much awake and was wondering when I would fall asleep. Just as I thought that, I felt my body slowly becoming heavy and I felt like my body was shaking. Felt drowsy and somehow I was fighting to stay awake. I could still feel the sting of the needle entering my gums. It did hurt a little.
4. Doctor told me to open my mouth and I thought, ‘Ah, screw this… just close your eyes’. So I did. Could hear suction, and drilling, and more suction. Was trying to breath but passageway was blocked by saliva. More suction.
5. Felt a tug on my mouth. Wait, it actually felt like someone was pinching and pulling my cheeks (you know, when you see a cute kid and you immediately pinch his/her cheeks and go…’omg! you’re a cute wittle babyyy’) Opened my eyes from time to time. Nurses held onto my head.
6. Think I started to drift off a little. The funny thing was, in my head, I saw the moon rising with music in the background. Weirdest experience, though I know it’s the calming background music being played and the moon was actually the overhead light. Hate the feeling of not being able to control my body.
7. Doctor placed some cotton into my mouth, and that’s when I knew it was all over. I slowly came around and ta da, it was all over in 30 minutes. I still feel the after effects of the anesthetic though.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the service although yes, it is very expensive. Everyone is nice and they make you feel calm. The clinic actually smsed me the day before to remind me about my appointment as well. 😀 Consultation and X-ray was RM 150. You need to make an appointment before hand, though. Don’t think they accept walk-ins. The local anesthetics was RM 400… and well, my tooth extraction was RM 600. T_T Price differs for everyone.
Dr. Ng’s clinic is at 97, Jalan SS25/2, Taman Bukit Emas, 47301 Petaling Jaya. Contact number is 03 – 78049920. It’s actually right opposite the Kelana Jaya LRT station.
p/s: This is just based on my own experience and opinions.
