Sedation Dentistry - Part 1
It was a normal just a normal Wednesday evening. Just like most Wednesdays, after getting back from work, Lucia cooked dinner, and then tried to settle down on the couch with a romance novel. It's not like there was anything wrong with me, she thought. She was 24, with long lustrous black hair she was inordinately proud of, a toned lithe body from her daily jogging exercise, and a fairly nice face. So why couldn't she go out and get a boyfriend? The thought of more nights alone on the couch sent her into a pout, stiffening her resolve to be more bold and put herself out on the meat market, visit some bars, call up her old friends to go clubbing, or just for that matter go out and do something... this life of apathy just wasn't going to work.
Her resolve stiffened, Lucia rummaged on her coffee table for her mail, she'd been putting off looking at it for weeks as all she ended up getting were bills and letters from her single cat lady aunts, just reminding her of the future she had in store for herself. Just as expected, her mail was bills and more bills. Almost despairing finding anything interesting, she finally noticed a postcard in soothing skin tones. On the font it said simply "Anxiety preventing you from a healthy lifestyle? We can help!" with a little icon indicating that there is more on the back. She was intrigued. How did this card get here? Who sent it? With her heart beating a bit fast, she flipped the card over, and gazed at what was there incredulously. "DDS Karl's Sedation Dentistry? All sorts of sedation options offered. Pickup service available." Really? That's not the sort of healthy lifestyle that her anxiety was preventing her from having.
Ready to chuck the card in the recycle bin, Lucia thought about it some more. She hadn't been to the dentist in a year or so, and something about the card intrigued her. Embarrassingly enough, she had to admit she did entertain sedation fantasies sometimes. An avid childhood reader of Nancy Drew, she remembered daydreams of being knocked out and at the mercy of various villains. Sure, the dentist was not *particularly* villainous, but hell, what else did she have going in her life right now? Keeping that thought in mind, she got her cellphone, and called the number on the card, leaving her number and name on their message machine, along with a message about how she'd like to schedule an appointment. Feeling accomplished that she actually managed to get something in her life started, Lucia slept with a light heart.
Her cellphone ringing jostled Lucia out of her slumber. Her eyes still gummy with sleep, she rummaged around her nightstand until she could reach it. Bringing it to her ear, she mumbled a sleepy hello. What greeted her was a very masculine voice tinged with a trace of some Eastern European accent. "Hello, this is Albert from Karl's Sedation Dentistry. Thank you for expressing an interest in setting up an appointment. Do you have a few minutes to discuss this now?" Coming fully awake, Lucia replied that she in fact did, and that she was glad that they got back to her so quickly. She liked the sound of Albert's voice, and wanted him to continue. "Very good Lucia" she heard Albert say. "Now, what we need to discuss is the timing of your appointment, as well as the sort of sedation services you'll require. Would you like me to describe them for you?" he asked.
Lucia mumbled yes, feeling strangely turned on by the conversation. "Well, the lightest sedation option we offer is with Nitrous Oxide. You'd come into our office as normal, and then a technician would get you comfortable on one of our dental chairs. Before any work would be done, we'd get you fitted with a mask and let you breathe some Nitrous. Now, the effects would be pretty pleasant. It'd make you feel a bit floaty and kind of disconnected with your mind a bit fuzzy. Most people consider this to be very relaxing, and it makes the whole procedure just fly by. Unlike some of our other sedation options, you'll still be conscious for the extent of the procedures, and while it'll be minimized, you'll still be able to feel some pain, both during, and immediately after the procedure, and you'll remember everything. Our next sedation option is a bit more involved. We'd begin by setting up a time, and then mailing you a pill. You'll have to take the pill about an hour before the appointment, and then we'd send an assistant to pick you up from your home and bring you to our office. The pill will relax you and put you in somewhat of a trance. You'll feel very sleepy and warm and comfortable for a few hours after ingestion and after the procedures are finished, we'll drop you off at home and make sure you're all settled. In fact, most patients don't even remember the procedure after the pill wears off. Finally, we offer injection anesthesia, which is the most accurate way to control your sedation, pain, and anxiety levels. Usually patients elect to couple that with the pill, but the difference is that when you're at our office, we'd put you completely under with an injection and then complete the procedure while you're unconscious. The injection will make sure you don't feel anything during the procedure, and as the effects last for about 8 hours afterwards, it will also take care of any residual pain. Now, Lucia, do you have any questions about our options? " asked Albert, finishing off his long monologue.
Lucia was impressed. Albert sounded very professional and legitimate, not to mention, kind of hot. But now she had to make a choice. She'd had nitrous before and liked it, but it seemed like kind of a cop out, to choose that option when there were others offered. At the same time, the injection sounded way too serious, especially because she didn't *really* have that much anxiety about the dentist. So, in a voice that betrayingly squeaked as she said it, she told Albert that she had no questions, and that the pill option sounded the best for her. The rest of the conversation just involved logistics, but finally the appointment was made for Thursday of next week. Albert confirmed that they would mail the pill to her by that date, and that he'd be the one to pick her up for the appointment and then hung up. As Lucia lay in bed lazily, she realized she couldn't wait until next Thursday.
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20-03-10, 19:45
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