Hi. Dr. Hyde?
So, what's seems to be the problem today?
Well, I just came in for a check up and a dental cleaning.
Hum. Open up. Let's take a look ...
Okay. Uh ...
Hummmm. [Humm? Uh?] Wow! I've never seen one like THIS before. Let me try this.
Uhhh ... Ouhhhh [Man screaming in pain ...]
Well, besides a lot of plaque buildup, there is a major cavity in one of your wisdom teeth. [I feel that.] Hasn't this given you any trouble?
Well, the tooth has been bothering me, and it sometimes hurts when I drink something cold. Does it look that bad?
Well, we're going to remove the decay, and then we'll either put a filling in, or if the decay is extensive, we can't repair it, we might have to put a crown on your tooth. Or as a last resort, we may have to extract the tooth.
Uh, well, that sounds painful!
Don't worry. I've done this ... once before. [Huh?] Nah, just relax.
Wait! Aren't you suppose to give me something to dull the pain?
Uh, chicken. Oh yeah. I almost forgot. We can either use a local anesthetic or nitrous oxide ... laughing gas... to minimize the discomfort you might feel. Or you can just grin and bear it.
Nah, Nah, nah! Put me under! [I thought so.] I can't stand pain, and I'd rather not be aware of what's going on. And, if I need a filling, can I get one that looks like my other teeth?
If we can save the tooth with a filling, I recommend a high-strength silver alloy filling instead of a porcelain one. It'll probably last longer.
Okay, well whatever. Let's get it over with.
Okay, pleasant dreams. Drill please.