Why do people take so long to seek treatment??? I mean if part of your tooth fell off obviously something is wrong. If part of your finger falls off would you wait till a year later to go to the doctor???
Saw this woman from out of town yesterday. She was 16 weeks pregnant and was complaining about severe dull throbbing ache. She couldn't sleep and had driven 4 hours to get to me to have her tooth pull out. Problem is, she was pregnant, and I don't want to take any radiograph on pregnant woman, without radiograph I don't want to extract any tooth. What if I take a radiograph and something goes wrong with the baby, or what if I try to take the tooth out without a radiograph and shit happens? I live in a litigious society. Who knows what she gonna do, she can come back and become my worst nightmare and sue my pants off.
So I offered to take the nerve out and place medication in the tooth but because her tooth was so broken down (it doesn't even look like a tooth anymore, just a stump buried with crap) the temporary filling might come off easily and she'll have to come back asap if that happens. She just went off at me and said "I'd to drive 4 hours to get here I don't want to come back again! Can't you just take the tooth out?!" Excuse me woman, that tooth started decay more than a year ago that's why the filling fell out, and if you didn't wait so bloody long to seek treatment you wouldn't have to suffer like this! She then went on to complain about the pregnancy causing her teeth and gum to turn bad. Talk about ignorance. Contrary to popular belief, pregnancy DOES NOT cause deterioration of your oral health, bad oral hygiene does. Hormonal changes reduce reisistance to oral bacteria and if you've shit in your mouth your body can't fight back properly.
The gum around her lower front teeth had receded because there was so much gunk around them. I advised her to get her teeth cleaned as toothbrush'll not remove the calculus but she just screamed "there's nothing you can do for me!" and stormed off. She then went to the waiting room and kicked up a big fuss and complained to other patients about how far she'd driven here and I couldn't do anything.
Too bad for her I can't be bothered. My friend took a radiograph for a pregnant woman prior to extraction. He didn't know she was pregnant as she didn't mention that in the medical histroy form. The baby was borned blind and she sued my friend. She didn't win but it was a pain in the arse, and very demoralising. My friend was traumatised. Here we are trying our best to help get ppl out of pain and yet these ungrateful arseholes do whatever they can to sue us. I am just going to cover my ass and not do anything that might come back to haunt me. I don't care if they'll be in pain, I will NOT extract any tooth without radiograph, and definitely not taking any radiograph on pregnant woman, even though the doctors say it's safe during the first and third trimester, I will not take the risk. It's their own fault anyway, serve them right, anyone who waited so long before seeking dental treatment deserve to be in pain.
Oh and one more thing, I gave her a prescription for antibiotics just in case her face start to swell up from the infection, see I am so nice, but she declined because she's pregnant. "I don't want to take any antibiotics, I am pregnant" (but it's perfectly OK to smoke 20 cigarettes a day). IDIOT.
Enough about stupid patient. Makes my blood boils. Sometimes I feel like slapping them. Hmph.
The hydroponic system Matt set up a few weeks ago using some old pipes is working wonders. :D Look at those vegies, they look like they're on steroid. :D I've butter lettuce, 大白菜, 小白菜, russian black tomatoes, big red tomatoes, snow peas and mizuna.
Butter lettuce will be ready tomorrow. :D 
大白菜
The hydroponic system at the side of the house
