The Root of it All

Chapter 4: Patience and Perseverance

Despite her busy schedule, Sarah Mitchell is now sitting in the dental chair, heart hammered in her chest, waiting for her root canal treatment to begin. She had never had a dental procedure this extensive before, and she was understandably nervous.

Dr. Lisa entered the room and gave her a reassuring smile. "We're almost ready, Sarah. Let's get started."

Dr. Lisa numbed the area around Sarah's tooth with a local anesthetic. Then, he began to make a small opening in the crown of the tooth. Sarah felt a strange sensation, but it wasn't painful.

Dr. Lisa inserted special instruments into the tooth to remove the pulp contents. Sarah felt some pressure, but it was tolerable.

Once the pulp contents were removed, Dr. Lisa cleaned and shaped the root canal. This was the most uncomfortable part of the procedure, but Sarah was able to relax with the help of Dr. Lisa's calming voice and gentle touch.

After sealing the root canal with a rubber-like material and placing a temporary filling in the tooth, Dr. Lisa completed the first root canal treatment session. Sarah was relieved that it was over.

After giving Sarah a few minutes to rest, Dr. Sam apologized to Sarah informing that she will still undergo one more procedure to address her periodontal issue to treat the inflammation and swelling immediately.

"It's fine, doctor. As long as this will give me relief and make my teeth beautiful again" Sarah stated in her tired tone.

With that, Dr. Sam first administered a local anesthesia to lessen the discomfort Sarah may feel during the procedure. "You may feel a little bit pressure but no pain will be felt. And if ever you may feel otherwise, just inform me, alright?" Dr. Sam said reassuring Sarah who was a little bit nervous

Dr. Sam then proceeded to do scaling, root planning, and apical curettage to remove all the infected and contaminated tooth structure and the remnants of pulp contents.

A week after, root canal treatment and periodontal treatment were completed, Sarah returned again to Smile Haven Dental Clinic for a follow-up appointment.

Dr. Sam examined the tooth and gums and was pleased to see that they were healing well.

"Your tooth and gums look great," she said. "I'm confident that we can save your tooth."

Dr. Sam then discussed the next steps in Ms. Mitchell's treatment.

"We've gone over this during your consultation, and I'd like to kindly reiterate our earlier discussion. Based on the X-ray and clinical examination, we've suggested considering a bone graft and guided tissue regeneration. This approach can provide vital support to the tooth and assist in the healing of your gums," he explained in a friendly and informative tone.

Sarah agreed to the procedure and Dr. Sam scheduled her for surgery with Dr. Mike the following week.

On the day of the surgery, Sarah was nervous but Dr. Mike and his team were very reassuring. They explained the procedure to her in detail and answered all of her questions.

Dr. Mike began by making a small incision in the gum tissue to expose the bone around the tooth. He then placed a bone graft around the root of the tooth to support it. Dr. Mike then placed a membrane over the bone graft to encourage the gums to heal.

The surgery took about an hour to complete. Sarah experienced some discomfort after the surgery, but she took pain medication as prescribed by Dr. Sam and her symptoms resolved quickly.

Over the next few weeks, Sarah's condition continued to improve. The pain subsided completely, and her smile became brighter and more confident with each passing day.

The dental dream team was thrilled with Sarah's progress. They knew that her journey had been challenging, but they were proud to have played a role in helping her achieve a successful outcome.

Dr. Sam smiled as she examined Sarah's teeth and gums at her next follow-up appointment. "You're doing great, Sarah," she said. "Keep up the good work."

Sarah grinned, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. "I couldn't have done it without you," she said. "Thank you for everything."

The dental dream team was encouraged by her progress, but they knew that it was too early to celebrate