I Had Already Watched Three Terrible Videos
A fictional late-night search leaves Arun with more fear than information. He replaces the videos with questions about the actual treatment plan.
The search was not helping
At midnight I was watching a video made by a man whose qualifications appeared to be a ring light. I had searched for root canal treatment. Somehow I was now listening to a theory about everything that had ever gone wrong with anyone's health.
My appointment was a consultation. Nobody had even finished explaining my options. I had supplied the entire frightening middle and ending myself, then stayed awake checking whether other strangers agreed.
A shorter list
The Canadian Dental Association and Canadian Academy of Endodontics describe root canal treatment as a safe, effective way to treat an inflamed or infected pulp when appropriate. It removes damaged tissue inside the tooth, then cleans and seals the canals. That gave me something concrete to ask about.[1]
I wrote: what have you found in my tooth? What are the alternatives? How will you check that I am numb? What should I do if I need a pause? Will I need another appointment to finish restoring it?
I also wrote down the name of my medication and the fact that dental needles frightened me. Those details seemed more useful than arriving with six screenshots and no idea what I wanted answered.
The morning version
By breakfast the list fit on one page. I had not become relaxed about dentistry overnight. I still wanted the person treating me to explain the steps and my choices. But I could imagine asking a question out loud instead of nodding while my brain replayed the worst clip.
I closed the video tab. The ring-light man would have to manage without my attention for a while.
Arun