If you'd asked me to write down how I might die, "asphyxiation by dental hygienist" would not have topped the list.
However, a dental hygienist almost took me out today.
You see, today I went in for a routine teeth cleaning. Prior to the session, I complained to my hygienist that the dentist was stingy about pain meds. So my hygienist, J, applied an abundance of topical analgesic to my gums to ensure I felt no pain during the cleaning session.
Too much analgesic. So much analgesic that it numbed the muscles of the back of my throat. This caused me to be unable to swallow properly, which, in turn led to aspirating a substantial amount of mouthwash into my lungs.
I started coughing uncontrollably. In order to clear my throat, the hygienist suggested that I take a walk around the building a few times. It helped, but the coughing was still so bad that I vomited. We tried to continue with the cleaning, but I couldn't stop coughing.
Even now, 12+ hours later, I cough sometimes, and my voice sounds as raspy as a 60 year old smoker.
Who knew that teeth cleaning could bring one so close to death!?!
But today was not that day! Not yet anyway. You'll have to work harder than that kill me, dental hygienists of the world! Especially you, J.
However, a dental hygienist almost took me out today.
You see, today I went in for a routine teeth cleaning. Prior to the session, I complained to my hygienist that the dentist was stingy about pain meds. So my hygienist, J, applied an abundance of topical analgesic to my gums to ensure I felt no pain during the cleaning session.
Too much analgesic. So much analgesic that it numbed the muscles of the back of my throat. This caused me to be unable to swallow properly, which, in turn led to aspirating a substantial amount of mouthwash into my lungs.
I started coughing uncontrollably. In order to clear my throat, the hygienist suggested that I take a walk around the building a few times. It helped, but the coughing was still so bad that I vomited. We tried to continue with the cleaning, but I couldn't stop coughing.
Even now, 12+ hours later, I cough sometimes, and my voice sounds as raspy as a 60 year old smoker.
Who knew that teeth cleaning could bring one so close to death!?!
But today was not that day! Not yet anyway. You'll have to work harder than that kill me, dental hygienists of the world! Especially you, J.