June 05th, 2020

Whoa! That's kind of scary!  Sorry I didn't mean for it to be.  I just need a photo of teeth.

Yesterday was my first remotely medical appointment post-Covid.  It was time to see the dentist. (hence the fairly terrifying photo of my pearly whites)

Looking at that photo I think about those horrible braces I wore for 4 years.  The top teeth are nice and straight (tho it seems that i have a tiny chip in one front tooth. hmmmm) but the bottom ones are still a crookedy mess.  All that pain and expense and annoyance and that is the result?  Somebody owes my dad a refund!!!   But I digress. Sorry about that.

Sooo  I made the appointment six months ago at my last check up.  It's what I always do so I won't forget.  And they are kind enough to mail me a reminder card a few weeks prior just in case I forgot to put it on my calendar.  Thus far I have never forgotten, but I suppose it's always a possibility.  Then at the beginning of the week I got a call from my dental office.  My appointment was for 11 o'clock on Thursday and they asked if I would mind changing it to 3 in the afternoon instead.  sigh.

I agreed to it because once upon a time I was the lady in the office (not dental but still medical) forever calling and asking people to please agree to move around their appointment so I know what it's like to do that job.  I try to always get morning appointments.  Partly because I'm a morning person, at my best early in the day.  But also because once the appointment out of the way, I can then get on with the rest of my day.  When there is a mid-day appointment it just interrupts everything. (or at least it feels as if it does)  But hey, in the bigger picture, it's not a big deal.   

While I had her on the phone I asked if there was anything protocol-wise that I needed to know.  As if surprised she said, "Oh yes, that's right" and went on to tell me that I couldn't come into the building (meaning the waiting room) until the exact time of my appointment.    Ok.

So I left in time to arrive at exactly 3 on the dot.  And since I walked there I actually did precisely that.  (score!) and walk right in.  More than half of the chairs had big signs on them saying "this chair closed".  Usually patients sign in.  There was no sign in sheet.  And the sliding window into reception was closed.  It's never closed.  So there were two more things that were different.  As soon as the receptionist heard me come in the little window slid open and she said hello and that she would be right out to take my temperature and then she quickly slid it closed again.  Ok.  My temp was fine so the hygienist directed me quickly to her room.

My hygienist was wearing  disposable jacket over her scrubs which was something new and a mask and clear visor, which wasn't new.   First off I was given something to swish and spit and that was something else that was different.  I remarked on the unique taste and was told that it was a peroxide rinse.  Ok.

The rest of the appointment was as it has always been.  A very thorough cleaning and polishing (by the way, the taste of the polish after the taste of the peroxide rinse was a singular combination) followed by the doctor's once over.  

I did fine. No recommendations or suggestions. Everyone was very professional and kind  - which they always are and stayed as distant as possible - which was new but not unexpected.

Over all not as strange as I thought it might be and I'm sure in time, this will just be the new normal and I won't think anything of it.  Thus far, none of the changes are difficult to deal with, just an extra step or two.  But for now, everything I'm doing for the first time since the virus appeared turns ordinary things into  unique experiences. 

Curious to see how the  next one goes.

Have a wonderful weekend please.  Ours will be very rainy according to all of the weather reports.  But it will be a good one regardless but we will make it so!