經歷詳述:
Treatments: Removal of all 4 wisdom teeth locate at the ends of both my upper and lower jaws (by which 2 of them require surgical removal), followed by restoration of one tooth suffering from cavity.

Diagnosis and treatment were divided into 3 parts:
(i) Extraction of 2 wisdom teeth (by which one requires surgical removal) on my left-hand side (the side where my tooth cavity locates) (henceforth “first surgical removal”)
(ii) Extraction of another 2 wisdom teeth (again, one of them requires surgical removal) on my right-hand side (henceforth “second surgical removal”)
(iii) Restoration of one tooth with cavity

In the initial stage of the diagnosis, cavity was found in one tooth, the one on my left-hand side (at the end of my lower jaw) right next to the wisdom tooth given that restoration was obstructed by an impacted wisdom tooth beside it, I have to extract that particular wisdom tooth (i.e. by surgical removal) before I can fill the cavity. Then, I was told that upon surgical removal of that impacted wisdom tooth (at the lower jaw), the wisdom tooth located on the same side at the upper jaw has to be extracted simultaneously so as to avoid extension of the wisdom tooth at the upper jaw.

The same situation happens in my right-hand side (while the only thing different was that no cavity was being detected so far), therefore I was advised to remove the impacted wisdom tooth at the lower jaw and extract the one at the upper jaw simultaneously (for the same rationale) “as a means” to avoid tooth caries in future (and It was the co-called “preventive measure” that I was advised. = =).

The “first surgical removal” (and extraction) did not cause much suffering in a sense that it takes about one hour to remove both the 2 wisdom teeth (well, maybe I am quite lenient on that, haha >.< ). Whereas for the “second surgical removal” (and extraction), it was difficult, difficult in a sense that for the extraction of the wisdom tooth on the upper jaw, it takes much longer time and effort before the tooth can be successfully extracted. Initially, Dr. Tam used a specific plier, which is believed to be smaller in size, trying to extract the tooth however, after several attempts, he decided to use another plier, which I believed should be more powerful in extracting those what I would describe as “stubborn teeth”, so he asked the nurse for that plier nevertheless, he was told that such a plier was not available for use at the moment as it was still in the dryer!! Therefore, in the absence of that “sophisticated” plier, he then decided to go with the existing one.

Actually I couldn’t clearly remember exactly how long it takes for him to extract my wisdom tooth but the result was that my wisdom tooth AND the alveolar bone underneath the tooth were removed ALTOGETHER. So my immediate reaction was that is it because of the fact that the more “powerful” plier was still sitting in the dryer so that the existing plier was not “efficient enough” to extract the tooth? Of course, it is just my speculation given that I was a complete outsider in the discipline of dentistry nevertheless, the result did piss me off a little bit and I really feel upset about it.

Also, I was told after the “second surgical removal” that, for the surgical removal of wisdom tooth at the end of my lower jaw (on the right-hand side), some of the fractures of the root cannot be removed (since some of the roots were too close to the neurons) so that they were still in my gingiva, but it was alright and would cause no harm to me. Indeed, I fully understand and it makes perfect sense to me that if the root of a tooth is believed to be too close to the neurons, one should not managed to remove it because it would definitely put the patient at risk; but I was just wondering if such a scenario can be foreseen in the stage when I took the radiograph? If this is the case, maybe it is a good idea to get the patient informed in the early stage (rather than after the surgery when everything was set).

Overall speaking, I believe that Dr. Tam is a kind gentleman and a component dentist, but maybe to a certain extent, a little bit over-confident in a sense that he has his own plan, and that he did have provide some general explanations on the potential consequences after the surgery; nevertheless, I wish that as a patient, I would be informed a little bit more on the actions or procedures that you are going to undertake throughout the treatment (despite of the fact that I am a complete outsider in this subject area), because I think it would help in mitigating, rather than intensifying, the anxieties and worries of a patient.

簡評:
個人觀感- 判症快捷、合情合理
經歷過程- 需要自己主動提出較多的諮詢
推介意見- 總體來說已算合格