Berks Oral Surgery gave me a warm welcome this week. Over the previous weekend I was invited to dinner with Dr. Fred and his family. Dr. Fred lives close to my host house and drove me to work on Monday. Barb and Charlee showed me around, and I quickly became familiar with their procedures.
My first impressions were of how busy and organized they all are. Week one, I experienced Dr. Beth use an outside surgery facility, at BOS they have procedure rooms and each dentist has their anesthesia license. The majority of patients are under anesthesia during their procedure. Many drugs and procedure rooms are in use, so I soon understood the need for intense organization.
Gabby’s Room
Monday, I was awestruck. The first patient needed an impacted wisdom tooth procedure. During the procedure I felt hot and sick, towards the end I had to leave the room to rest, I felt faint, and struggled to walk. Approaching the recovery section, my home base last week, Barb recognized I needed to lay down. Recovery room 11 (Picture) became “Gabby’s Room” for the week.
Recovered, I watched two more procedures. During one the patient woke and began talking, to sedate the patient, more Propofol was injected into her IV. Later I attempted watching another impacted wisdom tooth procedure, which lead to my feeling ill again, so back to room 11 for me! For the rest of Monday I helped the recovery staff with patients.
Inside Recovery Room 11
Tuesday and Thursday were slow, around fifteen standard procedures. Two left a big impression upon me. One an implant procedure. A surgical implant is placed where a tooth has been pulled, so allowing the positioning of a permanent replacement. The implant procedure begins with bone grafting, creating healthy bone for the positioning of a permanent replacement tooth. The grafting is carried out three months ahead of the final procedure. Three months allows time for the implant to settle and establish. The patient then consults with their general dentist to have a replacement tooth made.
The second fascinating procedure was that of a 16-year-old girl with impacted wisdom teeth. Dr. Fallon had concerns the procedure would not be completed as the patient and family would not agree to general anesthesia or nitrous, thankfully the patient coped. During Dr. Fallon’s procedure he invited me to view closer, I got a really good look, and saw the top of the exposed jaw as Dr. Fallon drilled down to the tooth. I expected to feel light-headed but I stayed strong.
Picture From the left: Charlee, Barb, Dr. Fallon, Me (Gabrielle), Dr. Zinberg, and Dr. Winans
Friday was the busiest by far, twenty five procedures. I spent most of the day with Dr. Zinberg who saw three dental implant patients, with many multiple tooth extractions. I managed to grab a group photo of this incredible team. I had an amazing experience at Berks Oral Surgery. The fun continued through the weekend, I joined Mike Hale, practice director, and his family at their dinner party on Saturday, and church on Sunday morning.
I am so grateful to all of the doctors at Berks Oral Surgery, Dr. John, Dr. Fred, Dr. Rowan, Dr. Sibly, Dr. Zinberg, Dr. Fallon, all surgical staff, in particular Charlee and Barb.
Well done Gabrielle. Impressed you have not been put off dentistry 🙂
Mummy x