Magazines at the Dental Surgery

Almost a new magazine!

Last Wednesday saw me at the dentist's awaiting my six month check up, (soon I understand to be yearly due to government cut backs). I cannot say that I enjoy these visits even if I am rewarded with a, "no fillings needed." The descaling is every bit as painful as that involved in getting a filling. Indeed it is, I think, more painful. At least when you need a filling you are offered an injection to numb the pain. Not so with the descaling so I now attempt to moderate the pain by taking a slight overdose of painkillers in advance. It does help, but every so often the drill manages to find a nerve ending which is close to the surface of the tooth enamel.

I always try to grab an appointment straight after lunch as it does mean you do not have to wait too long to be taken and it also means that you do not have to listen to some other poor sod being attacked by a drill. I was waiting no more than two minutes before I was taken so I was unable to read very much of the magazine which I had lifted from the table in front of me. It was a National Geographic Magazine. The age of magazines in dental and doctor's waiting rooms is something of a joke. This one was dated January 2004. I didn't pay any particular attention to this at the time. One does sort of expect old and rather dog eared magazines in waiting rooms. However I was reminded of the incident whilst reading the Sunday Telegraph this afternoon. The paper's Health Correspondent writes that  NHS officials have warned dentists not to keep old periodicals in their waiting rooms because they are apparently a health and safety risk.

Imagine a dental waiting room with ranks of up to date magazines with the corners lying flat! Unimaginable! Dammed jobsworths!