News You Can Bruise for 2002 January 4

Yesterday I went to Dr. Warren, the oral surgeon, for my appointment appointment. I watched a video on the horrible things that might happen as a side effect of wisdom tooth removal (fortunately none of them seem appropriate since my wisdom teeth do not border on the various nerves that could be damaged). I filled out consent forms and made my actual surgery appointment for February 1.

• Dr. Warren had a decidedly Bill Nye aspect to him, and referred to me as "pal", "pardner", and "kiddo".
• Speaking from experience, Dr. Warren imparted this bit of medical wisdom: "Never operate on your mother-in-law."
• I got a Valium to take an hour before my operation as a sort of warmup to the actual anaesthetic.
• One of my wisdom teeth will be more difficult to remove than the other, so I'm being charged $25 more for it.
• The room in which I sat and watched the video has a nice view overlooking a tree with birds in it, and the street, which is in a non-aggravating part of San Francisco.