Snap
The unexpecting sound of dread. It’s so guttural and deep. Every cell in your body seems to receive the ‘oh shit’ signal all at once. Responding in fight or flight measured in milliseconds.
There is nothing quite thrilling, head scratching and defeating as when you hear a screw break off inside an implant.
I think pain is measured in the ounces of sweat that come out. The realization you’re either doing more work, or letting someone else know to help bail you out. We take on the pain and suffering of our patients needing extra work just to get things ‘right’.
Guilt to me is solely our internalization of feeling sorry. It’s because we cared enough to begin with. We want to see it through to clear our own dental conscience and wipe the slate clean. Nothing gets you more riled up than dust all over your lab, same goes with that damn conscience.
Intention doesn’t even matter. We go into every case with the intention that it goes smoothly, nothing unexpected shows up and the patient leaves happy and you erase one more item from the conscience slate. Boxing legend Mike Tyson said it best: ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth’. Best laid plans go awry all the time, especially in our field.
Source Eqsquire
It’s our nature to think point A to point B as a straight line. The fastest route is what we strive for. What we get is usually more jagged, like a fractured incisal edge with undermining decay.
When everything goes as planned, celebrate. When the unexpected happens, the universe is giving us a puzzle to figure out.
Now I have to figure out how to reverse this broken screw out of the implant abutment.
Take care my friend,
Lam