Chapter 5 Dr Preston Reveals Pauls X-rays

Dr. Preston finished examining the X-ray on screen. She then turned her stool, and picking up a dental probe from the tray inched herself a little closer, so she was peering down at Paul.

"Ready, Paul?" she asked gently, a hint of playfulness and eagerness in her voice.

Paul took a breath and said

"Yes, Dr. Preston," his voice shaking slightly.

A faint smile could be seen behind

her surgical mask, at Paul addressing her by her preferred title. Her eyes also went warm and something seemed to flicker across them for a sec. Dr. Preston reached out, with her other gloved hand and rubbing Paul’s faces ran her hand down his cheek. It ending at his chin where she gently nudged his mouth open with her thump resting on his chin. As she did his Paul inhaled the heavy latex smell of her green surgical gloves. As she ran her hand down his face. Again causing him to feel some mixed feelings of arousal from her touch.

"Well, Paul," she began, the probe lightly tapping his front teeth, "it could be worse, but there are certainly some serious issues and work that will need to be done."

She used her other hand to tap a button on the keyboard and Paul’s X-rays changed to a marked up version. The new X-rays on display showed Paul’s teeth with a concerning number of coloured dots highlighting affected teeth in red, yellow & orange.

"We have five confirmed cavities here," she explained, tapping each one with a gentle concern in her voice. "Some are quite large, others a bit smaller. Mostly on your lower jaw but also a couple on the upper” “Are they sensitive? You have been feeling some of these ones most haven’t you Paul I’m sure that is some of your tooth sensitivity?"

Dr Preston as she spoke tapped 3 of Paul’s teeth. And was rewarded with Paul twitching at some as the dental probe made contact. “Yes” Paul said quietly. “I thought so” Dr Preston set the dental probe down on the tray and she took a styles iPad pen and tapping it on the screen a couple of teeth highlighted with red dots became a bolder red and a small U in black appeared on the teeth she marked. Paul assumed U stood for urgent “We will schedule those fillings very soon Paul I promise” As she said that she gently cupped this face with both gloved hand. Again the feel of the latex on Paul’s face and the heavy smell of surgical latex gloves caused Paul to feel very flushed and he hoped due to the large surgical light shining above that Dr Preston would not see him blushing from her touch.

She then picked up the probe while pointing to three other teeth highlighted in yellow tapping them. "These three," she continued, "I will need to do a deeper exploration examination during the deep gum and teeth scaling treatment. I recommend doing that first to see how serious some of your

Issues are" The amount of coloured dots on screen seemed to blinked ominously to Paul.

Her gaze returned to Paul's mouth, the probe now going to the back of his mouth. She highlighted two additional areas, with orange dots stark against the red & yellow dots on the X-ray so far. "These 2 wisdom teeth may," she stated, "become impacted very soon based on there current angle. I highly recommend extractions of those 2 wisdom teeth Paul."

A slight frown creased her brow and the surgical masked twitched showing her concerned expression as she pointed to the remaining two wisdom teeth that were highlighted in yellow. "The other 2 are a bit of question mark but they concern me also based on your current X-rays ? We probably need deeper X-rays, focusing on your roots and gums in your mouth, to confirm if they will also be an issue”

Dr. Preston tapped her masked chin thoughtfully with a green gloved hand a silent conversation it appeared to Paul was going on in her head. Then with a small shack of her head she said "Alright," she finally, looking down at Paul with a determined look in her eyes. "Good news for me, it seems like lots of work to keep me busy and hone my skills. Some of the procedures may be a little hard for you, Paul, but we'll get you through it” she said warmly.

Dread coiled in Paul's stomach as he stared at the screen. The red, yellow & orange dots seemed to multiply before his eyes, each one a tiny beacon of neglected dental hygiene. He forced himself to look away, stealing a glance at Dr. Preston. There it was again, that eager and playfulness look in her eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, a question nagging at him.

"Dr. Preston," he began, then hesitated. This skilled dental hygienist was clearly confident, but how much confidence was too much? He took a deep breath. "These procedures, the cavities and possible wisdom teeth..." he trailed off, unsure of how to phrase his concern. A dental hygienist nurse wouldn't be performing those?

As if reading his mind, Dr. Preston chuckled softly, a sound that sent a surprising warmth through him. "Relax, Paul," she said, her voice calming. "While I may be a skilled dental hygienist and have some special skills experience with cavities and filling," Playfully giving Paul an eye winking as she bent to look at him again.

"Those possible wisdom tooth extractions and some of the other deeper procedures are for a qualified dental surgeon Doctor Samantha Steel. I'm here to assess the situation, clean things up as much as possible, and make sure you get the best possible care." Paul felt a wave of relief wash over him. He hadn't meant to question Dr Preston competence or skill just his own understanding of who normal did more complex dental procedures. He watched her return her attention to the X-rays, her brow furrowed in concentration again. He caught only a couple small snippets of her thoughts as she muttered to herself as the surgical mask muffled her voice – "deep cleanings needed," "I don’t like the look of those roots their," "first premolar, second molar..."

Dr. Preston remained engrossed in the X-rays, on screen her digital pen flitting across the screen, marking a few new teeth with additional small yellow circles in addition to the existing yellow ones already on the x-rays. This new development sent a flicker of apprehension through him, but he decided to hold off voicing his concern.

Clearing his throat a little louder this time, Paul finally caught Dr. Preston's attention. She turned, a mischievous grin showing on her lips, as she pulled her surgical mask below her chin, revealing a warm smile.

"Sorry, Paul," she said, her voice genuine. "Didn't mean to keep you captive with my enthusiasm. But honestly, your teeth are quite the… project, and I can't wait to get started. They'll definitely going to give my skills a good workout, and of course, help you out of this neglected mess you have."

Paul offered a sheepish nod and smile, a wave of guilt washing over him. Dr. Preston was right. Years of ignoring his dental health had landed him in this chair, staring down a daunting number of coloured dots. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. "Alright, Dr. Preston," he said, his voice firmer. "Enough chit-chat. What are the next steps?"