Apicoectomy at DENTart and article about 112-The European emergency number

Yesterday I walked over to Tempelierstraat to catch the #140 Connexxion bus to Heemstede.  I had an appointment for 1030hrs. for dental surgery. The dentist had found that I had pocket of infection at the root of one of the teeth I had had a root canal done on last May. The tooth had been sensitive off an on for months and I finally decided I'd better get it taken care of. My dentist in CA thought it might be a cracked root and that's why I was putting it off. That would have meant removing the bridge I just had put in, pulling that tooth and getting an implant and then a new bridge.

The dentist, Dr. Robert Gitz, performed an Apicoectomy. He explained everything he was going to do and told me every step of the way what was going on. He was very thorough and as gentle as he could be.

A few hours after I got home my nose started to bleed....a lot......It scared me. Dr. Gitz had shown me the xrays where the root of my tooth was close to the sinus cavity, but hadn't warned me that it might bleed. The instructions I used to provide as a 911 dispatcher came back to me....Do not sniff or blow!! LOL!

 I did call Dr. Gitz...He reassured me that it was perfectly normal and to just rest. The bleeding slowed down after about 30 minutes and stopped completely a few hours later.  After the anesthetic wore off there was very little pain, I just took a couple of Advil. I didn't think of icing the area till a few hours later......and that helped quite a bit too.

This morning I woke up looking like a chipmunk, but no pain.  We'll see how it heals now!  I am scheduled to go back to have the stitches removed on Friday.

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Great article posted by Iamexpat  on Facebook about 112

112 - The European emergency number

 

112 is a single emergency telephone number that allows European citizens and travelers within EU to contact emergency services for assistance in all Member States.

In order to ensure a quicker and more efficient intervention, 112 operates either alongside the national emergency numbers or as the main emergency number depending on the country.

Since each Member State is responsible for its own national civil protection system, the operator may transfer your call to the appropriate emergency service or deal with your request directly.

The European emergency number is:› ideal for contacting any emergency service in any EU country
› available from fixed (including public pay-phones) and mobile phones all over EU
› easily remembered and quickly dialed (no country, city or district code needed)
› seen as a key instrument for the free movement within the EU

Countries
112 operates in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican and the United Kingdom. 112 is also available worldwide on GSM mobile networks.

Instructions
› Call 112 and wait until you are connected to an operator.
› Introduce yourself and clearly state the incident.
› Although emergency services should be able to identify where you are physically located, always indicate your location and if possible, briefly explain how to reach you.
› Answer all the questions asked.
› Follow the operator’s advice.
› Do not hang up, until the call-taker or dispatcher asks you to.
› Try to keep your phone line free after the conversation; you may receive calls for additional information. 
› Call again only if there are more to report / situation changes.

Call 112 in case:
› of fire / smoke / explosives
› of a serious car / work accident
› someone is attempting to steal / damage a vehicle or property
› you or people nearby you are trapped / injured / unconscious / bleeding / suffocating
› you witnessed an attempted suicide

Do not use 112:
› just for fun / to check if it actually works
› to report the same accident / emergency again
› to call a taxi or get informed about transportation schedules / flight information
› for contact details (address, phone number etc.)
› for medical specialists, prescriptions etc.
› for minor accidents / incidents

Note that
› If the operator does not answer your call immediately do not hang up; every repeated call is considered a new one and thus, is put at the end of the queue.
› Stay calm and make sure your answers are precise, brief and clear.
› The average waiting time in the Netherlands is eight seconds.
› 112 calls from mobile phones in the Netherlands are possible even if there is no SIM card.
› Operators in the Netherlands can be expected to speak English, German and French
› Hoax 112 calls are considered to be a criminal offense in most EU countries.
› February 11 is established as the European 112 Day.
› All EU citizens and travelers should receive information about 112 by SMS when they travel to another EU country (Roaming Regulation, July 2009).
› Only around 45% of the Dutch are aware of 112 as the EU-wide emergency number.

Visit the 112 Foundation for more information and remember: "When in doubt, dial it out - 112. You could save someone’s life!"

Useful links
› European Commission 112
› 112 in the Netherlands