Poet Kunitsyn works as a dentist, but tries not to mix profession and creativity

The name of Igor Kunitsyn is well known to connoisseurs of modern poetry. A native of the ancient city of Pechora, now living in Domodedovo, publishes the main Russian-language literary magazines – “Friendship of Peoples”, “Siberian Lights”, “New Youth”, “Interpoetry”. But there are, as it were, two Kunitsyns – one writes books and gets into the lists of prestigious awards, and the second puts on a white coat, sterile gloves and picks up a drill. The thing is that the hero of our today’s publication in the series “The Writer Changes Profession” has been working as a dentist for two decades.

– Igor Nikolaevich, as far as I know, you have two diplomas – a graduate of the Medical University and the Gorky Literary Institute. And where did you study first – in Meda or in Lita?

– In 1993 I entered the Arkhangelsk State Medical Institute. Graduated in 1998. In 2000 he completed his internship and in the same year he entered the Literary Institute. Finished my third year and dropped out. Re-enrolled in 2019, but dropped out immediately after the first session. Lita never received a diploma. Therefore, the only and main thing is the diploma of Meda.

– You decided in your first year: I will be a dentist – or were there options and hesitations, what direction to become a doctor?

– We had three faculties – medical, pediatric and dental. I applied for pediatrics and dentistry. On points passed on stomatology. It was later difficult for him to enter. And we had therapeutic 15 points, pediatrics 13, stomatology -11. I scored 11.

– Is a white coat for you a childhood dream, or is it just the way life has turned out?

– Until the 10th grade, I did not know where I would go to study. But my father was a psychoneurologist. Aunt is a psychiatrist. My sister went to medical school. The choice was obvious. Followed in the footsteps.

– How many years have you been working in your specialty?

– Twenty years. In the first clinic where I got a job in Mytishchi, I gained experience. And then he worked in Domodedovo, and now in Moscow.

– I have a friend who is a graduate of the Literary Institute and works as a seamstress. She has sewing motifs and marker words like “canvas”, “stitch”. Does your work plot and lexically influence creativity? Have you thought about writing your Doctor’s Notes?

– I try not to touch medicine in literary work. Just as I don’t think about poetry when I’m in front of a patient. It may sound trite, but a poet and a dentist are two different personalities. And it suits me.

– “When I publish a book of my stories called “Rattle”, then on the cover I will ask you to draw a young lady entering the building of dental courses …” Averchenko joked at the dawn of the 20th century. And modern dentistry – the same frightening “grinding”? Or has everything changed?

– Today, dentistry is completely different even compared to the end of the 20th century. Modern equipment and materials. Methods of treatment. Anesthesia. It is interesting to work, patients come and calmly sit in a chair. Dentistry and people’s attitudes towards it are changing.

– But a lot of people, including me, are still afraid of “teeth”. Have you had any comical cases, for example, when the patient ran away at the sight of a needle with an anesthetic or with a missing tooth? In general, your profile is therapeutic dentistry or surgery?

– I work as a therapist, an orthopedist. I do surgery: extraction of teeth, implantation, acute pain relief, incisions, drainage, treatment of pericoronitis.

A funny case was in internship. A patient came with a high mobility of the front teeth, they had to be removed for further prosthetics. He was very worried about whether this would affect diction. We reassured him as best we could with the surgeon-mentor. After that, I removed several teeth and released the patient. He went out, and a few minutes later he opened the door and said: “Shpasibo, dentist!”.

There was also a comical one. The patient asked: “Are you Dr. Nikolaevich Kunitsyn?” Apparently, she said this out of excitement instead of “Igor Nikolaevich.”

– What advice can you give readers of “MK” as a poet and as a dentist?

– As a dentist, I would advise you to visit a specialist twice a year and do a professional hygienic cleaning of your teeth. Caries develops quickly, and you may not notice how it turns into complicated caries. And rather quickly appears tartar and plaque on the teeth, which leads to inflammation of the gums and the development of periodontitis. Well, if there are problems with the bite, if possible, correct them. For this there is orthodontics and orthopedics. Incorrect bite leads to many problems.

In general, I don’t like giving advice. Maybe it’s important not to focus on just one thing. Try to be versatile. And take everything seriously.

– Now anesthesia is very effective, but how do you feel about the need (all doctors have it) to hurt people? Do you feel sorry for the patients? Or are you, on the contrary, “ruthless” to people with “neglected” teeth?

– A doctor and ruthlessness are incompatible. The Hippocratic Oath has never been revoked. There are times when, despite anesthesia, the patient still feels pain. Then you start looking for ways to anesthetize better. There are different methods. You spend more time, you talk more with the patient – of course, having experience of various cases, and being sure that there is a way out of any most difficult situation. You just have to be calm and patient. People feel it, and everything works out.

– Have you seen the times when novocaine and cement fillings were in use?

– When I was studying, we did practical work in city clinics. Then the main anesthetic was novocaine. From filling materials phosphate-cement, silidont and seals of chemical curing. Although light-cured materials began to appear in private clinics and paid offices at state clinics. And then there was lidocaine. But syringes and needles were still old-fashioned. The thick needles were painful. These are now carpool syringes and needles thinner than a hair. And chemical fillings were not as convenient and aesthetic as modern filling materials. But even then we tried to make it beautiful

– Who is your patient – adults or children and what is the difference?

– Both adults and children. If the child did not receive negative emotions from the treatment at the first appointment, then there will be no further problems. He sits quietly in a chair. But if he was hurt, then it is very difficult. Sometimes it is necessary to refer to specialized children’s dental clinics. This is the difference. An adult does not need to be persuaded – you need to properly advise and treat.

– When a programmer comes to visit, he is asked to “look at the computer”, and when you are away, were you offered to “look at one tooth” or “check if caries has begun”?

– Very rarely, outside the office, someone asks to look into his mouth. Ask questions if something is bothering you. I give a brief consultation and offer to come for an appointment. But outside the office, it’s still not possible to conduct an inspection qualitatively. Not enough tools and light.