Ahhh, the Dentist Chair
Hard-core dental work is in a league all its own…
* It’s timing the moment you must close your eyes to avoid seeing the needle slide into your mouth for those stinging shots.
* It’s being handed a tissue and a suction tube to keep the drool off your face and neck.
* It’s having little bits of things pulled out of your teeth and wiped on your ‘bib’.
* It’s seeing miniscule bits of your teeth floating in the air above you like water vapor.
* It’s keeping your reflexes at the ready just in case the anesthesia hasn’t taken effect and the drilling has already begun.
* It’s feeling like your lips are about to crack wide open just before the dental hygenist swipes a big glob of Vaseline over your lips like a four-year-old practicing with lipstick.
* It’s hearing the varied sounds of your teeth being ground away–anything from a table saw to a kitten meow.
* It’s walking out of the office pale as a ghost, hair matted strangely, lips quirked in odd and disturbing ways from the numbness.
Thank goodness they played Summer Breeze…
05/29/2008 at 7:27 am
Or how they can keep their hand in your mouth so you can’t swallow when you know (and can feel) the saliva building up in your mouth.
I can sympathize with everything you said too because I recently had a dental appointment. Had the teeth cleaned but didn’t see the dentist because her mother had had a stroke the night before. We scheduled an exam for the following week, along with some work I needed done and that was canceled because, bless her heart, her husband was killed in a motorcycle accident a couple of days before that appointment. That was two weeks ago and I haven’t rescheduled yet.
Anyway, hope you got everything done you needed to and are good for another year.
05/29/2008 at 1:19 pm
Ugh that’s the worst! The trying to swallow part!
Was this cavity stuff? I haven’t had my wisdom teeth removed but I’ve had cavity work. I dread having to go under for the wisdom teeth. What if I don’t wake up?! I know, I’m being ridiculous but this is how I think…
I did wake up when they were sticking the needle in one time. It’s not a big deal to me since I’m not afraid of needles but they yelled at me for opening my eyes.
05/29/2008 at 6:24 pm
I’ve always hated having work done on my teeth because my mouth takes forever to numb. My dentist told me he has to give me 3 times what he gives a normal person so I don’t feel anything. Luckily, he won’t do any work until he is sure I’m numb.
I always felt the drill when I was growing up. My childhood dentist never believed me when I said I could still feel the drill.
05/29/2008 at 9:39 pm
oh man, i’m having flashbacks!
the wiping of the goo and gunk on the bib is the absolute worst–totally disgusting.
my sympathies!