Open Up and Say Ahhhh - no please not the drill!!!
So today I went to the dentist for the first time in a period long enough that I don't want to admit it openly. The intention was a cleaning and check up and get setup with a new family dentist. But that's not all that I got the pleasure of today. No no. It was a full service visit, taking care of business as only dentists can do it.
The cleaning part of my visit was a lot easier than I'd expected. I figured after the amount of time that had passed since my last professional cleaning it'd take a lot longer to scrape the gunk off. But it was quick and mostly painless thanks to the skilled hands of the hygienist and the fact that I've taken to brushing with an electric toothbrush and started flossing more frequently. Once the cleaning was done in came the dentist to look things over and assess the situation. I knew from my last dental exam "x" amount of years ago that I had two small cavities that needed tending to. So I expected them and considered that I may have had a few new ones pop up in the meantime.
Luckily the only ones the dentist found were the same two I knew about and no more. She completed her exam and stood up and looked at me all serious-like and said, "We have two options... I have time today to take care of these two cavities. We can have them fixed and forgotten about. Or we can schedule you another visit to come in and have them taken care of."
I had to think about it for only about half a second. I don't like waiting much and the anxiety that would build while waiting for another visit was too much to consider.
"Let me text the hubby and see if he needs the car or has any appointments, if not let's just get it over with."
So I texted the husband and when he replied with "May as well do it now!" I settled back into the chair and waited for the Novocaine. I grew anxious as I waited, which for me is typical. I knew that once the numbing took effect I'd not feel anything painful. But I still got nervous about it. But lucky for me the doc and the hygienist kept me talking and distracted me so that I didn't have time to fly into panic mode.
Once the procedure started it was all a crazy mess of drilling noises and smells and slobber and rinsing. My heart was pounding and I was sweating like a (insert non-politically correct metaphor here) and breathing heavy. But I managed to survive and now have no more cavities to worry about for future visits.
I do have a sore jaw and the last few lingering tingles from the Novocaine, but I've also got a bright clean smile to show for it.
The coolest part about getting set up with this new dentist is the fact that she already knew my mouth, inside and out. My husband had started seeing her a while back for cleanings. She'd moved into the office where his prior, now retired dentist had been. So instead of finding someone somewhere else, he just became one of her patients.
A few weeks ago he'd broken a tooth and needed it fixed fairly urgently. She was able to fit him in on very short notice and get him fixed up. Only, the tooth he broke was a front tooth and the way it was broken made it hard to fix. The day after she fixed him up he wanted to stop back in because he felt like it was a little too sensitive when he ate and was a little nervous about it.
After calling to make sure she had time, we went to her office. I thought she kind of looked familiar but couldn't really place her face. It wasn't until she started talking about how she used to be a hygienist herself for many years and used to work for the oldest dentist in the valley.
When I spoke up and said the name of the dentist she was referring to she smiled big and said, "I knew I'd seen your smile before."
Turns out she was my hygienist for many years at the dentist my whole family went to when I was growing up. I saw the same dentist twice a year from early childhood until I went to college at age 18. I may have seen him two or three more times after that but then I had gotten married to my first husband and moved out of state.
She explained to me that day how she had decided to stop cleaning teeth and get her dentistry license. And now, many moons later she has her hands in my smile all over again. Only this time she has someone else doing the dirty work. ;)
It's funny how life works sometimes.
The cleaning part of my visit was a lot easier than I'd expected. I figured after the amount of time that had passed since my last professional cleaning it'd take a lot longer to scrape the gunk off. But it was quick and mostly painless thanks to the skilled hands of the hygienist and the fact that I've taken to brushing with an electric toothbrush and started flossing more frequently. Once the cleaning was done in came the dentist to look things over and assess the situation. I knew from my last dental exam "x" amount of years ago that I had two small cavities that needed tending to. So I expected them and considered that I may have had a few new ones pop up in the meantime.
Luckily the only ones the dentist found were the same two I knew about and no more. She completed her exam and stood up and looked at me all serious-like and said, "We have two options... I have time today to take care of these two cavities. We can have them fixed and forgotten about. Or we can schedule you another visit to come in and have them taken care of."
I had to think about it for only about half a second. I don't like waiting much and the anxiety that would build while waiting for another visit was too much to consider.
"Let me text the hubby and see if he needs the car or has any appointments, if not let's just get it over with."
So I texted the husband and when he replied with "May as well do it now!" I settled back into the chair and waited for the Novocaine. I grew anxious as I waited, which for me is typical. I knew that once the numbing took effect I'd not feel anything painful. But I still got nervous about it. But lucky for me the doc and the hygienist kept me talking and distracted me so that I didn't have time to fly into panic mode.
Once the procedure started it was all a crazy mess of drilling noises and smells and slobber and rinsing. My heart was pounding and I was sweating like a (insert non-politically correct metaphor here) and breathing heavy. But I managed to survive and now have no more cavities to worry about for future visits.
I do have a sore jaw and the last few lingering tingles from the Novocaine, but I've also got a bright clean smile to show for it.
The coolest part about getting set up with this new dentist is the fact that she already knew my mouth, inside and out. My husband had started seeing her a while back for cleanings. She'd moved into the office where his prior, now retired dentist had been. So instead of finding someone somewhere else, he just became one of her patients.
A few weeks ago he'd broken a tooth and needed it fixed fairly urgently. She was able to fit him in on very short notice and get him fixed up. Only, the tooth he broke was a front tooth and the way it was broken made it hard to fix. The day after she fixed him up he wanted to stop back in because he felt like it was a little too sensitive when he ate and was a little nervous about it.
After calling to make sure she had time, we went to her office. I thought she kind of looked familiar but couldn't really place her face. It wasn't until she started talking about how she used to be a hygienist herself for many years and used to work for the oldest dentist in the valley.
When I spoke up and said the name of the dentist she was referring to she smiled big and said, "I knew I'd seen your smile before."
Turns out she was my hygienist for many years at the dentist my whole family went to when I was growing up. I saw the same dentist twice a year from early childhood until I went to college at age 18. I may have seen him two or three more times after that but then I had gotten married to my first husband and moved out of state.
She explained to me that day how she had decided to stop cleaning teeth and get her dentistry license. And now, many moons later she has her hands in my smile all over again. Only this time she has someone else doing the dirty work. ;)
It's funny how life works sometimes.
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