Saturday, April 28, 2007

It's Keepin' Me Way-ay-ay-ay-ting

Why is it that tooth pain is seemingly worse than other pain?

Denton and I were to take the kids to see 'Suessical' today. I had forgotten and scheduled a dentist appointment months ago. With the new job, I didn't feel I could take off in the middle of the day for a cleaning.

As I re-found out about "Suessical", I wasn't sure which would be the most uncomfortable: cleaning and possible filling replacement or adults singing in children's voices in weird-ass rhyme. I'm calling it even.

So that the kids weren't disappointed, I sent Denton alone. G-d, he is SO the better uncle. ...and he didn't go alone, my sister went too. He'll be fine.

Back to my original question though. The filling I might have needed replaced, but they now didn't have time to do, became necessary when while during the cleaning the filling actually broke! I almost swallowed it, but sat up in time.

So now I knew drilling would be the topper of the day, after they already jabbed pointy metal things into my enamel and under my gumline. I told them they better numb me to the roof.

I have only had novocaine once before...for my crown. All my other eight fillings were done without numbing. Hence my fear of the dentist. As I was led back to the 'procedure room', Dr. Dorothy asked what was it about the act I hated: the noise? the sound?

My immediate response was: "THE PAIN". But in a split second I knew that was the wrong answer...and the answer to this original question. It was the anticipation of pain.

Often we go to doctors for treatment or just check-ups. Rarely do they cause pain. With a dentist, it's almost a forgone conclusion. My dental history doesn't help this situation.

The process was quick and really quite painless. The iPod barely helped with the noise. Dr. Dorothy likes to talk. So with her yammering away about things I might need to know about, the noise from the drill and the Smithereens playing in my ears, I eventually just powered down.

There's no up-shot to this story.

I'm the kind of guy who goes to a doctor and they always find 'something else'. Go for an eye exam and they find some weird virus that now precludes me lasik surgery and wearing contacts again. Or the ruptured appendix where they find cancer. That kind of thing.

Today, it was just a receding gum that needs graphed or to lose the tooth in a few years. YEA!!!! Periodontist, here I come!!!

5 comments:

rebecca said...

So did you get the novo??? What the heck kind of dentist did you have growing up, anyway? You know now they even numb the gums with a topical, before giving you the novo shot??? So civilized! Why didn't they think of that, when we were kids?

Anonymous said...

After the last appointment I had with my old dentist, he said that he had to tell me something private before I moved away forever.

Then he took me in his office and gave me a hummer. With no painkillers!

See, dental work CAN be fun...

Anonymous said...

As often as I've fervently imagined, I've never had Garkawe's dental fantasy actually happen. My current one, though, who has been a wonderful dental dude to me for nearly two decades, never fails to amaze me. I go in telling him I need new fillings and reconstruction. He just tells me, "eh, we'll just file down your old ones." He's wonderful, never makes me go through anything unnecesary, and just happens to be the cutest straight li'l dentist in CMH. I love he!

Blobby said...

How did he get an extra large SUV in his office to give to you? Those things are EXPENSIVE!

My dentist doesn't get Morty's Chinese Dentist Time joke either.

marxsny said...

Don't you just love the dentist. At least you didn't have to go to the dentist and see "Suessical". You can link to me if you like. I add links to blogs I enjoy reading or think people who read mine will like.