One score and seven years ago...
I went to the dentist today for a tooth that has been bothering me as well as a regular cleaning, couple of xrays, and an exam. My problem molar was a mystery since the x ray didn't show anything. They put that colored tape in the back of my mouth and told me to bite down to see if maybe a tooth had a high spot. And yes, a blue spot appeared. So the good doc drilled [I mean polished] the surface a 'lil bit, I chewed on more paper, and we did it again...'lil drilling, etc. He said, "Now I want you to give this a week to see if the toothache is a result of the upper molar being pounded by the bottom one."To which I replied:" I cannot believe that I am going to get away that easy! We both know my dental history!" And we laughed together.
But it is bittersweet because my pain-free dentist is in the process of retiring. The business has already been passed on to the next dentist, who works a majority of the five days. For a person whose patent answer to: "Do you want novacaine for this ?"...is...
"Will I be opening my mouth for this procedure?" ...or "Are you planning on using the drill today?"
I don't mind the novacaine, but I dread the sound, smell, and whirring of the drill as I await and expect it to hurt at any moment. White knuckled and holding my breath, I have graduated from laughing gas AND novacaine simultaneously. Today's short procedure was with nothing, and really didn't warrant anything.
Several root canals and a couple of crowns
Always left me tightly wound.
Unsuspecting popcorn and a lone tootsie roll
Emergency on a weekend that took a costly toll.
Intensive
Expensive
A necessary evil and a curse that must be borne
My favorite retiring dentist...an occasion I will mourn!!
Labels: dr. visits
posted by Mare at
3:03 PM
8 Comments:
Aw, I feel for ya. But I have never mourned a retiring dentist. To me, they are all the same.
By
Anonymous, At
July 13, 2009 at 9:29 PM
As somebody whose mouth is worth more than any other part of me, I know exactly how you feel, and I mean EXACTLY how you feel. I had a good dentist once and I was devastated when he retired. A good dentist is worth his weight in dental gold.
By
Kay, At
July 13, 2009 at 10:22 PM
ah dentists. my hubby with the perfect teeth had his luck run out this past spring and now has many filling and root canals, etc. etc. etc. He joined the human race finally with our gold and enamel fillings and expensive mouths. Yes a good dentist is worth his weight in gold. lol!
By
Great Grandma Lin, At
July 13, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Mare,
I hear you!
Ditto for me regarding the trauma of a dentist visit.
My dentist of 25 years semi-retired last year and I was passed on to the new guy. He is very good and medicates me as necessary. But still, I liked my old dentist because of the rapport we developed, plus it's tough getting used to the newbie!
AJ
By
Anonymous, At
July 13, 2009 at 11:22 PM
Pain free denistry, my guy had the most beautiful baby blues, I really didn't know if I was getting my teeth cleaned or my wallet cleaned. MOW
By
Anonymous, At
July 15, 2009 at 5:28 AM
Just stopping in to see what you're up to. Yea, I see. I'm glad you had a nice dentist visit. Uggghhhh! I don't want to think about dentists. It's there in the part you said about, gas, smelling, drilling, and the like.
By
dellgirl, At
July 15, 2009 at 11:27 PM
Yes, I agree with everything you wrote, dentists are torturers. When a non sadistic one comes along - a very rare thing - of course his retirement is to be mourned.
By
Celeste Maia, At
July 16, 2009 at 5:24 AM
Having worked in the dental industry for several years... and having a MAJOR horror story of my own to tell about why I acquired an utterly immobilizing fear of dentists, I get ya completely!
Glad you got off so easy. And I'm sorry as all tarnation that you'll be losing him.
I've said before that the most beautiful words to me, (next to my hubby saying,"I need you", and my kids calling out, "Mom. I'm home") would be my dentist saying, "Well, Mrs Stott. That does it. I don't expect we'll see each other again unless we bump into one another at the market." Sheer music!!
By
wispy willow, At
July 16, 2009 at 6:50 PM
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