Trip to The Dentist – Not as Bad as I Thought it Would Be

There are some things in life that you will always have a certain fear about. For me, the dentist is one of them. It does not matter if you are 5 , 25, or 75. The thought of the dentist saying you have a problem that has to be corrected is enough to make you cringe while still in the chair laying down.

I went to my scheduled semi-annual visit yesterday. Dr.Jay White (in Duncan) is where go for my routine exam and cleaning and if necessary dental work. I was greeted at the door by my hygienist (who I have know since grade school) so I had no worries that I was going to get the treatment with out too much pain. Yes, we have all experienced an appointment where when they were done with you you could not eat, drink or talk for hours or days. Not so here.

After some small talk she starts with x-rays. OK, not unusual to have this done so the dentist can check for any issues hidden from the obvious look in the mouth.   I was expecting 4 maybe 5 pictures to be taken. 18 pictures later, my mouth was already tired and she was not even ready to start the procedure. And this new fangled item that I had to bite on tasted horrible. Could we at least give a fruit or chocolate flavor to enhance the moment?

Now as I turned to look at the images I had to wonder exactly why she took so many. I guess since I had reached a magical age that my teeth may start going in a different direction that calls for how shall I approach this "older age" dental care? I guess that that was not exactly why. It is good to have on file in case I go missing or something.

I was not really paying attention to time as Marni (hygienist) was cleaning, but evidently two episodes of Sports Center had aired before she was done. Was it that bad or am I allotted a whole hour in the chair?  Seems it is the latter of the two. Not bad. Only a couple of times did she hit a sensitive spot. But that pain has finally subsided.

Now in comes the dentist. I am looking out the window at a huge grasshopper that had attached himself to the glass while he is looking at the x-rays. There is a really long silence. That is not good I am thinking to myself. Quiet is never good in the dentist. It is usually followed by get me a drill and some novocaine.

But this time not so much. He was just looking closely at some dental work that was done while I was in the Navy. He did comment that eventually I would have to get one crown on a tooth that may cause some trouble. I asked the obvious question when? Well I don't want to tell you tomorrow or 5 years from now. Your mouth will tell you. OK, so it will just break and then I come back? Pretty much so.

No cavities and other than the one tooth for possible treatment down the road and I am done. Whew. Glad I can cross that one off the list for now. Don't have to go back until January.

Do you have fears of going to the dentist? Would you prefer to be totally knocked out while they work on your teeth?