During times of stress, I don't recommend doing things that add to your level of anxiety, like getting your teeth cleaned. I visited a new dentist this morning, one who offers gentle sedation. I should have been gently sedated perhaps but then who would have driven me back to work? Work. I am 85% done with a book project for work, one with many authors. I serve as the editorial traffic cop, not author, but this thing has my name on it. So I'm a bit tense about it's completion and perfection. So, I arrive at the new dentist a bit distracted. I give them my insurance card and fill out the paperwork.
Eventually I get called back for the cleaning, which I hate. Who enjoys that? My one friend who flosses every day. That's who. Not even half way through the scrape scrape scraping away, I hear the word "red Subaru" in the lobby and gargle out, "I think that's my car!" I was parked in a doctor's space (at a different practice) and he arrived to work to see my car there. I was asked to leave the chair, reminded to grab my coat, and then hustled down by the very nice building manager who parked me in another doctor's space.
I considered escaping, but reluctantly went back up to finish the dreaded cleaning and within a minute the very nice (and gentle!) hygienist says those awful words, "Maam, you're biting my finger." She didn't yelp or yell or even get mad. I felt terrible for two reasons. 1) It has nothing to do with her work, she was steller and had the dexterity of a concert pianist 2) There is a hygienist from my childhood I secretly wanted to bite, for hurting and berating me through every hated cleaning.
I have been to four dentists since moving to the area. Between moves and jobs and insurance change, I've switched up a few times, trying out new dentists the way people go on blind dates.
My last dentist said that I should have fillings replaced because I'm a woman of a certain age and am likely to be pregnant soon so I should have the dental work all out of the way. Huh? Does he know something that I don't? But, today I found a great one. Will they invite me back? I guess I'll find out in six months.
1 comments:
Ah, the dentist. The first experience that I remember was with a dentist who was a nice man, but had a large head for his small frame. And him leaning over me with a big needle used before removing some baby teeth is really something that you never forget.
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