OK, so it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, all went pretty well. This dentists office has a place on their sheet to write if you are nervous about visiting the dentist. It actually has a ton of questions, but that was one. I wrote yes; as if it wasn't obvious by the fact that my last dental exam was dated a little while ago, in another city, before we relocated, before Aidan and the babies, etc.
The hygienist was, of course, someone I knew and when she was starting x-rays she asked if I didn't like dentists and I told her I hated it and didn't like being there at all, but knew I had to go. She said that at least I didn't let that impression color my boys' thoughts because they were great patients. Made me feel better, but they also have no idea how terrified I am of going.
So I'm thinking the worst....there will be 50 cavities (OK, maybe you don't even have that many teeth, but you get the point), I'll need a root canal, or some other horrible oral problem. My jaw kept popping when she put in the x-ray thingies, but that's normal for me. She heard it and commented on it.
Back to the little room we go and I get in the chair. She said she was just going to clean my teeth first. When she started she said there was an obvious advantage to my fear because my teeth looked fabulous and she never would have guessed I hadn't been to a dentist in...ahem...7 years. So she cleaned them and said all looked great and the dentist came in. This particular dentist has 5 year old twins, so at least we have multiples in common.
She looked over my x-rays and said they looked really good. I thought, yeah, right...she's going to wait to tell me the horrible stuff later. She did the exam and found a tiny cavity on one tooth near the back, so I have to get that fixed. She said it was nothing major and looked pretty new, probably caused by my last pregnancy. It was so little it didn't even show up on the x-ray. The shooting pain on the one tooth that I am feeling is caused by a "tiny" chip in it. She didn't think she could fix the chip, but she'd try if I wanted her to. For now, she put a desensitizer on it and said if that works, I don't have to get it fixed. It's working great.
That's it...that's all there was! I go back in next week to have the cavity fixed, and if I survive that, then I'll be doing great. I told Steve he ought to write my dad a thank you letter for the thousands of dollars he put in my mouth with sealants and braces and every other thing when I was little, because now, at my advanced age, I have two cavities, which apparently isn't very many.
So, it wasn't very bad...I'll admit it. I still hate going, but I will go more regularly now again. Thank you, Dad, for the offer of holding my hand. I knew you didn't enjoy holding me down, but I'm also thankful that I did have the advantage of excellent dental care when I was young because it apparently pays off your whole life. It's why I make sure my boys' teeth are well taken care of.
Showing posts with label dentist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dentist. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Absolutely Terrified...
....of the dentist. I cannot stand going and therefor, have not gone in over seven years (please, do not let my dad be reading this!!!). I have graciously allowed Steve and the boys to go, since we do not have dental insurance and use flex spending funds. But Steve is increasing the amount in January (five kids now and all), so that little plot has failed me and I knew I would have to go in January. I figured I could psych myself enough that I would go. My mouth, on the other hand, had other plans.
For the last month, I have had a dull pain on the right side of my mouth that has gradually gotten worse. It is now to the point where I have shooting pain any time anything goes near it or touches it. It is awful. So I knew it is time I have to go...flex spending money or not. I have something that doesn't feel quite right on the one tooth, also. Not sure what that's about, but it makes me nervous.
This all started when I was little. I didn't like the dentist to begin with...always thought they were evil people. I had a brace put on the roof of my mouth to separate that bone and my parents would turn the freaking key twice a day to "gradually" break it, to make more room. One would hold me down, the other would turn. They claim I wasn't that old when I had it done, but I remember it vividly. And, in my ensuing fear of dentist, it might be even worse now than it actually was, but I highly doubt it. I'm just saying...to be fair.
Then came four years of braces in high school. Thankfully, I had the clear ceramic kind, which was a blessing and a torture all rolled into one. They had just come out with them, so they may have perfected it a bit more now, compared to the dark ages, but I was constantly breaking them and saw my orthodontist far more often than anyone should. Which meant another tightening and more pain.
I went when I was pregnant with Austin because my wisdom teeth were coming in. Couldn't do anything about it...I was pregnant. So, I waited until he was born and they were thoroughly impacted, and had them removed. Surprisingly, they didn't do too much damage to my straight teeth. More on the bottom than the top and even that is fairly minor. That was bad enough, but then after they removed them, they discovered I had my very first cavity...pregnancy seems to bring them on. So I had to get that filled and that wasn't pleasant at all.
I skipped a couple of years and then, out of a sense of duty, went back. They found some minor damage and did a "sandblast" thing on them. That's honestly what the dentist called it. He said it wasn't a big deal. Bull $h*t it wasn't a big deal!!! I expected it not to hurt. I couldn't eat for three days I was in so much pain after that!!! And, supposedly, I had no cavities when he did it, so there was no drilling involved! That was the last time I went.
So now it's seven years, two pregnancies, and four kids later, and I am truly terrified. I have built it up and built it up to such a frenzy in my mind I can barely calm myself. I hate, hate, hate dentists. So much so that I wanted to go all the way to Waterloo so I could have a dentist I didn't know who wouldn't think I was a wuss. But, in the grand scheme of things, that wouldn't work. The drive back and forth would take two hours, plus the time in the dentist office, and it isn't feasible for Steve to take that much time off work. So, it was between his dentist and the kids. The kids dentist is in town, but I didn't really want to go there...them knowing me and all. But I caved and am going there tomorrow morning. I suppose after all is said and done I better just start going every six months like a "normal" person.
For the last month, I have had a dull pain on the right side of my mouth that has gradually gotten worse. It is now to the point where I have shooting pain any time anything goes near it or touches it. It is awful. So I knew it is time I have to go...flex spending money or not. I have something that doesn't feel quite right on the one tooth, also. Not sure what that's about, but it makes me nervous.
This all started when I was little. I didn't like the dentist to begin with...always thought they were evil people. I had a brace put on the roof of my mouth to separate that bone and my parents would turn the freaking key twice a day to "gradually" break it, to make more room. One would hold me down, the other would turn. They claim I wasn't that old when I had it done, but I remember it vividly. And, in my ensuing fear of dentist, it might be even worse now than it actually was, but I highly doubt it. I'm just saying...to be fair.
Then came four years of braces in high school. Thankfully, I had the clear ceramic kind, which was a blessing and a torture all rolled into one. They had just come out with them, so they may have perfected it a bit more now, compared to the dark ages, but I was constantly breaking them and saw my orthodontist far more often than anyone should. Which meant another tightening and more pain.
I went when I was pregnant with Austin because my wisdom teeth were coming in. Couldn't do anything about it...I was pregnant. So, I waited until he was born and they were thoroughly impacted, and had them removed. Surprisingly, they didn't do too much damage to my straight teeth. More on the bottom than the top and even that is fairly minor. That was bad enough, but then after they removed them, they discovered I had my very first cavity...pregnancy seems to bring them on. So I had to get that filled and that wasn't pleasant at all.
I skipped a couple of years and then, out of a sense of duty, went back. They found some minor damage and did a "sandblast" thing on them. That's honestly what the dentist called it. He said it wasn't a big deal. Bull $h*t it wasn't a big deal!!! I expected it not to hurt. I couldn't eat for three days I was in so much pain after that!!! And, supposedly, I had no cavities when he did it, so there was no drilling involved! That was the last time I went.
So now it's seven years, two pregnancies, and four kids later, and I am truly terrified. I have built it up and built it up to such a frenzy in my mind I can barely calm myself. I hate, hate, hate dentists. So much so that I wanted to go all the way to Waterloo so I could have a dentist I didn't know who wouldn't think I was a wuss. But, in the grand scheme of things, that wouldn't work. The drive back and forth would take two hours, plus the time in the dentist office, and it isn't feasible for Steve to take that much time off work. So, it was between his dentist and the kids. The kids dentist is in town, but I didn't really want to go there...them knowing me and all. But I caved and am going there tomorrow morning. I suppose after all is said and done I better just start going every six months like a "normal" person.
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