Dentist

This morning I have a dental appointment.

Since the last blog, you already know that I am a cluck-cluck chicken when it comes to storms.  And now you will find out that I, like many, am a cluck-cluck chicken when it comes to the dentist.  Not checkups, mind you.  It's when there's a problem that I get weak-kneed.

Starting as a child, our dentist was my father's cousin.  He practiced dentistry at E. 70th and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, and recently when we were watching American Pickers the duo bought a dental chair and setup just like my relative's.  There was a spit bowl, kind of like a mini-toilet.  And wires and an arm from which hung the dental drill.  And a white glass ledge on which he placed his dental instruments.

When I moved in with my sister at age 14, the ability to drive to the east side location became much tougher.  My sister had three little kids, and she had already started going to a local dentist by that time.  So that's what we decided -- that I'd go to the local dentist.

His office was much more modern and his practices were more modern.  When I went for my checkup it was a bit of a shock to learn that I had 14 cavities, apparently one for every year.  My dad's cousin probably had started to miss things due to his age and eyesight and these were permanent teeth, so I got an appointment to have the first group of cavities filled.

That day every single patient the dentist had must have cancelled.  He seemed quite glad that he could accommodate me for a longer time and do more.  And he did ask if I wanted to be numbed, but that had never really been an issue before since most of the fillings were in baby teeth and they don't have deep nerve endings.  So I gallantly said, "No."  And regretted it right away!!

The low-speed drill of Dr. Joe was no match for the high-speed drill that the new dentist had.  Once he got down into the tooth, the pain hit hard and I was ill-prepared for it.  And a painfully shy child.  I just couldn't tell him that I was really tanking in the chair.  Thanks to all of the cancellations, he filled all 14 cavities in one sitting, and I was like a limp rag when I left there.  AND had to take a bus home. 

That spawned my fear of dental work.  Even a twinge of that pain that I felt all those years ago, and I start sweating.  It's not that I don't go.  It's just that I don't want to and worry about it every single time.  It's been years since I've needed any filling work done, so when my tooth started acting funny last Friday, I started literally sweating again.  It's a little tap sensitive, but it is not abscessed.  It's a capped tooth, so it's really hard to tell what's going on.  So dear friend, I will be in the chair at 8:00 a.m. this morning, and that's why I'm typing up this posting at 6:41 a.m.

I'll be praying, that's for sure.  And this time if it hurts, I won't be the least bit shy.

If you have fears of the dentist like me, then I'll pray for you too.  Maybe we can get over this dread at some point, and move past it. 

Take care today.

UPDATE:  Back from dentist.  The tooth wasn't even hurting this morning, so I thought maybe it was a false alarm.  But, I have to get a new crown and also a root canal because the base has eroded away some and there may be decay in there.  Won't know until they remove it.  They make the crowns on site now so it will be a one appointment process.  They recommended bringing a book or something to do.