Let's admit it...no one likes the dentist. There's an awkward silence as they are jabbing into your mouth. I feel insecure about how close they are to my skin pores. Do you open your eyes and stare right back at them, or do you close your eyes and
pretend to actually be relaxed? How can anyone relax when those chainsaw sounds are so close to your ears? I always leave smelling like latex gloves or metal.
I headed over to the dentist on Tuesday.
Day One: (1.5 hours)
4 shots for the numbing....the drilling began...WAIT! I can still feel the pain!!! 2 more shots...
x-rays
Lots of drillings
Smell of burnt teeth
Scrape, shove and jab
Staring way down into my mouth
My poor jaw had to stay open, unassisted for the entire time (very sore, two days later)
Don't ask me questions when I have so many instruments in my mouth!
The end result? I have long and narrow roots, not to mention that there were FOUR nerve endings. After shoving the little metal sticks back and forth, my dentist told me she couldn't reach down to all of the ones at the bottom....so....I would need to go to a specialist. You mean I got this numb, from my eyebrow-ear-jaw for nothin'? I left with a taste of METAL in my mouth, couldn't open my jaw, ate only a few things that day...like yogurt and pudding.
Day Two (1.5 hours)
The "specialist" asks me if I have been in a lot of pain...um, no. Should I be? What is going on with my teeth? I have all sorts of questions for her, but can't ask them b/c she is too busy agressively putting in more huge needles for the numbing into my mouth.
She then asks me if I have tall people in my family? No, why? She tells me that my roots are soooo long. What does that mean? Is that okay that my teeth have long roots? I have no idea!
More x-rays
Drilling (besides the burning teeth smell, I now listen to what sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard right by my ears)
Digging...this lady is literally holding my head down as she shoves those pliers in and out...scary!
Microscopes
More scraping
More x-rays
Patching up
Done?
Almost. $500 later I am out the door (and that is with insurance). I still have to go back for a filling and crown.
Moral of the lesson? Get to the dentist
if your tooth cracks! I haven't had a cavity since high school (thank goodness), I am a daily flosser, I brush daily...but, I still couldn't avoid the attack of the root canal monster. I must be getting old.
9 comments:
OK-I almost threw up reading this post...maybe you should preface it with a warning to any readers who may have dental-phobia (such as myself). Poor girl! Having been through my fair share of dental trauma (fillings, veneer, gum graft, jaw broken, eight pulled teeth, three crowns, braces, retainers etc.) I have one teeny piece of advice. When you go back for your very last appointment to get your permanent crown and the dentist tells you it will only take 10-15 minutes and 90% of patients do fine without numbing, INSIST on novicaine before they pull off the temporary and put on the permanent. I didn't and cried the whole drive home...and I was 26. Luckily my brother recently graduated from dental school so he is my new dentist and I feel fine bossing him around asking for more pain relief. :) Good luck!
Wow that sounds awful. I think I am going to call and make an apppointment right now. I am sorry you had to go through all that. Hopefully it feels better. I hate to say it but it was really entertaining to read about.
Ugghhh... I usually close my eyes when I'm laying in the dentist chair with my mouth propped open. Normally, they're open for a little while until I realize that I should close them and then I feel a lot more comfortable. It's happened that way quite a few times.
I had to get a root canal after Eli was born. Luckily, my dentist took care of it same day. Sorry you had to go through that.
That's funny that your dentist associated long roots with a tall family... I would've never put those together. :)
Oh Man, my teeth hurt just reading this!! I have such bad dentist-phobia that I've haven't been in years. I probably have a 2 or three major problems in there, but I'll deal with the daily pain, rather than all the needles, drilling and pain and smells. Why aren't there dentist that can just "put you out" for the procedure? sounds much better to me.
you poor thing....i was cringing reading the whole thing! I still haven't had my wisdom teeth taken out...and now it might be post-poned even longer! Now I take my ipod to the dentist, turn it up loud, and close my eyes. I'm always afraid I'll start humming/singing and look like an idiot..I really truly meant to try and get together this week, but Monday night Damon got sick, and got a fever Tuesday night, and it keeps coming and going...He didn't go to school wed. or fri...so maybe we'll try again next week. love you!
For $500 I'd like to have someone providing a pedicure at the same time.
I just read this whole post to Brent and made him come look at the picture! He bet me money the xray picture is not really your tooth...he hopes it is not for your sake...so is it? I was laughing as I was reading this to him. I asked him about the whole eye contact thing...he says he has no idea if people are looking him or not, he is focused on the mouth. I said so it doesn't creep you out if they are staring into your eyes? He says he really doesn't notice but he thinks most keep their eyes open. He says he doesn't think it is awkward so he assumes its not for his patients either...little does he know, huh :)
SHEESH! I'm sorry you had to go through that...that sounded NO fun. Thanks for getting me all geared up to go to the dentist tomorrow.;) I hope I don't have any cracked teeth!
sounds like raelly fun...it's about what i go through everyday! The smells, the long apts., many x-rays and everything. Sounds like it was worst to be in the dental chair then assting...lol
I hope your next root canal goes better...i hate to tell ya but i have never had one..and hope to never! I'm sure my day will come soon! keep smiling!!!
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