Drilled*

Well, I did it. I survived the dentist! In record time, no less. My face is still absolutely frozen but it’s over now. I also said that I’d share my dentist monstrosities with you when all is said and done, so here you go.

When we lived in the great white north we had a very nice little dentist who was getting on in years. It was with him that I discovered the abnormalities of my teeth. You see, I have some pretty crazy stuff in my mouth, or at least I did. When I was younger, I used to have to go for x-rays every few months because I had an adult tooth that was coming in upside down–roots first. It eventually turned on its own so I didn’t need surgery, but the x-rays looked reallllly cool. As well, I have a tooth on the right side of my mouth that doesn’t have an adult tooth underneath it. Every dentist I’ve ever seen has mistakenly thought that it was a wisdom tooth in the back (but really, I don’t have ANY. WOO!) but after a couple of rounds of x-rays they all come to find the same thing–I have a perma-baby tooth, or at least I hope so. If I lose it, that’s it. I’ll have to get it replaced.

Anyway. My first dentist thought it would be a good idea to put a sealant on my back molars because they were deep. So those went in, and then we moved a little while later and a span of about 4 years went by without seeing a dentist. The summer before I got married I decided it would be a good idea to get myself checked out, so I made an appointment where Choppy had gone. It was also close to home, which was convenient for me. So I went. And I went. And I went. And I went. Apparently (I still don’t know if I quite believe him) a combination of the sealants being not put on exactly right and my 4 year break from dentist visits meant that I needed to go 5 times in 6 weeks and spend about 1300 dollars. That’s right. I still don’t know exactly what he did in my mouth, but he drilled a lot and spent FOREVER doing it (on average a visit was about 2 hours) and it cost me an arm and a leg. When I asked, he told me he was putting temporary something in, then I was coming back in and he was replacing it and putting permanent things in. When I again asked why he couldn’t just put permanent things in, he smiled and waved me off.

I was not impressed. He kept trying to schedule me for more appointments so finally I just stopped going. And my faith in dentists was just about gone. So again, I just didn’t go. This summer marked 2 years since I had gone, so I decided to bite the bullet and go. Surprisingly enough, I think I may have found a dentist that I finally like. It was my first time with a female dentist, and she was quick and business-like, and didn’t charge me an arm and a leg. I was in an out within a half hour today, which is just how I like it. So I think I’m finally over my fear of dentists. Hooray for clean teeth!!

Shop Girl*

P.s. Oh, you know what I liked best about her? She actually suggested something useful to me. I don’t drink tap water, so I wasn’t getting enough fluoride for my teeth. So she gave me the name of an alcohol-free, anti-bacterial fluoride mouthwash that has really helped curb the sensitivity in my mouth. Who knew such things existed? I’m so impressed.