Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Dentist - Part 2

File Under: Proper Choppers

Yesterday I made my second trip to the dentist and happily (and hopefully) it'll be my last trip to the dentist this year. During my visit 2 weeks ago, my dentist recommended that we replace a couple of my fillings. Convinced that she was right, I decided to do it.

The appointment went well. I was nervous but she was so nice. After the novocaine injections, I was completely numb and before long, the drilling was done and in went the replacement fillings. My fear was gone before long and I walked out with two new fillings and the left side of my face completely dead.

Having been through it all, I decided I deserved whatever I wanted for dinner (considering I couldn't chew, it had to be soft food) so I opted for mashed potatoes with lots of gravy and then some lobster and corn soup. Both items were delicious!

Today, my mouth feels fine. My teeth feel odd because they're taller than the teeth on the right side. For now I'll leave them alone and see if they wear down a bit on their own. If they bug me too much I'll go back and have them filed down a bit. I'd rather not, though.

But, the best news, I don't have to go back for 6 months. :)

2 comments:

Marker said...

Very brave!

My dentist is going to fire me. I "forgot" about my last two appointments.

I had every known orthodontic procedure and appliance starting in fourth grade through college. (It was totally worth it, by the way - Thanks for the perfect bite, mom and dad.)

You name it, they did it - cut gum tissue away so my adult teeth will grow in: Check.
Headgear: Check.
A "bite plate" - a piece of plastic behind my upper front teeth that repositioned my jaw (and gave me a terrible lisp for a few months--in fifth grade--sweet): Check.

Through it all I was never a nervous patient. Now, however, it's a different story. WTF is up with all that scraping?? And what about the "I'm getting a little bleeding here around the gumline"? Maybe that's because you're poking my gums with a sharp object???

Again, well done. I will use your experience as motivation to get back to the dentist.

Jimbo said...

Thanks!!

I had such a horrendous experience with a dentist when I was about 12 that I got really bad about going on a regular basis. Part of my most recent anxiety was finding a dentist who would understand that I'm a freak and know how to handle me. I got lucky and found a nice dentist.

Good luck, Mark. I'm sure it'll be fine.