Smile!

File under: Proper Choppers!

I went to the dentist today.

I hate the dentist. A lot.

I had a miserable experience with a dentist when I was in grammar school. A dentist butchered my mouth, I ended up with 11 fillings. The novocaine shots didn't take so he kept stopping to administer another one. The final needle went in and he started angling it, hitting nerves along the way. I was writing in pain in the chair. Finally I just let him drill into my teeth and I endured the pain.

It took me years to go back to see another dentist. My friend Karen recommended hers to me and he was great. I was at ease in his chair and actually let him do a crown on one of my teeth (cracked it in half on a corn muffin!). He was gentle and very understanding of my fear. For a while I was going to him regularly...until I changed jobs and dental insurance and I could no longer see my dentist with my new insurance.

It took me much longer than I care to say to seek out another dentist but decided just do it. Today was the day.

I am pleased to report that my dentist said that my teeth are in great shape. Xrays show no hidden damage or cavities, and she was impressed with how clean my teeth were. She did say that I have two fillings which need to be replaced because they are damaged. They're over 30 years old, I'm surprised more of them aren't in bad shape. We're fixing them in two weeks. :)