I had a dentist appointment yesterday. I thought it was for just a routine filling. I found out, after I arrived, they had to remove an entire metal filling. A very big one. A very old one.
Here is how it went:
3:10 - The entire left side of my mouth is covered with numbing gel and I am handed sunglasses to help with the glare of the light. I promptly put the sunglasses on. I have no idea why. I guess because they handed them to me.
3:15 - I visit with my dentist. I realize afterwards I have spent about 5 minutes talking with her about every day stuff while wearing goofy looking sunglasses.
3:20 I receive what feels like a dozen shots with a very big needle on the left side of my mouth. While she is doing this she asks me if I am always so anxious at the dentist office. I tell her only when I'm getting shot after shot. She then tells me that must be where my girls get their nervousness from. And come to think of it - she remembers that Randy gets all uptight, too. I ask her if she actually has patients who ENJOY GETTING THEIR TEETH WORKED ON? Well - some don't seem to mind it, she says. LIARS.
3:25 - I am rummaging through a basket of CD's to listen to a disc man (why didn't I bring an ipod?) She thought this might calm my nerves and help so I don't hear all that grinding they will be doing. I can't seem to make up my mind.
3:35 - I am finally over my gag reflex when all dental work comes to a grinding halt (no pun intended) because Ms. Dentist said that it is taking way too long to get that old filling out and something must be wrong with the tool. They ask me if I would be more comfortable sitting up and I decline. I enjoy the break with all the "mouth pillows" out of my mouth. They occasionally pop their heads in to check on me. I am told I may have to play musical rooms. Everybody tries to be funny at times like this. I am wondering who came up with the name "mouth pillow."
3:45 - Turns out there are workers in the basement and they shut something off thus making the grinding tool not work up to speed.
3:50 - We are moving full steam ahead. I am really stressed out. I kept telling myself how fortunate I was to be able to have my teeth fixed. What a blessing it was that I was sitting there in that chair. I should be happy to even have teeth. How many people in undeveloped countries don't? And I had legs to walk on to get to the dentist office. Why do I care about this little bit of uncomfortableness. I live in America. I get to vote. yada yada yada.
3:55 - I smell something funny and start to gag. This is when I want to ask if anybody has ever thrown up while having their teeth worked on. I fear I may be next. Breath in. Breath out.
4:15 - I am done! I take off those silly glasses. Ms. Dentist lets me know that I have 7 more metal fillings and none of them will last a lifetime. Maybe next time, since I hate the shots, we can do two at a time.
I realize where I am, exactly, in my life. At the age when stuff starts needing replaced. When things that aren't meant for a lifetime are expired. So it really doesn't matter that people say I don't LOOK old enough to have a 21 year old daughter. And that I LOOK so much younger than my husband. What really matters is that the stuff that holds me together is rapidly deteriorating. And that means there is no denying who I really am. On the inside, anyways.
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