Jun. 10, 2008 - Dentist Flashback
Well, I have been convicted recently, after reading Taking Care of the Me in Mommy by Lisa Whelchel, about taking care of myself. I have been doing reasonably well with drinking lots of water and eating healthy. As for exercise, I don't necessarily exercise on purpose, I just live my life with gusto. My quiet times have been pretty regular and my prayer life is full.
The one area that I have been neglecting is the dentist.
It has been over 7 years since I have crossed the threshold of a dental office. I don't have a deep seated fear, I just don't like the dentist. To make me sound even more lazy and neglectful of taking care of myself, I actually have dental insurance that will cover cleanings!
So I made the first appointment and had an exam and xrays. It took quite a bit of courage for me to do that, especially since I have absolutely no discomfort or pain and I'd like to keep it that way.
So, I drive up to the dental office and I go through the front doors and I am immediatley assualted with the dental smell. It was overpowering! Once I was there a few minutes I couldn't even smell it but the memory of it lingered on. The next thing I noticed was that it was FREEZING, not just chilly or cool. My nose was red and was starting to go numb as they called me back. I had to pass through the gauntlet hallway with all the open exam rooms. I had to surpress the gag refelx and a shudder as heard the whizzing, buzzing, grinding drills and who knows what else.
Once I made it to my room, I asked the tech if they had a blanket. She brought me a gauze sheet that would have made for good cheese cloth, not a blanket. I made a note to myself to bring my own blanket and wear sneakers not sandals next time.
Thankfully, I made it to the end of the visit with only a few shed tears, after the newbie dental tech jammed the bitewing into the back of my throat and said hold it until she came back! She really was trying hard but my it hurt.
Overall it went well, I had no cavities and I just need to come back for the deep cleaning they do for people who only see the dentist on a decade basis.
