Dental dream
I hate going to the dentist. I think it ranks up there with IRS audits and wearing sleeveless blouses. It’s a long held fear. Maybe it comes from the time those permanent molars were removed before I was in high school. It was my first visit to a dentist … kind of set the stage.
I was one of those allergic kids who coughed a lot at night. The remedy was a throat lozenge, tucked between cheek and gum. Of course it worked, and in a house full of kids, sleeping was a good. Of course, it didn’t do a lot for teeth, and the fact that there was not a lot of money for regular dental visits meant that cavities weren’t caught early. As a result, almost 50 years later, I still get a little nervous going to the dentist.
My current dentist is wonderful. From the moment you enter his office, the bubbling fish tank by the door sets the mood. There are no high speed Black and Decker sounds coming from down the hall. There are no big black chairs with hydraulic lifts whooshing you to towering heights where bright lights reflect off big hypodermic needles, no spit bowls, no stern-faced cigar-chomping man in a white coat shaking his head.
The office is light and airy, calm and friendly. I’m older now. I have an adult perspective. And most of all, I have good teeth. I should have good teeth, I’ve paid a bundle for most of them. But today, I was a little nervous.
It’s OK to have a shiny filling in a back tooth. A flash of silver doesn’t scare people. But this trip was to fix an old filling between my front two upper teeth. I expected that I’d come home with plans for a crown. Not only did I dread a root canal and multiple trips to the dentist, I knew things like that didn’t come cheap. I could have paid off my college loans and my first car with what I’ve spent on porcelain crowns and other “fixes.”
What with my need for a new roof this summer, I laid awake last night considering my options. I figured a porcelain replacement which matched my other teeth might be too expensive.
Of course, a personalized engraved gold tooth was a little crass. Gamblers, gang members and the bad guy in James Bond movies had gold smiles, but I was hoping for something a little more discreet and cheap. I really dreaded coming home with a stainless steel front tooth … even if it had a smiley face engraved on it. Thank goodness I didn’t have to choose.
With a little help from laughing gas and a lot of reassurance from the dentist, we proceeded with the removal of the old filling. I told him it had been loose for quite some time.
“Every time I floss, it shreds the floss,” I said, adding quickly, “and I floss twice a day, you know.”
I chattered on about how much floss I had to waste because of that loose filling. He turned down the laughing gas.
The new filling turned out great. No root canal, no crown, no stainless steel happy face. It was a nice visit with nice people, which I hope not to have to see for some time. Maybe I’ll start flossing.
I hate going to the dentist. I think it ranks up there with IRS audits and wearing sleeveless blouses. It’s a long held fear. Maybe it comes from the time those permanent molars were removed before I was in high school. It was my first visit to a dentist … kind of set the stage.
I was one of those allergic kids who coughed a lot at night. The remedy was a throat lozenge, tucked between cheek and gum. Of course it worked, and in a house full of kids, sleeping was a good. Of course, it didn’t do a lot for teeth, and the fact that there was not a lot of money for regular dental visits meant that cavities weren’t caught early. As a result, almost 50 years later, I still get a little nervous going to the dentist.
My current dentist is wonderful. From the moment you enter his office, the bubbling fish tank by the door sets the mood. There are no high speed Black and Decker sounds coming from down the hall. There are no big black chairs with hydraulic lifts whooshing you to towering heights where bright lights reflect off big hypodermic needles, no spit bowls, no stern-faced cigar-chomping man in a white coat shaking his head.
The office is light and airy, calm and friendly. I’m older now. I have an adult perspective. And most of all, I have good teeth. I should have good teeth, I’ve paid a bundle for most of them. But today, I was a little nervous.
It’s OK to have a shiny filling in a back tooth. A flash of silver doesn’t scare people. But this trip was to fix an old filling between my front two upper teeth. I expected that I’d come home with plans for a crown. Not only did I dread a root canal and multiple trips to the dentist, I knew things like that didn’t come cheap. I could have paid off my college loans and my first car with what I’ve spent on porcelain crowns and other “fixes.”
What with my need for a new roof this summer, I laid awake last night considering my options. I figured a porcelain replacement which matched my other teeth might be too expensive.
Of course, a personalized engraved gold tooth was a little crass. Gamblers, gang members and the bad guy in James Bond movies had gold smiles, but I was hoping for something a little more discreet and cheap. I really dreaded coming home with a stainless steel front tooth … even if it had a smiley face engraved on it. Thank goodness I didn’t have to choose.
With a little help from laughing gas and a lot of reassurance from the dentist, we proceeded with the removal of the old filling. I told him it had been loose for quite some time.
“Every time I floss, it shreds the floss,” I said, adding quickly, “and I floss twice a day, you know.”
I chattered on about how much floss I had to waste because of that loose filling. He turned down the laughing gas.
The new filling turned out great. No root canal, no crown, no stainless steel happy face. It was a nice visit with nice people, which I hope not to have to see for some time. Maybe I’ll start flossing.