Drill, baby, drill

I hate going to the dentist.


Note, this is different than hating the dentist. I also feel like I must point out that I had an excellent dentist while I was growing up. I wasn't overly traumatized by him. I was lucky to have good dental care, too.


But I do have a small mouth (shocking!) and crowded teeth and I eventually needed extractions and braces, etc. So over time, anything associated with dental work just led to a general cringe of horror.

When I became old enough to schedule appointments myself, I did not make it a high priority. 


Which is now why, years later, even though I've generally tried to care for my teeth, I have a few spots that need fillings - nothing serious, according to the doc, but still places that should be cared for.


I'm lucky. I have access to dental insurance as a student, and I consider it very reasonable. And the care I've gotten (at the UMB Dental School) has been very, very good - I highly recommend them. But I've learned since I returned not to put off appointments, etc, even when I don't want to go.


Today was difficult. The doc was working on a bottom-jaw tooth, and it took four shots to numb the area - note, this means three times we "got started" with the drill and she had to peel me off the ceiling. 


She was very apologetic and explained that it takes some time, and sometimes extra numbing agent (I don't know what she used) because the jaw is thicker and it can be hard to reach the nerve. When I was finally numb, she worked pretty quickly.


And then, at the very end of the appointment, I bit her. Very light contact, and certainly not intentional, but really... at almost 30 years old... I bit the dentist.

Hopefully I'll shake off the tension and trauma by the end of the day. And the numbness. It would be nice to eat. I don't know how many calories I burned with an hour of sitting in place with every muscle tensed, but it had to be something.


Maybe one day, I'll have a policy that covers sedation dentistry. :(