Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Dental DAMN!
I was up at 7am this morning with my palms sweating and my heart beating out of my chest. I had been dreading my 10:30am dentist appointment since I made it. As the days grew closer, the pit in my stomach got deeper and my nerves began to fray. More than anything in the world, I am most terrified of going to the dentist.
When I showed up for my appointment, the receptionist (Nelly) could see the look of fear on my face. She asked if I was “ok” and if I “wanted a drink of water”. I told her that I was just a bit nervous, but that I would be ok. I sat down and stared at the wall. Eventually, Nelly got up from around her desk and came out into the waiting room. She offered me a magazine and reassured me that the appointment wouldn’t be as bad as I was anticipating. I truly felt comforted by her.
I was called in for my appointment and I really felt as though I was going to vomit on the floor. I took my seat in the chair and the dental hygienist (Anita) came in to talk to me about the cleaning. I explained that I haven’t been to a dentist in over two years because of my overwhelming fear. She told me that that was common and that she would do whatever was in her power to make the visit as painless as possible.
I did my best to relax as she took a full set of X-rays and began picking away at the tartar buildup. Anita was extremely kind and talked to me throughout the process. She said that there was an incredible amount of tartar buildup underneath my gums. She picked at that shit for a half an hour as I squirmed in my seat. Even with her being as gentle as possible, there were still moments of agony.
Finally we moved on to the cleaning and then it was over! The actual dentist came in then and I was surprised to see that he was incredibly hot. He is very young and dressed well and I loved looking in to his eyes as he consulted me on the proper brushing etiquette. He showed me my X-rays and told me that my teeth are in excellent condition. I don’t have any cavities and they are strong and healthy. Unfortunately, my gums are showing the beginning signs of subdermal gingivitis.
The dentist explained to me that I would have to come in at the end of the month for a periodontal scraping. He described this procedure as a deep cleaning of the area underneath my gums. SICK! They are going to give me some Novocain type cream and then dig below the surface. The idea of it is enough to make me pass out, but when I talked to my mom she explained the procedure to me and it doesn’t sound too complicated.
After I was finished, I hugged Anita and proceeded to check out with Nelly. We made our next appointment and I was pleased to find out that I didn’t even have to pay a co-pay fee. It was all covered by my insurance. Thank the Lord! As we know, going to the dentist doesn’t only hurt your mouth, it hurts your wallet.
I walked out of the office on cloud 9. Not only do I have teeth in good condition, the appointment is over! I don’t have to deal with this again for at least another couple of months…well except for that dreaded gum scraping thing. Blech.
I prayed so hard that this appointment would go well and it surely did. If you ever think you have a problem that is too small for God, you are wrong. He is there with you; even when it’s for something as minute as having a bi-annual cleaning!
Now I can eat my pizza in peace.
I was up at 7am this morning with my palms sweating and my heart beating out of my chest. I had been dreading my 10:30am dentist appointment since I made it. As the days grew closer, the pit in my stomach got deeper and my nerves began to fray. More than anything in the world, I am most terrified of going to the dentist.
When I showed up for my appointment, the receptionist (Nelly) could see the look of fear on my face. She asked if I was “ok” and if I “wanted a drink of water”. I told her that I was just a bit nervous, but that I would be ok. I sat down and stared at the wall. Eventually, Nelly got up from around her desk and came out into the waiting room. She offered me a magazine and reassured me that the appointment wouldn’t be as bad as I was anticipating. I truly felt comforted by her.
I was called in for my appointment and I really felt as though I was going to vomit on the floor. I took my seat in the chair and the dental hygienist (Anita) came in to talk to me about the cleaning. I explained that I haven’t been to a dentist in over two years because of my overwhelming fear. She told me that that was common and that she would do whatever was in her power to make the visit as painless as possible.
I did my best to relax as she took a full set of X-rays and began picking away at the tartar buildup. Anita was extremely kind and talked to me throughout the process. She said that there was an incredible amount of tartar buildup underneath my gums. She picked at that shit for a half an hour as I squirmed in my seat. Even with her being as gentle as possible, there were still moments of agony.
Finally we moved on to the cleaning and then it was over! The actual dentist came in then and I was surprised to see that he was incredibly hot. He is very young and dressed well and I loved looking in to his eyes as he consulted me on the proper brushing etiquette. He showed me my X-rays and told me that my teeth are in excellent condition. I don’t have any cavities and they are strong and healthy. Unfortunately, my gums are showing the beginning signs of subdermal gingivitis.
The dentist explained to me that I would have to come in at the end of the month for a periodontal scraping. He described this procedure as a deep cleaning of the area underneath my gums. SICK! They are going to give me some Novocain type cream and then dig below the surface. The idea of it is enough to make me pass out, but when I talked to my mom she explained the procedure to me and it doesn’t sound too complicated.
After I was finished, I hugged Anita and proceeded to check out with Nelly. We made our next appointment and I was pleased to find out that I didn’t even have to pay a co-pay fee. It was all covered by my insurance. Thank the Lord! As we know, going to the dentist doesn’t only hurt your mouth, it hurts your wallet.
I walked out of the office on cloud 9. Not only do I have teeth in good condition, the appointment is over! I don’t have to deal with this again for at least another couple of months…well except for that dreaded gum scraping thing. Blech.
I prayed so hard that this appointment would go well and it surely did. If you ever think you have a problem that is too small for God, you are wrong. He is there with you; even when it’s for something as minute as having a bi-annual cleaning!
Now I can eat my pizza in peace.
