Michael Scott: Sounds like a good dentist.
Dwight Schrute: Oh yeah…
Michael Scott: What’s his name?
Dwight Schrute: (lying) Crentist.
Michael Scott: Your dentist’s name is crentist?
Dwight Schrute: Yeah…
Michael Scott: Huh… Sounds a lot like dentist.
Dwight Schrute: Maybe that’s why he became a dentist.
Today i had my third dentist’s appointment in as many weeks. The first was a regular cleaning. The second was an appointment to get a small cavity filled. Today’s was the rescheduled second appointment, because 50 minutes was just too long to wait to get a cavity filled.
No waiting this time. They’ve been watching this cavity of mine for at least two years, never quite sure if it was just a spot or a developing cavity, but finally made the call. This was my first cavity since i got out of college, when i hadn’t been to the dentist for three years.
They put a swab in my mouth to numb me for the actual anesthetic shot, and then gave me the shot. While i waited for it to take effect, i wondered at where they had numbed me. It seemed to me that the tooth they were working on wasn’t going to be effected, but i guess we would see.
When the dentist came back, i told her it was really my right cheek that seemed the most numb. She said “Well, it’s such a small cavity, you probably wouldn’t have felt anything even without the anesthetic, but you definitely shouldn’t feel anything now. And it will wear off in an hour anyway.” Hmm, i wish someone had told me that. Maybe i would have chosen to go without, rather than feel like i had a ball of cotton stuffed in my cheek.
She got to work. It sure felt like the area she was working on was nowhere near where i was actually numb, but i didn’t feel any pain, only the uncomfortable vibration of someone sawing in your mouth. (Cue fingernails on blackboard chills down your back.) At one point she made the comment that i was “really juicy”. This made me laugh – the notion that she was having to deal with my apparently voluminous slobber. And for some reason i wondered if that meant that my babies will be heavy droolers. (I told a mom-friend of mine this later, and she assured me that all babies are droolers.) Anyway, it got me laughing, and that made me actually drool out of the corner of my mouth, and the dentist and i both reached to wipe my mouth, she stabbed me with one of her dentist-tools. Ow. And now we’re both laughing.
It was over pretty quickly – much faster than the last time i had cavities filled. She warned me to be careful eating, and sent me on my way. All afternoon, my cheek kept getting in my way. How does a cheek get in your way? Five hours later i still felt like there was a ball of cotton shoved into my check, and of course i couldn’t stop touching my cheek all day because it felt so weird, so i’ll probably have a nice cheek zit in a day or two. Fun.
August 10th, 2010 8:49 pm
That didn’t seem too bad. I did have a cavity filled without numbness. I wouldn’t recommend it. The “cheek getting the way” is worth the trauma of recalling the pain of this procedure.
August 11th, 2010 8:51 am
OMG! I love that you referenced the office (Michael Scott at the end of the episode: “hug it out bi*%#”). That is hilarious. That is my favorite show of all time. I have the first four seasons and I watch them to the point that it annoys Anna. I haven’t been to the dentist in like five years. The last appointment I had, I missed and never made another one. Guess I will have to set up an appointment soon. It is funny the things that seem the hardest to keep up with once you move out on your own. Hope you are doing well.