If there’s one thing that is bound to get me nervous, it is the dentist. I can’t tell you any crazy horror stories from when I was a child other than being seriously afraid of my dentist sealing my teeth and always talking to be from behind the mask. As a kid, that’s scary, and not really knowing what’s going on is even more scary. I never really felt like I knew exactly what was going on, other than my dentist told me that I had a cavity or needed something done. That is, until now. I just switched dentists and let me tell you, I’ve never felt more pumped (and extremely upset) about embarking on a new adventure as I have now.
Let’s rewind to 2 weeks ago. I call my most recent dentist (which is not the one I mentioned above that scared me). I tell them that I have pain in one of my teeth. They tell me April 30th is the first that I can get in…..greattttt. That sounds just great considering I can’t chew on that side of my mouth. Okay…. So I ruminate a couple of days and I decide that’s not acceptable, and I get put on an on-call list. Okay… well this tooth is not going to fix itself, so I decide to go with another dentist. This time one that is in Bellefonte; not a small town dentist.
I haven’t been to the dentist in years which is a combination of my hate of the dentist and also my great lack of dental insurance, so as I’m driving to my appointment this past Thursday, I’m working on taking relaxing breaths (which is things I do as a counselor all the time, you have to practice what you preach, you know?). This worked, and man was I surprised when I pulled up to see what looked like a ski resort as the office. Everyone was super friendly, and the atmosphere was nothing like any dentist I had been to before. I got offered a drink while I waited, what a novel idea! Also there is one thing I noticed that was missing: the smell.
If you are a hater of the dentist’s office, you know what I mean by the smell. It was lacking, and it made my experience 100 times better. After all the teeth cleaning and then xrays, etc., it was determined my tooth pain was indeed a big cavity that needed to have a root canal done, and not in just one tooth…possibly another tooth on the other side was well. Yay, me….not. This is what I get for putting off things like this…and this is what has me very anxious for Wednesday. I, of course, like any other human being with the internet looked up what a root canal is, what happens, etc., and I found that I am definitely at the level of anxiety that I need to be at. It’s one of those moments that you wish you could be put out, but you know that’s not appropriate for such a procedure. I am writing this blog in hopes that writing about it and expressing my feelings on the matter will decrease my anxiety, I’m not sure that it is going to happen though.
Every time I think about my appointment this Wednesday, I think about the pain that I’m going to be in. It’s funny what happens when you mention the words “root” and “canal” in quick succession around other people. It’s one of those phrases that seems to instantly make people cringe or act like they just smelled something funky. I had the same exact reaction. I’ve heard mixed sentiments about them for better or for worse…I’ve had someone say that they weren’t as bad as their wisdom teeth…which my wisdom teeth were not a problem. Still others say they are very painful. Either way, quite frankly, I’m terrified. With this being said, though, I’m very confident in my new dentist in knowing that she is quite possibly the most friendly, down-to-earth dentist I’ve ever met. Also, I know that with the way I am, I will just take it and not say much unless it’s really, really bad….for better or for worse lol.
Through all this pain whatever the level may be, at least I can revel in the fact that the light at the end of the tunnel will be that my tooth will no longer hurt. I can go back to chewing on that side *hopefully* and pray that I don’t have to have a crown…ever. If you’re bored Wednesday, and you have a moment to spare, say a little prayer that everything goes well and I don’t freak out. 🙂