Empathy for Those Who Hate the Dentist

A couple of weeks ago I went to my dental appointment.  A normal, routine cleaning.  Nothing too exciting.  Now I have have had tooth pain on and off for a couple of years.  It culminated in December of 2009 when my mom placed a piece of homemade fudge in my mouth and I almost hit the floor in tears and pain.  I wound up with an emergency visit to the dentist two days later less than 24 hours before I was to fly out to Alaska.  From then on I swore to myself: "I will make these dental appointments every six months like every good patient should!  Never again will I inflict this amount of pain on myself!"  Fast forward to the end of March 2011.  I had not been to the dentist since that last event in 2009.  I can make all the excuses in the world, but in truth, it wasn't  a top priority of mine.

Anyways, at this dental appointment, they found not one or two...but six...count them, SIX, cavities.  I have never had a cavity before in my whole life!  I think it was a combination of some really good sealants and luck.

I went to the first of three appointments today to have these cavities filled.  The dental office will only do two at a time because I am pregnant and it is uncomfortable to sit in that chair for an extended amount of time.  The first thing they did was put a topical anesthetic on.  Then came the shots of lidocaine.  Now, I am not needle-phobic. I do not fear medical procedures generally speaking.  But, Oh...My...Goodness!  The shots in my gum hurt like hell!  Then, I got sweaty from head to toe.  I mean I started dripping in sweat!  I felt like I needed another shower.  My heart rate went up, I felt like I was going to puke and pass out at the same time. I can't say for sure, but I am willing to bet that I turned a deathly shade of white.  So, they sat me up after the shots, gave me some water, and let me come back to normal.  The rest of the appointment went just fine, completely without incident.  The whole numbing procedure probably took less than five minutes but I think it just may have scarred me for life.

Now that I am home, three hours later, the anesthetic has completely worn off and my teeth and jaw ache!  I can only take acetaminophen (Tylenol) for pain and for this kind of pain I really need an anti-inflammatory (like ibuprofen).  Unfortunately, ibuprofen is off-limits for this pregnant chick.  Oh well, I can survive this!

I completely empathize with those who may be dentist phobic.  I don't think I am going to freak or be any more anxious at my appointment next week but I could see how someone might continue to draw on a freaky incident like mine and let it affect how every future dentist visit goes.

Wish me luck for the next two appointments!