The Dentist

Twice now I have avoided "the shot" at the dentist while having a cavity filled.

You see...I detest the dentist. I detest all doctors, really. I am sure they are fine as people, but in their offices I don't like them. Why, might you ask, do I hate doctors of any kind? Well, I am a big frady cat and a monumental wimp. Anything that has the potential to cause me pain or discomfort makes my blood pressure soar (quite literally). I could elaborate on my doctor phobia, but we will save that for another post.

I had a dentist appointment today. The one thing that keeps me going to the dentist is my fear. I am so afraid of getting a cavity that I will not miss my 6 month check-up because I know that is a key part to good oral health. Usually, a week or two before my dentist appointment I start to examine my own teeth while brushing at night. I open my mouth, look way in the back to see if I can spot any black spots that might signify a cavity. Usually I can find something to be scared about. This time the blueberries I have been snacking on all summer have left some stains on my back molars, so I of course began to think that I was going to have a million cavities when I went to the dentist. Well, I didn't have a million cavities, but I did have one....and a tiny one at that.

Luckily it was surface enough that the dentist said they could try to fill it right then with out numbing me. I said "great", because the one thing I fear the most about cavities is the Novocaine shot. So they put me in the chair, take my blood pressure (which was something like 130/172...I think that's probably not the right reading I saw, but it was way high) and then the drilling begins. I did fine for first few drills. They were pretty much on the surface so I just felt a vibration. Then came the big one. I felt her push a little harder, meaning deeper, and I knew that I was going to feel something. When I kicked my right leg in the air, they could tell I had felt some pain. They asked me "do you want us to numb you?" I said "Well, are you going to have to do anything else like that again?" A quick check of my tooth and she said "no, I think we are pretty much done with the big spots". So I opted to continue to be a nervous wreck and let them finish. 5 minutes later I had cotton mouth like crazy, but I had managed to avoid the shot once again.

The first time this same thing happened I was a little girl...probably in 5th or 6th grade. I had gone for my cleaning and they found a cavity. It was a busy day, so they made me make another appointment to come back later in the week and have the cavity filled. That was torture. Knowing that in two days I had to go back to the dentist, and not just for a cleaning, made me cry myself to sleep that night. When the next appointment finally came, I walked back to the chair all by myself (they wouldn't let parent's back). I started to cry the moment I sat down in the throne of pain. The hygienist took some pity on me. She said that I could tell the doctor I was scared and he would be extra careful (yeah...riiiiiight). When the dentist finally came back and saw I was a sobbing, he asked me what I was afraid of. "The shot" I answered. He looked at my x-ray and said "this is pretty close to the surface. We can start without numbing you, and if you feel pain, we will stop and numb you." I felt slightly relieved and said ok. The same thing happened as today. Slow, easy surface drills first, then one gigantic deep push and I felt it. I squealed a bit, but the dentist said "that's ok, we're done anyways". so I avoided the shot once, and today I did it again.

Tomorrow I have an eye doctor appointment. Are there any shots at the eye doctor??