Sunday 2 September 2012

I Still Have All My Own Teeth. I Never Throw Anything Away.


I went to the Dentist on Friday. I needed to have a filling. I never have those gum numbing injections, because I am such a brave strong hero I don't need any help to deal with pain. The Dentist told me I was very brave, but he never gave me a lollipop. I don't think they do that anymore. Give out lollipops I mean. It might be because doing so would rather defeat the object. Bloody killjoys. Look mate if we all had perfect teeth you would be out of a job for a start. The way I see it is if I can't have a lollipop what's the point of being brave?

It is very odd the way Dentists always stuff your mouth full of cotton wool before they ask you a question. I think they do it on purpose. They aren't really interested in the answer. He asked me if it hurt as he was drilling into my tooth cavity. Do you know what I said? I said, "mmmnnpphhmmn naanmmph nnaahhss." Which caused him to drill harder. What I was trying to say was, "Not much, but it is making my toes curl."

My next appointment is in six months time. I am so looking forward to it. There are two reasons for this. One is that I can't wait to have another conversation with him, and the other is because if I keep the appointment, it means I am still alive at age sixty five and a half, and still have teeth. That might be three reasons actually.









12 comments:

  1. You're braver than me, John. You're right about the cotton wool, I could never understand why the dentist talked to me when he knew I couldn't reply.

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  2. I was recently at the dentist. Imagine having your mouth full of sharp instruments, grasping instruments, a mirror on a stick, an apparatus that shoots water into your wide open mouth and then sucks it up at the same time, and the hands of the dentist and her assistant. Then imagine trying to let the dentist know that she is smashing your lip into your teeth with one of those instruments. A fun outing.

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  3. I'm terrified of going to the dentist. I have to be sedated even when I get my teeth cleaned......

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  4. Thanks for reminding me, John, that I have one of these semi-annual visits coming up soon. And, our dentist doesn't even have lollipops available.

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  5. Injections all the way for me! You are much braver than I for sure!

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  6. I hate going to the dentist and like you said they always asked question at the wrong time. On my right I have the dentist sticking her drill into my teeth and on my left would be the nurse with a tube sucking out the excess water and she would ask if it hurts. Once when it hurt, I grab her arm and the Dr got a shock of her life. I always tell my dentist (family regular dentist) that I am paying her to torture me on her torture chair and terrifying drilling sound. happy blogging to you and hope you have a great week ahead

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  7. no way is any dentist drilling in my mouth without a shot of Novocaine.

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  8. I used to get fillings without numbing when I was a kid. No more. I too have all my teeth, but a couple of sets are in a box.

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  9. The first thing I notice about a person is their mouth, and yours is just perfect John ;-)) XXX

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  10. You’re pretty brave to undergo dental procedure without numbing injections. And it is true that, sometimes, dentists stuff your mouth with cotton balls and start talking to you. I think they do that to relax the patient and make him/her more comfortable. It is easier to work with relaxed patients, after all.

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  11. Haha, I totally get what you mean about the cotton! But there is actually an explanation for that. The reason the dentists put the cotton in your mouth before doing other things, like asking you questions, is because they need the insides of your mouth to dry quickly, especially when they have to put a filling in your teeth. The filling doesn’t adhere to your teeth if your mouth is still wet, so they use the cotton to absorb your excess saliva and to keep the saliva from reaching the filling. The earlier they can put the cotton in your mouth, the quicker your mouth area will dry.

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  12. Well it seems that your dentist is really quite the talker because you really look forward to visiting him just to have another conversation with him. Haha! It’s great, actually. If your dentist is very conversation well, you will be more comfortable around and you will not worry about those procedures that your dentist will perform to help you keep your teeth well into your old age. ;)

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