Thursday, August 11, 2011

Dental Damned

This is a post from my other private post. I liked it and decided to repost it on "Noted", enjoy.



Went to the dentist today. Haven't been for a while. Last year a dentist told me that I had neglected my gums and that I needed to pay more attention to flossing. He also said I had four cavities. After feeling like a moral deviant I did what any sane person would do. I stopped going to that dentist, waited a year and when my tooth started hurting made the decision to find a new dentist. To be more specific; my tooth cracked, I continued to neglect it, chewed food on the right side of my mouth, learned a new way to drink to avoid cold sensitivity, and finally relented when I began to get a bitter taste from the tooth (it's an abscessed tooth, Pharaohs have died from it). So since I won't be buried in a pyramid I called a church friend that doubles as a dentist.

My appointment was scheduled for 3:30pm. At 2:30 my anxiety hit. I hate going to explain to someone why I avoided taking better care of my teeth. I'm sure he's heard every story, he's seen a lot worse (this is Havasu, and we love our toothless river folk). For me telling someone how bad it's gotten and letting them look into my mouth is about as embarrassing as it gets. I'd rather have to tell my Bishop that I looked a boobie magazine 682 times.

Dr. Jesse Harker put me right at ease. First off there is a flat screen on the ceiling, it's better than a mirror in a hotel room. I got to watch the Yankees game while he poked and prodded. Second he has state of the art equipment. He took digital images of everything, no more archaic x-ray negatives or tiny toilets to spit into. Finally he gave me an itemized look at the expenses to complete all of the work. I love that because the last guy did all the work and then stuck me with a bill for $2,000.

So in summary:

My mouth sucks right now.
It's not as bad as I thought
Dr. Harker, great dentist
Watching a ballgame while they take that tiny pirate hook and poke in your tooth hole, not so bad.
Oh and I need a root canal...awesome