I have a dentist appointment in the morning and I'm scared. I had a check up last week and they found one cavity (what am I, twelve?), so tomorrow I go to get it filled. I don't like it at all. And, by the way, what's up with dentistry in general? Have there been no advances in the field since the 70's or what? It's barbaric, I'm telling you. My kind doc gave me a prescription for 5mg of Valium to take the night before (now) and then again a half-hour before the appointment. For those of you not into prescription drug trafficking, 5mg of Valium is perfect to calm your anxieties if you weigh about 80 lbs. If you're over 80 lbs. and have developed a slight tolerance to all things mood-altering, it doesn't do jack. I admit to doubling up (ok, maybe tripling) but it's sure not keeping me from buzzing around my house tonight and being a nervous wreck.
Anxiety sucks. I do ok except for the shots. Why needles in the mouth? Why?
Update: I survived. :) And that Valium worked out great. Thanks for your comments and well-wishes!
oh the needles in the mouth are the worst. once when i was younger i was listening to headphones while waiting for the dentist. without saying hello or letting me know he was there, i see this arm with this HUGE needle coming at my face so my reaction was to swipe my arm at it (like it was some scary bug).
ReplyDeletei accidentally caused him to shoot himself with the needle, thus rendering his hand useless until the novacaine wore off.
serves him right! you gotta warn a person when you have a needle in your hand!
good luck today. :)
Truly I have one fear - dentists. Sadists - every single one of em.
ReplyDeleteThough someone gave me great advice - get a female dentist. smaller hands and they are gentler. It's true. I got me one of them.
Valium? Really? Haven't heard of using that for dentistry in years. I guess I never get too worked up over the whole deal....but I definitely keep my eyes closed when the needle is coming! Breathe deeply and slow as you can. Cavities are over and done with before you know it.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean ... before I went to grad school, I had to have THREE root canals done (long story!). I absolutely hate needles, but compared to the root canals, they weren't a big deal ...
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the novocaine shot will be uncomfortable but not horribly painful, and wil be over quickly. And maybe you'll get a sucker when you're done! It'll be okay. :)
Sizzle - this is a great story. It does seem like karma worked in that case, doesn't it? Thanks for the good luck wishes.
ReplyDeleteBlobby - thanks for coming by! I really appreciate you commiserating, and I like your advice. Sometimes, just sometimes, women have a more gentle touch that helps in those kinds of situations. And we do generally have smaller hands :)
Thanks, Lewis. You're so positive. He gave me a script for Valium but also used the (whatever) local anesthetic that they have. I think the Valium was just to mellow me out - and probably more to help them than me!
Matt - that sounds like a horrible story, and I'd love to hear it sometime. You're right - it was over very quickly. I think the anticipation was worse than the actual event. Thanks for your reassurance. :)
I HATE THE DENTISTS all of them everywhere. once when I was living in San Jose I went to a "holistic" dentist. The only difference was they played new age music in the waiting room ........... oh and gave me a herbal equivilent of a valium ....so was not fun. Glad it all went ok
ReplyDeleteLiquid valium? Sign me up!!
ReplyDeleteYour description of the holistic part cracked me up :)