One more reason to avoid the Dentist
I think I have a fairly decent pain threshold.
I played roller hockey with my brother and his friends as a teen and proudly displayed the bruises and welts I received.
I played High School Basketball and got knocked about plenty as one of the shortest players on the court.
I birthed a 9 pound 15 ounce baby with a failed epidural and lived to tell the tale.
It’s not so much pain that I fear. It’s the absence of pain. The absence of feeling. Just like the kind you get when the dentist gives you a shot. I am afraid of being numb.
No I don’t care about the shot itself, that never hurts. But once I’ve been injected with the lidocaine, my muscles tense, my heart rate increases and I stay in a very anxious state until it has completely worn off.
I’ve gotten better over the years. I don’t write down my plans in case of death at the dentist office anymore, though I do still tell my husband to tell the kids how much I love them, just in case.
I try to calm myself mentally beforehand. And though I mostly believe that everything will be ok once I go, my body doesn’t believe me. Let’s just say it’s a darn good thing that dentist wears a mask.
I began with the usual warnings I give all dentists who are working on me for the first time:
* When I’m nervous I have to pee a lot, so you better let me go, no matter where you are in the procedure.
* You may have to give me a possible 7 shots before I’ll get numb enough (happened during wisdom tooth removal)
* The lidocaine may or may not wear off early. Sometimes it lasts way too long and sometimes it gives out after 30 minutes.
* If I bite your hand, remember, it’s nothing personal
So he began.
He shot me with lidocaine and after 5 minutes he tested my gum tissue. Good and numb. Wow, that’s a surprise.
*drill drill*
*Summer jolting*
“Yeah, felt that. Cold and painful”
“OW!!”
“Yeah, right there.”
*injecting more lidocaine*
*drill drill*
“ACK!!!”
At this point the dentist tested my gums again. I couldn’t feel anything which he told me indicated that I should be completely numb. But upon further drilling, yes I was indeed in pain. And that was just the beginning. He had two additional cavities to fill.
I told him to just get it done. I didn’t want anymore stupid shots (which were numbing only the very back teeth) and I just wanted the drilling to be over. So he drilled and I winced and three hours later it was over.
As he removed the rubber dam from my mouth I flexed my jaw and made a stunning realization. With all that junk in my mouth stretching my face muscles, I hadn’t noticed that the left side of my tongue and the whole bottom part of my face was numb. Why is this stunning you ask?
Because he was working on my top teeth. He gave me shots in the roof of my mouth, yet my bottom lip down to my chin was numb?!? When I told him this he chuckled and told me my nerves must be crossed. I’m sure he didn’t believe me. He said he had one patient once who insisted with every shot to her lower mouth, her upper mouth was getting more and more numb, but he figured it was just her mind playing tricks on her.
Well I am here to say that even if it was my mind playing tricks on me, it was still something I could actually feel. I was numb where I shouldn’t be numb and my one tooth was NOT numb. Even if that was some trick of my warped mind, it was tangible.
I am a dental anomaly.
*P.S. I give you leave to laugh at my expense. I am a rather sorry case aren’t I?
Comments
22 Responses to “One more reason to avoid the Dentist”
Got something to say? Please keep it kind and clean. Otherwise I might have to share your email address with the spammers... Kidding. Kidding. Your email address will never be shared with anyone. But if your comment is inappropriate it will be deleted.
-
All content on Summer's Nook, unless credited to someone else by the author, is the sole property of Summer Owens and may not be duplicated without permission.
-
-
Aloha Friday
Awards
Babies
Birthdays
Blog Carnivals
Blogging Help
Breastfeeding
Contests and Giveaways
Family
Friends
Good Eats
Gratitude
Group Writing Projects
Health
Holidays
Humor
Kids
LDS
Links
Marriage
Memes
Mental Health
Modesty
Motherhood
Nature
News
Pets
Photos
Random
Reviews
Tasty Thursday
Welcome
Winter Bazaar
Works for Me Wednesday
Writing -
-
Oh Summer, I feel for you. I wish someone could share an experience that would make others more calm about dental work. Just talking about it causes feelings of anxiety.
I hate going to the dentist!
You have my full sympathy dearie. I’m the other dental anomoly. if I ever hear ‘but you’ve had enough to knock out a horse’ I swear I’ll hit him.
Cheers
I hate the dentist. But I always went every 6 months, regularly. However, I haven’t been since we moved to Idaho 3 years ago. So, when I do go, it will be bad. You have my complete sympathy.
I, too, can’t stand visiting the dentist. In Sept, I had two crowns put in on one side. The top went just fine. But the bottom, though 15 shots did numb my entire face quite nicely (yes, he kept giving them to me because I could feel every darn thing he was doing), was sheer terror. I told him that giving birth to twin babies was cake compared to this. He said my nerves were set right near the surface, which makes them basically impossible to numb.. So, like you, I simply suffered through it all, crying every so often with them handing me tissues for the tears.
3 months later, I think my tooth and gums are finally beginning to heal. I can’t stand visiting the dentist!
I’m sorry you had a bad experience. I’m definitely with you on this one. Hate it. Hate it!
LOL, I’m not sure I needed to read this right now - I have a dentist appointment in the morning to get a filling replaced… :) I hope your mouth is feeling better - how horrible!
I’m sos sorry! So after having braces, I dream almost every night that my teeth fall out. We should all just get rid of our teeth and just go on juice diets.
That’s horrific. I have a very, very low pain threshold. I’m such a weenie. If you poke me in the arm, it hurts for five minutes. So I cannot even imagine your story. I would have passed out.
My husband has a terrible time with the dentist—he has some real horror stories. He never gets numb enough. Last dentist we saw would give him laughing gas, which helped him a lot. The one we see now doesn’t have it though—he says the building he’s in is too old for it to be piped through, and if he had canisters they’d just get stolen.
So instead he gave my husband some valium to take beforehand, and it really helped.
Of course, the dentist wouldn’t give him a perscription for more than 2 pills, and wouldn’t call it in to be filled until the day before the appointment. He said too many people abuse it and “lose” their pills. I thought that was funny—we have a medicine cabinet full of painkillers most people would be abusing, because my husband’s had such a bad time with any he’s tried to take, his last doctor just kept proscribing different ones and they all made him puke. (Not good when you’re recovering from a hernia surgery)
Oh I hurt and felt all sweaty just hearing your dentist story - I HATE THE DENTIST - I am always very brave, but I hate the dentist. Hope you have a good day. See ya. Kellan
I hate the dentist. And your story makes me want to put off going there forever. I’m sorry you had to endure that. You are one tough girlie!!
Oh man, that sucks big time. I asked Salvador about mixed up nerves and he didn’t seem to think that that was far fetched at all. Maybe you should ask to be numbed in your big toe and that will numb your upper mouth, lol.
I haven’t had dental insurance in almost 10 years. I’m pretty sure all my teeth are going to fall out any day now. They ache much of the time, however, if I suddenly magically got dental insurance, I would still be dreading my appointment. I really hate going to the dentist.
I’m not laughing, because I can imagine how frustrating and torturous that would be! Oi!
OUCH.
All I’m going to say is:
Summer, you are my dental soul sister.
Feener stole my comment .
Ouch!
Hey Summer - thanks for coming over and leaving the nice Birthday wish for my Mom - that was very sweet. Take care and I’ll see you later. Kellan
i was twitching and tapping my foot in nervousness while reading this story. i haaate doing to the dentist. i hate the numbing shots. ewww. i am sorry! three hours?! p.s. when i’m nervous i always have to pee.
I don’t mind the dentist, to be truthful. I rarely get cavities, and if I do, the stuff numbs me up quickly. I also worked in a dental office for 2 years, so it’s familiar.
Hubby, though? More like you. It takes a TON of novacain to numb him up. Sad thing is, he’s always getting cavities and root canals, too…very sad.
Ack! It made my mouth hurt just reading!
I had the best dentist ever(he extracted 8 of my teeth) but he passed away and now…
I just went for an extraction of a bottom molar and 3 hours later, left the office with a numb temple and upper jar, and tooth partially extracted. They gave me antibiotics and painkillers, and told to come back Monday (3 days from now) and try again. Couldn’t get numb on the very same tooth when it was attempted to be filled 3 years ago, so I left it. Was a miserable 7 injections, heart racing and shaking all over from the epi. Today they numbed me 3 times and I’m left feeling like my jaw and tooth are going to remove themselves it hurts so badly.
Sigh…suppose I’m calling an oral surgeon tomorrow and biting the bullet to pay to be put to sleep.
I feel for anyone who has this problem.