The other day I went to the dentist. I go once a year whether I need it or not and for the past five years it seems I’ve either been pregnant or nursing (this time I’m pumping, but that counts right?).
I hate the dentist – I really do. I had a friend who said she actually likes going to the dentist. She loves the feeling of clean teeth. Really? Enough to voluntarily go sit in a chair while a random person uses a metal pick to diligently scrape your teeth and gums? Hmmm….
Every time I sit in that crazy movable chair I want to get up at the last minute and say, “You know what? That’s okay. My teeth are fine. I don’t really have time for this anyway.” Instead, I take a deep breath, curl my toes, and tense every single muscle in my body while opening my mouth. For these reasons, when I’m done, I tend to feel like I imagine a wide receiver feels like after being tackled by a safety.
I then spend the next half hour mentally making each muscle group relax and answering questions with huh, uh-huh and uh-uh responses. My mind wanders from one thing to the next mostly trying to take my mind off what is going on in my mouth. Each time the water from the water pick ricochets off my gum line and onto my face I wonder why in the world I bother putting make up on. I think this every single time I go to the dentist, but of course forget these minor details in the 12 months in between visits.
At my most recent visit, the hygienist asked me how I was doing. Fine. I said. She asked me how many kids I have. I said three. She said I had my hands full. I said, Yes I do. That was how long it took for me to sit down and her to put the paper apron around my chest. Your eyes look tired. She said. (I had just spent a few minutes balling my eyes out in the car after being told about the new visiting policy at the hospital, but I didn’t tell her that. And really, what do you say when someone you see once a year tells you your eyes look tired?) I am tired. I said.
I don’t tell everyone I know about Ryan. There is no reason to. And in this situation, I knew I wasn’t going to have full use of my mouth for the 30 minutes it takes to tell someone all the details they want about our story. So I left it at that.
We quickly got to the cleaning part of the appointment. About every three minutes the hygienist asked, “Are you okay?” I just kept saying uh-huh. But she said it so much I started to wonder if I was supposed to not be okay. It didn’t make me feel any better when she said, “You’re handling this so well!” I mean, really, what in the heck was going on in there? I do brush and floss (flossing less than brushing, but still…) and it didn’t seem that bad. But there she was asking me over and over if I was okay.
There were two times when I was not okay. The first time I jumped half-way out of the chair and grabbed her arm. She said, “Yes, that’s a little tender.” I felt like saying, “Yeah, when you scrape half the gum away, it tends to be a bit tender.” Instead I said Uh-huh. She continued her work without batting an eye. It’d be really funny if she said, “You know, this hurts me more than it hurts you.” But she didn’t.
When I left the receptionist asked me if I wanted to schedule my next appointment for six months out. Um, no. I’ll call you. Really. I will. It just might be a few months or a year.
(c) 2016 Leighann Marquiss
Comments (14)
Ugh… you remind me that I have to go to the dentist… Thanks :).
I’m sorry that you hate going to the dentist….I like to go and I panic if I cant make an appointment because my dentist is so busy that its hard to reschedule! I love the way my teeth feel after a cleaning so I go twice a year!!! It also helps that my lady is very gentle when cleaning!
I can totally relate to your post! I have to go to the dentist really soon for a cleaning and I am already nervous about it! So glad I am not the only one!! 🙂 Have a great day!
I also HATE the dentist. I sound crazy, but seriously…Id rather go to the gynecologist!
I DREAD going to the Dentist too!!!!!
I have 1 small really tender spot in my mouth and it always seems like they scrape forever and a day at it….I feel like yelling at them to move on already, but by the time I get to that point they move on…..It’s like they sense me going into crazy mode lol
I HATE the dentist. I always feel that they are trying to dig a tunnel to my nose going thru my gums. I agree with the other poster that I’d rather go to the obgyn than the dentist.
I haven’t met a gentle dentist yet that made me want to go 2x a yr. UGH!
Good girl for going once a year.
love ya.
If you would go every 6 months the cleaning would not be so dramatic!
I pray my Rosary while in the dentist’s chair. I have had a LOT of work done over the years. I try to purposefully, mentally relax and pray. Once while the dentist was finishing a filling, I actually fell asleep! It wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t SNORED! LOL
I’m due for a cleaning too…and I have never liked that polishing tool they use…
I went to the dentist a few weeks ago and they informed me that I need THREE crowns!! I am only 27! Darn these bad teeth…I ended up starting the process for two of the three crowns that day. I go back on the 30th to get the permanant ones. They also told me that they want me to come every four months for cleanings for the next year…I guess that is what I get for putting off the dentist for four years!
Debbie
I hate dental cleanings too. I find my hands gripping the armrests till my knuckles are white and have to actually make a physical effort to relax. I hate the polishing the most. It makes me want to scream.
Whenever I would make my next cleaning appt, I would request a certain gentle hygienist since the other one made my gums bleed.
Sorry to hear you hate going to the dentist. I am a dental hygienist, and don’t take what you wrote personally. I just wanted to mention that if you are only having your teeth cleaned yearly then they are probably going to be more sensitive to the process. All patients need to have their teeth cleaned at least every 6 months. If you tried to get in there more often you may find it more comfortable. You could also try a different hygienist or dentist. Most of us are very gentle:) I hate to see patients put off their dental visits because a lot of the time things get worse because they are left untreated longer!
Wow, I must have the most gentle dental hygienest. I don’t think she’s ever hurt me. The only thing that annoys me is having to swallow my saliva. LOL! The actual dentist on the other hand is a different story. It’s true about the 6 months though, it’s not as bad.
Mara
I have always enjoyed going to the dentist for cleanings. Once, I waited a long time before going and I said never again. It hurt a lot. Now, I go about every 6 months, use an automatic toothbrush and floss, and it’s a piece of cake. They always compliment me. I highly recommend going more often!!
my mother was a hygienist when i was growing up and would clean our teeth when the office was closed so she could get them “really” clean. i think it was less about cleaning them well and more about the fact she didn’t want anybody to hear our blood curdling screams as she scraped our teeth to death.
so to me, a “normal” visit to the dentist with a hygienist that doesn’t know me is like a trip to the spa.