like a day at the beach

about my recent visit to the dentist today..

For starters, I absolutely hated the dentist until 2 weeks ago.  In fact, I avoided the dentist all together for the past, ahem, years.  But, since I have dental insurance, I figured the time had come to face my fear.  So, I went and actually enjoyed it.  I had to go back today for a follow-up and some other stuff.

Today I learned I have 3 fillings that I never knew were there.  Apparently no one knew I had them either.  Where did they come from?  Had to have been aliens--there's really no other explanation.  But all through my life, I've exclaimed that I had never had a cavity--supposedly I was wrong.  It's really very confusing.  So then there was the sudden talk of needles and numbing and 'don't eat for an hour' and I began to feel the fear creeping back into me.  Lucky for me, it was just a close call and I escaped without any of the above. Instead they had to repair one of those fillings.. with more filling.

And this is where I started thinking about the dentist a lot.  Because really what else are you to do while they are over your face.  It's hard not to stare at them.  I could only read the warning label on the vent above me so many times.  Why do they floss my teeth after they are done?  Is it to show me how easy flossing is?  I floss every night (now)!  Why do they talk to you while you can't answer?

Well, during today's cleaning I was told that afterwards it was going to feel like I had been at the beach all day.  Very confused by this, I was unable to ask why, and had to sit there pondering that.  What about this was beach-related?  I deduced that there was grit in my mouth.  Sand?  What on earth is going on?  No, that's gone.  Still no beach.  Cleaning was complete and I sat up and scratched my forehead.  And that's when I realized that my face was covered in grit.  Ah--felt like a sand blasted day on a windy beach!  But then I started thinking about how it was winter and I wasn't at the beach.

I also realized that I really have no idea what is going on when I'm there.  They could probably tell me that all my teeth need to be taken out and I'd happily oblige and hand them my insurance card and my debit card and say go for it!  The fear is gone!