I survived the first round of the Great Tooth Refill yesterday and only needed four novocaine shots to get me completely numb. My dentist, Guy P. Bates, Jr., DDS, is awesome and so is his staff. Knowing I’d had a horrible experience 23 years ago when he last filled a tooth, they walked me through the whole process, told me what to expect and praised me for being so brave. Admittedly, I felt a little foolish being such a 43 year-old baby, but everyone assured me that my feelings were quite normal.
The worst part, for me, isn’t the sound of the drill, but the feeling of pressure and the anticipation that all isn’t numb. The drill sound is no big deal probably because I work with a flex shaft and am used to the high-pitched whine I get out of it. Basically, being at the dentist is a bit like being in the studio. It’s the drilling and possibly hitting a spot that isn’t quite numb that keeps me on edge and makes me hold my breath. Dr. Bates talked me through the whole thing, told me how far along he was and stopped often to ask how I was doing. We even joked about how little I was breathing. What a great guy!
I had a small moment of panic when they couldn’t get a good read on my bite because I kept biting my numb tongue, but all was ok in the end. My favorite part was the 800 mg Ibuprofen they sent home with me to keep ahead of the pain. Nothing like some good drugs to take care of any discomfort! Today I feel fine expect for some bruised feelings in my cheek and jaw pain from keeping my mouth open too far for too long. Now I just have to psych myself up for the next round three weeks from now!
On a different note, check out this cool table I scored last weekend while I was flea marketing. Actually, I saw it the week before in the back room of my favorite place, but the owner wasn’t ready to put it on the floor. She cleaned it up and I went by on Saturday to look at it again. We put it in our newly rearranged coffee area and it looks so great!
Now I think I’m going to need a third job to support my flea marketing habit! Damn you, Funtiques Flea Market!
Pretty Pretty Bang Bang 