This week, I had my biannual dentist appointment. You would think, after all the cancer-related pokes, prods, and scans I've had, the dentist wouldn't phase me.
Not so!
Why do we go willingly to the dentist? Well, I'm being grown up about it, but there's definitely an unwilling, kicking and screaming part of me that looks for any excuse to reschedule for another month. But I like my teeth, so "short term pain, long term gain" helps my adult self win almost every time, and I end up dragging myself through the door, opening my mouth wide so they can wield those sharp, pointy metal scrapers right next to my delicate mucous membranes. They've never slipped and gouged my gums, but I still white-knuckle it through the whole process.
I used to like my dentist and hygenist. I'd ask why we couldn't just go to lunch and skip the scraping. They never agreed - or they never understood what I was saying while their hands and instruments were crowding my mouth. But then my dentist sold her practice to her partner and retired. The new dentist is OK, but her hygenist, while as cute as all hygenists are (ever noticed that all dental hygenists are adorable?! I think it's part of the admission process), is nearly SILENT. It's unnerving, and, after the explain-it-all directive during nursing school, it just seems wrong. It's way more awkward than having someone try to carry on a conversation with you when you can't coherently respond.
Normally, the routine is scrape, floss, polish. This time, she started with polishing. What?! I commented on the change and asked why. She just said, "Sometimes it's scrape and polish, sometimes it's polish and scrape." My "I've never had it done differently" comment elicited no further explanation. Hm. I like the polishing! I particularly like it at the end, where I get to choose my flavor and relax a little while my teeth get a spit shine - without any pointy, scrapy instruments.
The bottom line is I need a new dentist. And I have six months to do it. But is it going to happen before February 27, 2014? Nope. Not when I have chemo and reconstruction to focus on. Unless, of course, the dentist fairy (who must be the tooth fairy's older sister) finds a new dentist for me, makes the appointment, and takes care of transferring my records. For now, I have six lovely months to ignore the fact that the dentist exists, and I'm going to love every minute of it.
Oh, I am dying laughing! I like my dentist...as much as you could like a dentist....so if you decide you need an earlier referral, just let me know. Feb 26 would be soon enough!!
ReplyDeleteSilver Lake dental arts... it's close (the doctor is kind of old and pops in for a few minutes to make sure you're healthy...) and his hygenists are wonderful. They've worked on my husband's family for YEARS!I saw them before we moved to Pullman, and I plan on returning to their practice when we return.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely need a better experience. My hygienist is not at all cute, but she is great - too bad Pullman's too far away!
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