At the dentist


I went to the dentist this afternoon for three fillings. This was not a joyous occasion, but my dentist has a reassuring demeanour and appears to care for my welfare, whereas the dentist we went to as small children seemed to be a maniac obsessed with replacing as many teeth with amalgam as possible. Or, hey, we ate too much sugar.

These days dental surgeries are much easier to cope with, although that may also be a function of throwing money at the problem. I lay there in an air conditioned room, mouth stretched wide open, watching Mission Impossible III on a screen behind my dentist’s head.

The only painful part was the start, when they injected my mouth with local anaesthetic. After that I was numb to the world, and though the sensation of having somebody use a drill to grind through your teeth is never pleasant, it wasn’t on the Marathon Man level of agony.

(On the way to the appointment, I read a news story where one of Trump’s advisors recommended to deal with China, "the United States should act like an aggressive patient at a dentist’s office: “Here’s how the patient deals with the dentist: sits down in the chair, grabs the dentist by the nuts, and says, ‘You don’t hurt me, I won’t hurt you.’ ” I’m not sure what this shows: somebody with a profound misunderstanding of modern dentistry? Somebody who doesn’t realise women can be medical practitioners? An innovatively terrible approach to foreign policy? All three? My dentist didn’t hurt me, and we didn’t need to resort to threats of violence. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/26/president-trumps-first-term/ )

I left the dentist after an hour and forty minutes and went to the office, my face feeling numb and bloated. This didn’t wear off for about five hours, until I woke up on La Serpiente’s floor, some time after I’d put her to bed. But at least my teeth are done, and I’m not involved in a trade war with my dentist. The week is looking up.


3 responses to “At the dentist”

  1. Coincidentally I also went to the dentist yesterday

    I felt in a bad mood afterwards so I came home and started typing invoices to send to my clients

    Dad

  2. Three fillings? WTF .. have you been bingeing on Cherry Coke, Crunchy Nut cornflakes and dried fruit? Think of the plus side, you got to see MI:3, whereas I had to watch Phillip Schofield on This Morning, and pay £60 for a 10-minute check. Didn’t need any fillings though 🙂

    • My excuse is that it’s been more than 3 years since I went to the dentist. But that high sugar, low meat diet will get the better of me 🙁

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