Some days just don’t go the way we planned. Take mine for example.
This morning started out well enough, right on schedule with getting done the things I needed before heading to the dentist’s office—not exactly my favorite place to visit. Now mind, you, mine is a very conscientious dentist who prides herself on making sure that her patients feel no pain while sitting in her chair. But today I knew I was going to be uncomfortable, for I was going in to have my temporary crown removed and the permanent one seated.
Gives me chills just thinking about the process.
Oh, and did I mention that since I was short on time, I had vowed to make sure that I made it through the procedure without the benefit of Novocain, which would have taken longer? Seeing as I have a fairly high pain tolerance, I figured this was doable. After all, I’d done it in the past.
Well, the temporary crown came off easily enough, but when they began poking around and scraping the old cement off with that gawd-awful metal pointy tool they have, the shockwaves of pain began shooting straight through my tooth and overwhelming my mind. But I was determined to stick to my plan to make this a quick visit.
The dentist noticed me stiffen and asked if I was okay or needed anything to dull the pain. My nails attempting to puncture the lovely armrests to her oh-so-comfy-but-I-so-don’t-want-to-be-here chair, I smiled through the discomfort and told her I was fine and to please proceed.
Good lawd, there are times I wonder why I do things like that!
So, the dentist continued, rubbing the sensitized remains of the now-exposed tooth, scraping more, while sending more electric currents of pain shooting through my mouth. Somehow I managed to make it through all of that. But when she asked her assistant to spray the area with what I knew would be water straight out of a freezer, and then blow air straight from the Antarctica on it, I had a momentary mental image of me bolting out of the chair and running out of the office screaming, “Never!” But again, my self-control kicked in, and I found myself smiling as I looked at the sweet assistant with the awaiting demonic instruments and said, “Whenever you’re ready.”
I swear there was a momentary glimmer of delight in her eye before she began spraying and freezing the area over with her ice-cold water and air, blown through the little tube that I hope would somehow get tied in a knot so it would be rendered useless. But luck was on her side not mine, so the cycle of rinse, blow, freeze, rinse and blow some more was repeated until…well…until I had more visions of bolting out of the chair.
Throughout all this, I had slipped into some bizarre chant in my head that if I endured, it would all be over soon, just as soon as they asked me to bite down on the permanent crown to set it. And so I endured and was more than giddy with gratitude when the dentist took out the new crown to show me, before getting ready to check to see if it fit properly.
Now, I won’t bore you with the details of how that fitting went down, other to say, that I ended up leaving the office with the exact same temporary as I had entered with. You know, the one that could have stayed right in my mouth, without my having to endure all that I did if only they’d known that the permanent one didn’t fit quite right. But alas….
Leaving the office, I tried to view the positive, as I’m prone to do, and noted that I was way ahead of schedule.
Yippee!
Of course, the fact that I felt like I’d been on the losing end of a horrible battle didn’t make me feel any better. But, sucking it up I made it through the remainder of my day, trying not to worry over what ramifications my not having gotten the permanent crown set today might cause, seeing as I am to report for jury duty this coming Monday. This was the whole reason they were setting the permanent one today to begin with.
So much for best-laid plans.
Now I’m wondering how long my having to serve on jury duty might keep me from being able to get back to the dentist and if the temporary will stay put for that amount of time.
At the end of today, I left my Pilates class, exhausted, and was thrilled to be heading home—finally. I no sooner got in the door and went to take a refreshing long drink of water than the temporary crown, the one that I had endured all the pain earlier in the day for, popped out.
Holy crap! Really? Are you kidding me?
Looking at the clock, I noticed it was a quarter to six, causing a cold panic to envelope me.
What if the dentist is gone for the day? That means she won’t be back until Monday. Oh, lawd!
Dialing as fast as I could, I called the office and was relieved to hear the receptionist pick up. I quickly filled her in on what had happened, and she told me to come in—right then.
Relieved, but near tears at the thought of having to go through again what I had earlier, I reluctantly got in the car and made my way through rush-hour traffic. Arriving at the office half an hour later, I had the option of enduring once again without the benefit of Novocain or of having it take longer. I opted for without painkillers and got to go through the whole lovely process for the second time in the same day!
Well, I’m home now, crossing my fingers that the temporary stays put this time and hoping I don’t have to report in person to jury duty on Tuesday, so I can go back to the dentist and have her set the permanent crown in place. But this time...you can count on it…I’m opting for Novocain no matter how much extra time it takes.
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