(no subject)

[trinityvixen]

I went down early to my appointment to have a fluoride treatment of my tooth before the cavity gets filled because the student doing it had an opening. I sat down in the dentist's chair and I listened to the sounds about the room, the genial nature of the place. It really was quite lovely, despite being a teaching setting.

Then she had to make a mold of my mouth. This was pretty cool in the end, but sitting there half-choking on the putty she's got shoved against my palate wasn't at all pleasant. The thing kept me from swallowing, and I had to fight panic and remember to breathe through my nose and ignore the impulse to swallow at all. When she pulled it off, I thought for sure she was going to take some teeth with it at first, being that she pulled and my mouth kept going with. Eventually, it did come off and I got to see the plaster mold, which was kinda cool.

I had to get a single-tooth x-ray again, which means they shoved the painy, cutty radiograph film cartridge in my mouth again and then put the x-ray pulser at my face again and again I flinched at having it so near my eyes. I didn't get to see what that told her, but I hope it was necessary.

feiran, you would have hated this: she proceded to clean only the right side of my mouth. Presumably, before I get the cavity filled, I will have both sides cleaned, but that doesn't help when my right side is all achy and bleeding and the left is still as plaque-y as it was going in. Oh yes, there was a lot of blood, which is what I get, I suppose, both for not going to a hygeinist in three years and for going to a student. She scraped a lot at my front bottom teeth, and the noises were quite disconcertingly like someone filing off pieces of my teeth. I also got flossed, which was...weird. Having someone else floss you is weird.

A real DDS came in to look at my case and my tooth, and he pronounced her ready to go, so I assume that means she didn't in fact carve off slices of my teeth or make me bleed in any way that wasn't my own damn fault for not flossing and going to the dentist regularly. I got some pink fluoride stuff stuck into styrofoam tooth molds and told to sit then not eat/drink for an hour or brush my teeth tonight. That last part kills me as my 'cleaning present' was a thing of floss, a small tube of toothpaste, and a new brush (bizarrely, I was given a 'youth' toothbrush, which is teeny-headed).

Bring on the cavity filling, I say. Not like it could be much more alarming...right?

Comments

[cbreakr.livejournal.com]

The last time I went to the dentist (sometime last fall), she saw the white spot on my right top incisor and thought it was plaque. She then proceeded to scrape, realizing only after having left a mark that it's a calcium deposit that goes all the way through. I only realized when I got home, and by then I didn't feel like making a fuss since it's not too bad. My teeth have always been fine, so maybe this was the dental world's way of finally getting back at me.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

She did compliment me on having very clean teeth, which counts for something.

I keep getting harrassed over this stupid baby tooth that I have with each visit (it's genetic: I have no adult tooth under it, so it never fell out). I can't imagine if I had something like that that is less...regular?

[cbreakr.livejournal.com]

What's weird about my deposit is that it was on the baby tooth as well as the adult. Guess I'll have to pass on this horrible deformity to my children :(

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Who's saying it's a deformity? It's a uniqueness!

[moonlightalice.livejournal.com]

teeth are weird. i went through the Whole Braces Thing (biteplate, lip bumper, rubber bands, headgear, etc.) which included the mold. the mold always made me gag like crazy and i was always sure i'd choke to death.

the dentist will always be a huge huge fear of mine, though. i will never be less afraid.

[umeyard.livejournal.com]

After reading this all i can say is be proud, you are much braver then your big brother.

I hate the dentist. Mine from childhood refused to see me when i got older, something about me being able to bite more? Yes he has scars. I hate the sounds but worse is the smell. The smell of dental offices make my mouth hurt and my eyes water.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I have never had a problem with the dentist, though my grandfather valiantly tried to instill fear in me by saying they would pull my baby teeth that weren't coming out (a theme with me, as several were damned hard to get out without help) by sticking strings on them and closing doors, etc.

Still, never was afraid of the dentist. I got a baby tooth cavity filled, had several teeth pulled (painfully, even), and bit through my tongue a few times when I went to eat despite being on novocaine. X-rays, tooth-scraping, polishing, no big. The only time I remember being a bit scared was when they put me under for my wisdom teeth extraction, and that had more to do with never having gone under anaesthesia before than the oral surgeon (who was the most faaaaaaabulous man with three kids and a wife I've ever met).