I remember as a kid absolutely hating to go to the dentist. Nothing hurt more than those huge needles they used to use. I even remember when I was around 6 or 7, bolting out of the dentist’s chair (Dr. Gaik) and running down the hallway outside his office door. Bastard actually caught me and gave me the needle to freeze my mouth right there in the hallway!
It got so bad, that as an adult I just stopped going to the dentist. Did that for about eight years and then my mouth started to hurt like you don’t know what! Held off as long as I could but eventually ended up making an appointment. 11 cavities! I asked the dentist, my current dentist-Dr. Markowski, if he could handle all the work in one appointment. He looked at me and asked me if I was sure-so off we went! The only thing I remember is that my mouth was so frozen, when I got home I had absolutely no control over my drooling. Had to sit at the kitchen table with a Tupperware bowl underneath my chin to catch it all. My poor mother had to empty it 3 or four times!
Ever since that, I’ve made it a habit to see the dentist twice a year as recommended. Saw him last week for a cleaning and told him about the problem I was having with food getting caught underneath a cavity and causing some discomfort. "A food trap" he responded. Set up an appointment for today where he drilled out some of the old filling and took care of the dastardly trap. I sat there as he froze my mouth thinking how much less pain there is now than there was when I was a kid. Barely felt the needle! That’s something I’ve noticed for a few years now-thank goodness dentistry has advanced.
Dental care itself is so advanced nowadays. Dear Brother Joseph, who is a brisk 38 Has Never Had a Cavity! Simply amazing! All I can say is, going to the dentist now isn’t nearly as stressful as it used to be for me. Thank goodness!
