Why I am no longer afraid of the dentist
April 30, 2003 ~ 2:11 p.m.
Just before I left to Boston, and on the very first working day after I arrived back, I had root canal work done. The on-campus dentist, one Dr. Coutinho, is a pro. I can say that with all honesty. When my sister got a root canal performed on her a few years back, I remember thinking, �holy crapola, hope I never have to get that done.�
A few weeks ago, Dr. Coutinho told me, in no uncertain words, �you�re gonna have to get that done.�
Your favorite dragon of the night was quaking in his boots (actually, I was wearing sneakers, but never mind).
Two weeks before my holiday, I had been kept awake at night and suffered all day long with paralysing facial pain that seemed to radiate from an upper tooth, and only 12,000 mgs�that�s right, I said 12,000 mgs�of ibuprofen could dull the ache. The pressure was so intense I was convinced my head would explode. I had gotten a filling in that tooth years before. I had booked myself an appointment at the dentist�s office here on campus for an emergency check-up. X-rays revealed a very large abscess behind the filling that had penetrated into the root. No wonder I was in such excruciating pain.
She did some preliminary drilling and root extraction before I left and just some further root extraction and cleansing of the area on Monday. The most horrible thing is the remarkably large needle used to insert anesthetic into the gum, front and back. And the insertion of the needle into the back of my gum made me bleed quite profusely for about five minutes. After the injection, I swallowed green mouthwash and spit out a stream of deep crimson red. Not once or twice, but five times before the blood stopped.
As for the drilling and yanking of the decayed root matter out of my jaw, that was nothing. Take it from me, I wouldn�t lie to you. Like most men, I�m cowardly when it comes to dentists (and doctors). I don�t trust them not to hurt me. Well, that was the case with dentists up until two weeks ago.
Thank God for Dr. Coutinho. I never could have enjoyed my vacation in Boston if that abscess had not been broken and cleansed and the root that it had destroyed at least partly removed. I still need further treatment on other teeth done, and I no longer feel scared. I actually look forward to the breaks from work these appointments will provide!
Of course, 2 mgs of Valium before each appointment helps immensely �
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
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