My Dental Affair

I love my dentist. Really I do. It wasn't always this way though. I used to think of going to the dentist as the worst experience in the entire world. I didn't think my parent's could think of a more cruel punishment for me. My mother and father were sticklers for seeing the dentist every 6 months growing up. I hated it because I had teeth that were prone to cavities. I brushed and flossed and brushed and flossed some more and still always had cavities. "I'm sorry, Sheri" my dentist would sadly say. "It looks like you've got 4 this time." How I would cry and scream it wasn't fair! My brother could give two shits about brushing his teeth and I don't think a piece of floss ever touched his mouth. He'd being whistling Dixie out the door with a "No Cavity!" shit-eating grin on his face and it would make my blood boil. We always had the same dentist growing up and I continued to see him as an adult. However, after becoming an adult..... something started to happen to my dental-going ways. I stopped going out of fear. Fear of the Cavity. Then that fear manifested into anxiety and before I knew it.... I was petrified to go to the dentist. It was agony to actually get to the dentist's office. I'd be nauseous and sick for days before my appointment worrying about it. For those of you who have never had an anxiety problem..... you're probably saying to yourself.... "Jesus, Lady... get a grip on life, will ya?" For those of you nodding and understanding what I'm saying about anxiety..... you know what I'm talking about. I'd cancel at the last minute because I was so worked up about going. I'd tell the receptionist "I just can't do this" and she always just said "ok, Well, let's reschedule". When I'd finally work up the nerve to go.... he'd find a dreaded cavity and the whole process would have to start over with the filling appointment. I was constantly in dread over the dentist.

Then my current dentist came into my life. My husband is a stickler for patronizing local business' and people who do business with our company . "They put food on our table, Sheri, so we should do the same to them". This particular dentist is a customer of ours and one day when Gary was working in there, he made an appointment for me. He must have told them how I freak out about the dentist because the hygenist called me a few days before my appointment. She said to me "I just wanted to give you a call to let you know that we are looking forward to seeing you. If you would like, the doctor would be happy to give you something to help you relax before coming in. We don't want this to be upsetting to you." "I think I"ll be ok" I said. She didn't know that I had made Gary promise to go with me. How pathetic is that? I needed my husband to hold my hand at the dentist but I figured if it gets me to that chair, he can concede to it.

It wasn't bad at all. She took me right in as soon as I walked in the door so I didn't have to sit in the waiting room getting worked up. As she was cleaning my teeth, she kept stopping to ask how I was doing. There wasn't any severe poking, scraping or stabbing with metal instruments. It was almost... enjoyable. When I left that first day, I felt on cloud nine. I had gone to the dentist! Me! Who would practically faint walking into a dentist! I had endured and enjoyed it! And I had NO CAVITIES! The only issue I had was a cracked filling that I had let go too long and had destroyed the tooth under it and was in need of a (big gulp$$$) root canal, but they told me when I was ready, they would do it.

Who would have believed that three years later.... I have since had that root canal and still have not had a cavity? I have had fillings replaced and am getting a crown on my root canal tooth. I truly don't' mind going to the dentist now and actually look forward to it. I n fact.... today I went and had my teeth cleaned. I laid back in the chair, with the special glasses on to cut the glare from the lights and almost fell asleep. I'm not kidding you. I thought I was here:


The only question I have now is..... why did my first dentist always find a cavity? ALWAYS. EVERY TIME. And this dentist doesn't? I don't brush my teeth any more or less than I did before. I don't floss any less or more than I did before. Was I getting ripped off? What do you think? Hannah had three fillings with him before we switched to this dentist and she hasn't had a cavity either. Hmmmmmmm........