Dental Trauma

Andrew and I both had dentist appointments this week. Andrew went for his one year checkup that the American Dental Association is now recommending. I was all on top of this first dentist appointment because I am already worried about potential teeth problems due to his prematurity and genentics (not from me, of course;) ).

Andrew's first visit went really well. The dentist looked at his teeth and checked for firmness. He told me that Andrew's teeth look great, but that his teeth (all 8!) are already crowded, and we can expect for Andrew to need braces. So... I was expecting that Andrew will need braces (Rob and I both had crowded teeth and needed braces, headgears...the works!), but I was not expecting to hear this on his FIRST dentist visit when he only has 8 teeth!! Oh well, I guess that just gives Rob and I plenty of time to save up for the future orthodontist appointments.

Then, on to my dentist appointment. Back in January, my dentist discovered 3 cavities!! I was shocked because, other than the orthodontics, I generally have very few teeth problems. I have had the odd cavity here and there, but never 3 at one time! He assured me that the flare up in cavities was probably due to having a new baby. Something about horomones and neglecting your teeth with a newborn. OK, I can handle that explanation.

Now, I have never been one who is terrified or anxious about going to the dentist. Yeah, it is not how I would like to spend an afternoon, but I generally do not dread the appointment two weeks prior. I was prepared for a cleaning and filling 3 cavities at this dentist appointment. I knew I would be there for an hour or so. However, I was not expecting to be there for almost 3 hours!!

I do not kid. I arrived at the dentist office at 2:30 and did not leave until 5:15. Two hours and forty five minutes of hands in my poor, cramped mouth!! Well, the hands weren't in my mouth the whole time. The hygenist was running about 30 minutes behind schedule, so I actually did not sit in a dental chair until 3:00. Then, she had to prepare all the "tools", help another hygenist, get a drink of water (I kid you not!!)......I was about to walk out and reschedule when she finally started. To speed up the process, she used (with my permission) a special "water-thing" to clean the plaque build-up from my teeth. (Actually, due to my obsessive flossing, I did not have alot of buildup). But the machine was used nonethless. This machine replaces the scraping. Now, I don't like the scraping so I was welcoming the experience of this new machine....but, I discovered that when this water machine hits sensitive teeth...you will literally jump out of your seat!! Painful does not even describe the feeling.

So, I survived the water torture experiment. And, the hygenist made a note in my folder to NEVER use this machine on me again.

In the process of cleaning my teeth, the hygenist found another cavity....on the other side of my mouth. The previous three were on the right side and this new cavity was on the left side. Sooo....next on the agenda was filling all four cavities. Because I had not had a cavity filled in so long, I was sure that there had to be an invention that made this process painless. Besides, I had already had enough pain for one afternoon with the new water torture device. To his credit, the dentist did a great job numbing my entire mouth....both sides!! Idid not feel a thing....the grinding noise, on the other hand, was quite irritating.

After what felt like an eternity of grinding and drilling, I was finally done. The dentist told me that I could expect the numbness to subside within a few hours, but that my teeth may be extra sensitive for the next 2-3 weeks due to the "TRAUMA" of the day. Real comforting.....real comforting.

Due to the numbness of my entire mouth, the mouthwash I was given to rinse out my mouth, ran down both sides of my chin and onto my blouse. So, after three hours at the dentist I was left with an entirely numb mouth, mouthwash down my chin and on my shirt, and unable to talk coherently. I slurred to the hygenist that I was "juth weawy to weave".

On my drive home, the trauma of the afternoon began to be felt in my mouth. I had to pop some painkillers as soon as I hit the door (Thanks, Mama!!). Although I did gain feeling back in my mouth, I could barely eat dinner that night due to my teeth being so sensitive. Thursday was a little better as I was able to eat toast and drink lukewarm water. Today, I can eat most anything, but really cold food or beverages send shivers of pain through my teeth. I have some toothpaste for sensitive teeth, so I will start using that to help with all this trauma in my mouth.

You can bet, though, I will not be looking forward to the dentist next January. In fact, I am already anxious about it and may need anti-anxiety drugs just to get me through that office door!!