Look Ma

I just had a clean bill of health from the dentist.  Going to the dentist is practically a non-event nowadays.  For the first 30 or so years of my life that was hardly the case. I used to DREAD going to the dentist.  When I was a kid, tooth maintenance was very low on the priority list. I remember thinking that swishing milk around in my mouth for the few days leading up to the appointment would somehow fend off cavities. Needless to say, I had a lot of cavities growing up.  My dentist was a sort of creepy guy that did not have exactly a light touch.  In fact there were some times when he would encourage me to not use any sort of pain stuff if the cavity was “small”.

Well I had a myriad of dreadful experiences at the dentist over the years.  I remember about two months out from my appointment I would start counting down to d-day, fixated on my return to the place which I disliked so much, of my own free will no less.  I clearly remember the anxiety as the guy would walk into the office with his magnifying glasses on.  He would scrape and pick at my teeth, eagerly looking for the slightest spot of decay so he could once again inflict pain upon me with his collection of power tools. The smell of  teeth burning as they are drilled on still gives me goosebumps. I don’t know why I never changed dentists once I became an adult.  I saw the guy right up until I moved to Florida.

Since moving here I found myself a wonderful female dentist.  I have found that when given a choice I would rather have a female working on me than man, they are just nicer.  My new dentist has never hurt me.  I only had a couple cavities since I was in her care and I didn’t feel a thing.  Dentist visits are just another appointment on the calendar now instead of a semi-annual torture ritual.  I much prefer it this way.