Friday, September 19, 2008

A trip to the Dentist


Yesterday, I went to the dentist. It was a morning check-up, but ended up in my having a filling and costing all of £45. I'm now OK for a year before returning. Heaven's knows how much it would of been to take a tooth out? Regardless I find the whole dental thing a nerve jangling experience and always have done. So have built up over the years a good relationship with my dentist because he's just good at dealing with nervous wrecks like me.

There are a number of strategies I employ when having a check up. Firstly, mouth opening. Now for some people who have big mouths this is easy. Theirs may retract and dislocate to open like a snake devouring it's latest victim. My mouth however just has a problem when opening. It's not that big. I find it difficult. Maybe it's something to do with not being a great talker like some. I don't know. But I do know I have to open my mouth as wide as I can for short periods, it's practice. Not to say my dentist wants to get his entire arm down there, as well as the pneumatic drill. No. All he wants to do is his dental thing. So a little jaw loosening is always a must. The next strategy is to relax. Relax as much as I can. Mr Dentist man usually tells me to breath through my nose. Well not having perfected the art of breathing through my arse this is pretty good advice. The problem can be when he's drilling away the smell of smoking charred enable is inhaled. Which can lead to a state of not-relaxed. Short breaths and my raising a hand or suddenly gagging and chocking. It's not panic just the necessity to breath. The next strategy is used by my dentist. He simply waits for very short moments to allow me to recover, then taps my shoulder and I open my mouth again. I continue breathing, this time through my nose and even try counting. Slowly with each exhale, 1, 2, 3....oops breath through nose 4, 5, 6.... and so on. Having a good dental nurse helps, as the careful placement of the sucking device ensures excess liquids are vacuumed up, rather than my chocking because it's been poorly positioned.

Then after a few words, and a thanks I see the receptions and pay the bill. Teeth, what can you do without them? Suck eggs I suppose.

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