I went to the dentist yesterday to have my two front teeth worked on. A couple of weeks late if all I wanted for Christmas were my two front teeth 😆. Nothing dramatic—just fillings. My wife and I both carry dental insurance, so I walked out with my wallet still intact.
While I was in the chair, the dentist insisted on nitrous oxide because my blood pressure was running a little high. First time I’ve ever used it. I don’t know why I always said no before—probably some macho notion that I needed to “tough it out.” If I were truly that tough, I guess I would’ve said, “Skip the nitrous, skip the anesthetic, and hand me the drill” 😂.
One thing that always gets me in a dentist’s office is the sound of the drill. It hits the same spine‑tingling frequency as fingernails on a chalkboard 😱. My hearing aids seem specially engineered to pick up and amplify every annoying noise. I meant to turn them off before we started, but forgot. C’est la vie.
Not so long ago, I would’ve slipped away from work for the appointment and headed straight back afterward. Now? I declared a personal holiday and took a nap in my recliner. That’s the problem with being able to do what you want when you want—you actually can.
I recently poured a new driveway, and there’s a chunk of concrete from the old one sitting along the path to the mailbox. It’s not large, and I don’t need to move it, but every time I pass it, instead of tossing it into the brush, I tell myself I’ll get to it later. I have time to do or not to do—that is the question.
“Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what the hell happened.” — Jennifer Yane
“Blessed are they who hold lively conversations with the helplessly mute, for they shall be called dentists.” — Ann Landers
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” — Albert Einstein
I am not bringing mom back to this dentists. She can keep this dentist if she wants, but she needs to find her own way to get here.
She refuses to use the dentist close to her. Note that I have been using that dentist for 20+ years. They are fine. But she has this fiction stuck in her mind that the location only hires dentist in training. That isn't true.
There is a day where people can get free cleanings from dentist in training (Available once a month).
Might be relevant that mom grew up poor, and she has within her a tendency to grab whatever she can get for free. So she took up the "deal" to get a free teeth cleaning and did not like the experience.
I've informed her that is not their normal level of service. But she has an inability to retain that memory. Mom is in her mid 70s, and I think she is developing cognitive challenges. There are a number of fictions she has adopted that I cannot remove from her.
There was a guy at the window arguing for 43 minutes. He said he was in pain and he needs someone to do something now. The dentist said they could work him in for a consult on his pain. He doesn't want a consult. He wants treatment!
Also, he doesn't want to pay a copay. He wants his insurance to pay for 100% of it. They asked him to take a seat. He refused, and was there by the window for 43 minutes.
Went for an emergency dental visit. I now need to see an oral surgeon to have two teeth extracted. Plus I have a list of dental offices that offer low cost care as well as the local dental schools. Medicaid only pays for emergency dental for folks over 26, btw.
Did I mention that I have severe anxiety around dental care?