As I’ve mentioned before, dentists are one of my proximity-based fears.(https://diabeticontheprairie.com/2012/03/25/fear-based-on-proximity/ .) Dentists, as well as bulls and electric fences, will only cause you pain if they are close enough to touch you.
Not only did I have to get a new dentist, but I also had an abscessed tooth before I made the switch. (AND the new dentist isn’t a PPO on my insurance.This worries me, too.).
Little old me thought you got some antibiotics and your abscessed tooth was cured. Unfortunately for me, I needed another root canal.
And then I entered my own personal scary movie. Not just any root canal. A root canal through the side of my head. Yes, you read that correctly. Shots, incision, a filling in the side of my tooth, chipping away at my jaw bone to find and remove the top piece of infected root with pliers, and stitches.
I nearly passed out when I heard this is what would be happening to me. Appointment day came. My bloodsugars spiked to 300 due to the stress.
A topical numbing agent, shots to deaden the pain, a cut through my gum to find the bad nerve, drilling, a snap, stitch-stitch-stitch. “Well, you are all done!” the dentist said.
I looked at my watch. Only 15 minutes had passed. X-rays take longer than this!
“Lucky for you, your tooth was not imbedded into the bone. We refer to it as a ‘naked tooth’.”
Lucky for me, I have R-rated teeth. Nudity and all.
