I'm afraid of the dentist
"If everyone had your teeth, I'd be broke"
That's a quote of my dentist in my hometown when I grew up. My dental visits were always limited to a few minutes where the dentist glanced in my mouth and then complimented me and I could jump out of the chair again. Well, now and then he had to clean away some dental plaque. I was pared from braces and all that kind of joy. The major split in between my 2 frontal teeth that could fit my tongue, disappeared automatically as predicted by him when my wisdom teeth grew in.
Well then of course I made up all missed work and revenue to him by my "lissle pwoblem" that gave me a subscription of dental work all of the summer when I turned 17 and a crash diet from fluid food for multiple weeks. But all ended well, and I returned to the routine of quick check-ups that were just formalities.
That's a quote of my dentist in my hometown when I grew up. My dental visits were always limited to a few minutes where the dentist glanced in my mouth and then complimented me and I could jump out of the chair again. Well, now and then he had to clean away some dental plaque. I was pared from braces and all that kind of joy. The major split in between my 2 frontal teeth that could fit my tongue, disappeared automatically as predicted by him when my wisdom teeth grew in.
Well then of course I made up all missed work and revenue to him by my "lissle pwoblem" that gave me a subscription of dental work all of the summer when I turned 17 and a crash diet from fluid food for multiple weeks. But all ended well, and I returned to the routine of quick check-ups that were just formalities.
After living for several years in Leuven already, I decided that it was silly to drive across the country for a 5 minute dental check. I had been very grateful and loyal to my old dentist after all the effort he had done before, literally returning out of vacation trying to safe my teeth after I had literally running after a cute teenage guy. But in the end I chose to select a dentist at walking dentist from my home.
During the first control she seemed to panic a little about my gums being withdrawn and she wanted to see the x-rays from my past to check the evolution...next year I brought my old files from my old dentist and then the evolution wasn't so drastic after all. But still...
Then 1,5 year ago I got the news that there was a small cavity in my wisdom tooth. My little arrogant self-confidence about super teeth got shattered. "I don't do cavities"...apparently I do after all. Damn. But it didn't hurt at all so we didn't touch it. I was motivated to do more effort in more rigorous dental cleaning than before because I wasn't exactly a champion in that to be honest. I had super teeth after all, didn't I?
Now in May my teeth started to hurt. Not much. But they did. I felt it. I felt it at night too and I turned around to a different cheek. I brushed more, I cleaned more, I touched with my tongue, I peaked into the mirrow with my mouth wide open. But my teeth hurt...not one I realised, multiple. Sometimes upstair, sometimes downstairs. Damn. I booked a dental appointment, I waited and worried. I realised my good days were over. I wasn't just going to have a quick check-up. And hell that stressed me out.
It was with very little confidence that I went. I got confirmation: my gums withdraw a lot on the bottom and the tooth enamal has erosion...hence the over sensitivity below. And my wisdom tooth above has a crack (not a cavity), so that needs to get pulled. Damn.
While I tensed up all my muscles, the lower teeth got a protective filling layer on top. Now I wait for my appointment for the tooth pulling since I first needed a good xray (with my sinuses visible) from the hospital. And for the first time in my life while I still feel the simmering pain, I'm afraid of the dentist.
During the first control she seemed to panic a little about my gums being withdrawn and she wanted to see the x-rays from my past to check the evolution...next year I brought my old files from my old dentist and then the evolution wasn't so drastic after all. But still...
Then 1,5 year ago I got the news that there was a small cavity in my wisdom tooth. My little arrogant self-confidence about super teeth got shattered. "I don't do cavities"...apparently I do after all. Damn. But it didn't hurt at all so we didn't touch it. I was motivated to do more effort in more rigorous dental cleaning than before because I wasn't exactly a champion in that to be honest. I had super teeth after all, didn't I?
Now in May my teeth started to hurt. Not much. But they did. I felt it. I felt it at night too and I turned around to a different cheek. I brushed more, I cleaned more, I touched with my tongue, I peaked into the mirrow with my mouth wide open. But my teeth hurt...not one I realised, multiple. Sometimes upstair, sometimes downstairs. Damn. I booked a dental appointment, I waited and worried. I realised my good days were over. I wasn't just going to have a quick check-up. And hell that stressed me out.
It was with very little confidence that I went. I got confirmation: my gums withdraw a lot on the bottom and the tooth enamal has erosion...hence the over sensitivity below. And my wisdom tooth above has a crack (not a cavity), so that needs to get pulled. Damn.
While I tensed up all my muscles, the lower teeth got a protective filling layer on top. Now I wait for my appointment for the tooth pulling since I first needed a good xray (with my sinuses visible) from the hospital. And for the first time in my life while I still feel the simmering pain, I'm afraid of the dentist.
Comments