Thursday Dentist Appointment

Thursday was the day I had been dreading since my last visit to the Modern Day Torture Chamber in May. As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed my parents minivan in the parking slot next to the door. Now this dental practice has been the only one I have attended in my life. The son has now taken over the dad's practice and does a much better job than his father. I will elaborate on that in a moment.

My initial thought when I saw Dad's van was this was going to be a family intervention of some sort. Perhaps the dentist was going to tell me he was going to pull all my teeth and make me wear dentures and he needed Mom and Dad to hold me down while he pulled them. I tried to make a joke as I entered the waiting room and asked the receptionist if this was "Family Day" at the office because I saw the folk's van outside. She laughed and said this happened frequently and they thought that was funny. I was not laughing because I was still not sure what was going on.

Mom emerged a few minutes later with a toothbrush and floss and said she just had a cleaning so I guess it was a coincidence. I suspect she was getting the pearly whites ready for the Ms Senior Oklahoma Pageant coming up September 6th. She told me she had heard some local TV personalities were going to be emcees, entertainers and judges at this event. Then she was out the door with the wave of a beauty queen.

I was called into the torture chamber and Doctor and Nurse were waiting with their masks on to hide their identity. I had two cavities and by luck they were on opposite sides of the mouth. So, he rubbed some orange flavored substance on my gums then pulled out a needle and told me I would feel a pinch. He stuck both sides and left the room. I told the nurse I did not remember the old man giving me injections before filling a tooth. I just remembered him getting the drill and going after it. She chuckled and said modern medicine has a thing or two on the old ways. I was too young the last time I had a tooth filled for a shot of whiskey before Doc Holiday drilled. The dentist returned shortly and asked if I was ready. I answered, "Yethphhh," and realized something was wrong. I was feeling like my cheeks were full of something and tongue was swollen. I knew this was going to be interesting.

Soon there was whirring, high shrills, smells of burning calcium and the feeling that my face was melting. I felt no pain but I felt no jaw. It was as if some pieces were missing. After a bit he was done and told me to rinse. Somehow I was able but never felt the cup on my bottom lip. They had the nerve to charge me more money because some was not covered by insurance. I was happy to pay if it got me out of there.

On the way home I stopped at Braum's, an ice cream store. I ordered a milk shake to sip on as I drove home. I never felt the cool of the shake until it hit the back of my throat. And because of the numbness of the mouth and tongue I never tasted the doggone thing.

The dentist owes me 2 bucks for the shake I did not enjoy.