Today I have a dental appointment. At what time? 2:30. Get it? Two-thirty? Tooth-hurty?
Sorry. The point being that I must be in significant dental pain to pick up the phone and make an appointment. After all, what do I have to look forward to? Pain, needles, probably drilling, saliva coursing down my numb cheek and - to top it all off - a whopper of a bill, for which I have no insurance.
Caveat - my dentist herself is a lovely person. This is nothing personal, Lori. I just dread the dentist. And I am not alone. This morning I discovered dentalfear.org. And having spent a brief time on it's support forum, I've decided that I'm actually the paragon of mental health. After all, I'm going to the dentist, and I'm not taking drugs to get there.
Here are a few discussion topics under the "support forum" : "Panic attacks," "Where do I begin?" "My Big Day Is Tomorrow," "Scared to Even Make the Phone Call" and - the most frightening: "Four In, Four Out, and a Partial." How long did that guy wait before going in? Perhaps the same amount of time as the lady who posted "Getting Dentures."
I think it may be best not to spend too much time on this site. I think I'll go floss instead...
Ay de mi. Buena suerte! (good luck)
Posted by: Paul | September 17, 2008 at 09:13 AM
And this was written BEFORE the appointment!!
Posted by: Weatherman | September 17, 2008 at 03:47 PM
the dentist in that illustration looks like George W -- no wonder you're scared!
Posted by: merwolf | September 17, 2008 at 08:28 PM
Well, I hope your trip to the dentist wasn't that bad. Dental fears can really drag one down. The decision to delay help can lead to bigger problems for the teeth.
Posted by: Emmy Summers | October 25, 2011 at 02:09 PM