Adventures In Dentistry

I have replacement fillings now.

The process was not so bad. I self medicated with the rum before going in. Two shots. I was getting ready to run back to the truck for a third shot when I was called.

So I go to the back room. Sounds of wirring instruments were all over the place. Apparently Tuesday afternoon is a great time for everyone to get a cleaning. But I had to go to the real dentist room. In the back. With the real drill.

The drill.

Anyway I got a Novocaine injection. I think that is what it was. They jab the needle in the back corner of your jaw, where the lower jaw bone attaches to your skull. And then they plunge the needle back and forth while injecting the stuff.

Not fun.

And then after the stuff soaks in, the drilling begins.

The drilling.

But I could still feel stuff - a fact I quickly communicated. You see, I came expecting the worst. So I got a second injection, this time along the gum below the offending teeth. Two injections with the same syringe. Half the dose each time.

And then there was more soaking in time. At this point half my head is not there anymore. I could not feel my lip. I could not feel my tongue. I could not feel my gums.

And then the drilling resumed. Now the truth is I could still feel something. I do not know what. It was like a dull pressure. Not really anything that hurt, but I was still a little concerned that I could feel anything at all. The rest of the area was dead after all. So why could I still feel anything?

But I did not say anything. It really did not hurt, I could just tell something was there.

Now by this time I can see this fine mist of old filling and just a very little bit of tooth enamel flying out of my mouth. And then there was the smoke, and the smell of burning bone (which smells similar to burning hair for some reason).

And then it was over. Here I was expecting some horrible experience and the actual drilling was over very fast. Well hell I probably did not even need that second injection!

I was expecting far worse.

Anyway I opted for the silver metal fillings. I had the white fillings before. But the silver stuff lasts longer. The dentist recommended it because it was for the molars. You use those to chew with more than your front teeth. And the ugly silver filling is not as noticeable when it was way back in the back of your mouth.

The white porcelain fillings I had wore out.

And then as an added bonus, the dentist "rounded off" some points on my upper molars, above where the fillings were placed.

All in all, it was not so bad. I just have to get used to the way everything feels now.