I'm Not So Hard-Core After All

I've always been a real wimp when it comes to the dentist. First off, you need to know that every year they find new cavities to fill. I must have at least 15 fillings by now. I think even some of my fillings have fillings. This is, much to my dismay, despite the fact that I brush my teeth 2 or 3 times a day and floss every night before bed. Minh, on the other hand, brushes far less often and doesn't even know what floss is....and his teeth are cavity-free. (Let's hope Tai inherits Minh's teeth.)

Anyway, I've always needed TWO shots of Novocaine for each filling. Normally, they shoot me up, wait five minutes and start to drill. Then when I cringe and tell them I can still feel pain, they give me another shot. A few times I just told them up front I was going to need more than the average person and they gave me the double dose right away.

Now, since I have recently pushed a human child out my vagina without any pain medication, I figured this dentist thing wouldn't be so bad anymore. Yesterday on my way to get a cavity filled, I told myself it would be a piece of cake. Now, I certainly was not about to go through this process drug free (I'm not that crazy!) But I figured I would surely be able to just have the normal dose of Novocaine. Not so.

As usual, they shot me up, waited five minutes and started to drill. I could feel it, a little. But I reminded myself of how much birthing a child hurt, to keep things in perspective. The dentist stopped and asked if I was doing OK and I bravely said I was. So she started to drill again -- deeper. I couldn't take it. I couldn't "relax through the pain." So I ordered up another shot of the good stuff before we continued. That did the trick.

Of course, the entire side of my face was then numb for about 6 hours afterwards, making eating and drinking a tad difficult. I went home after the dentist and ate a candy bar (like you do) while nursing Tai. Apparently, some chocolate escaped the numb side of my mouth without my noticing. When I looked down at the boy, he had chocolate on the shoulder of his outfit and smushed behind his ear. I guess that's the price he had to pay for my pain-free dental work.