I HATE THE DENTIST BUT I LOVE MY DENTIST

I hate the dentist.  But I love my dentist.  But I really hate the dentist.  But I don’t know how I would get through it all without my dentist.  She is perfect!  I know I sound crazy, but crazy is how I am, at going to the dentist twice a year.  

I’m 67 and one would think going to the dentist would get easier since I have been doing it for almost 48 years now.  It is not. Although I have reached the stage where I no longer have to take valium before the appointment, my blood pressure still raises sky high when there. 

 I was the bride who after marriage saw a dentist for only the 3rd time in my life.  The first two times are the reasons I don’t like going to the dentist.  When Pat discovered that I did’t go to the dentist on a regular basis he immediately made arrangements for me to go to his dentist in Lansdale.  I was very nervous.  So nervous that when they put me in the dentist chair I immediately passed out.  Pat kidded the dentist and said, “If you work fast enough you could get it done before she comes to.”  

It started when I was first in kindergarden.  Toothaches in our home, meant you took a cotton swab and soaked it in lemon extract and placed it on the tooth that hurt until it went numb.  Sometimes it took a few days for it to settle down and go on to the next step.  Which in my case meant the tooth had to be pulled.  My parents were working poor, and did not have the money for regular dental appointments and my mother was not happy about wasting money on such things.  Both my parents had full sets of false teeth by the time they were in their 30’s.  Which is how many did it back then.  Wait until so many teeth were missing that false teeth  were the only solution.

The first trip to the dentist was traumatic for me.  Mom was a bit hissy about it all so when she took me into the dentist office and he said that she should be bringing me more regular to the dentist, she responded by a string of curse words and “You don’t tell me what to do with my children unless you are going to pay the bills!!!!!!!!”

The dentist was so upset at her behavior that he pulled my tooth rather briskly and quickly to get the maniac women out of his office.

The second time at the dentist happened when I was in 4th grade.  Another tooth did not respond to the lemon extract treatment so once again we had to find a dentist.  Once again, my mother was not happy about wasting money they didn’t have on my mouth, so when in another dentist office he recommended that I come back to deal with other cavities he saw in my mouth, she unloaded with a string of obscenities toward him, only this time they got into a pushing, shoving match.  The dentist kicked my mom out of the office and for a moment thought about sending me out after her, but seeing my obvious distress decided to end my suffering and pull the tooth.  Now at age 11 I had two holes in the back of my mouth from my adult missing teeth.  That was the last time I saw a dentist until I was married.

My first trip as Mrs. Ford, found me with thirteen cavities and two root canals that needed to be done.  What got me through all of this? Nitrous gas.  Without it and valium I don’t think I would have made it through those days.  

Today, I get nitrous gas for everything including the cleaning of my teeth.  Knowing that my dentist, (who I love to hate) understands my fear allows me to make my appointments every six months and keep them!  And I am always thrilled when I leave and she says, “See you in six months, no cavities!”

Now that is a great day!