Everybody Has One

Everybody has one. A hang-up of some kind. A phobia. Something they have a hard time dealing with.

For me, it's going to the dentist. I guess it started when I was just a kid and had a whacked-out dentist who recommended that most of my baby teeth get pulled because he said my permanent teeth were ready to come in but couldn't because my baby teeth were in the way. I'm not sure why, either from inexperience or lack of other dentists in my small town, but my parents followed his recommendation. I was nearly toothless for several years. And believe me, kids can be cruel when you're nine years old with teeth gaping like a 90-year-old.

Then when I was in 6th grade I got braces. They pulled together my few gaping teeth so those permanent teeth really could come in. But this was back in the day, when braces were chunky and were worn for years (in my case, four of them). I was never bothered by wearing the braces, but having them damaged the enamel on my teeth so that ever since they were removed, my teeth have been overly sensitive to cold foods, cold air, and often touch.

This means I can't even get my teeth cleaned without wanting to go through the ceiling from anxiety and discomfort. This is why I don't go to the dentist regularly the way I should and why when I do go, I have to have sedation dentistry performed. And this is why I, an otherwise frugal person, am willing to spend as much money as necessary to not feel or remember a thing while the dentist does whatever work needs to be done in one fell swoop. Our insurance will cover most, maybe even all, of the work, but not the sedation.

Anyway, all this just to say that the time has come for me to go to the dentist again. An aching tooth put a real damper on our camping trip this past weekend. I made an appointment for today for an exam, X-rays and treatment plan. I was anxious just making the appointment! The actual work can't be done until next week, because Shane is the acting foreman on his job until his boss gets back from vacation and won't be available to drive me until then. I don't know what I'm going to do for pain management until then, but as you can tell, I'm willing to put up with the pain rather than have the work done unsedated. Yep, I'm that uptight about it.

I can't be the only one. Surely some of you are as anxious about dental appointments as I am. Or maybe it's your ob/gyn appointments you avoid. Or something else entirely. Come on and share...it'll make me feel better knowing I'm not the only one.