A little snarl with my whine

I spent the morning in the dentist's chair. I have, like so many others, a real phobia about dentists and am a wuss about going, although I've had very good dental care with some dentists that I really like. When they come at me in a white coat and they intend to peer into my mouth and use the drill, however, they are not my friends.

I have braces, nearly two years now, and regular orthodontic visits are part of that. They are not traumatic, probably because there's not a drill in sight. Mostly they take the little donut ligatures off and replace them, and sometimes replace a wire. It doesn't hurt. It's in and out. (Okay, so I don't look forward to having the brackets pried off my teeth. But that's not happening real soon. And it won't involve a drill.)

So while I was brushing my teeth before I left the house, my temporary crown fell out. Now that "hour of fun" as my dentist calls it happened a couple of weeks ago, when he'd decided that two crowns just couldn't wait for the braces to come off -- they happen to be the far back ones that aren't bracketed, so no problem, right?

Drills don't come near these pearly whites unless their owner is drugged. And I was more or less relaxed thanks to some nice valium that my very understanding dentist had prescribed. I had my CD player, fresh batteries, and an assortment of music that could be turned up to drown out the sound of the drill. Loreena McKennitt did a great job that day, and the drilling was vicious as it ground through a gold crown that was some 25+ years old. I just turned up the volume and closed my eyes. Not bad.

I was not prepared for the chair this morning, though, where I went as soon as I was properly donutted by the orthodontist. I wasn't drugged, for one. I had no music with me, only a book.

And to be honest, it wasn't bad. They'd gotten my new crown in and tried to fit it -- but it was too tight, so that'll come in another week or two. The drill didn't come near me. The dentist did deaden the area, though, which isn't great fun, but he is careful and thorough, which I do appreciate. And for the record, he is very good, very pleasant, and I like him. Except when he has a drill in his hand.

I'll go back in two weeks to get another crown drilled off, and you can be sure I'll be medicated with CDs in hand. And I'll have plenty of time to get myself prepared, unlike this morning.