Good Luck or Bad?

So, today I went straight in to our HR office and asked about the new dental policy. It's so new to us that we don't even have cards or a group number yet. (But at least I'm not the guy that works on his feet all day that is now walking around in a cast that I ran into while I was in there -- but I digress!) So, our "HR girl" gave me her last packet on the current policy (good for 3 more days) and tells me the link to the new one if I can't get an appointment right away.

As luck would have it, MY dentist is on the current plan! YEAH! I give him a call and he's on vacation this week. BOO!!! And, he doesn't take the new plan, so it's time to look around. Boo!!!!

I hate looking for a new doctor ALMOST as much as looking for a new job! (Yup, you guessed it! Boooooooo!!!!!)

I figured, what the heck -- just start at the top of the list and call to see who can get you in. At this point, it almost doesn't matter. Or does it?

The first few offices had only answering machines on the phone, so I assumed they were closed for the holidays as well. Then I decided to at least NOT choose a dentist that was WAY far away and TRY to find one close to home or work. The next one I called, I got a VERY professional and pleasant girl on the phone and she asked if I could get there by 1:30 that very same day!!!! Yeah!!!! What great luck!!!!

I mean, Wooo hoooo!!!!!!!!

I'LL TAKE IT!

But, as soon as I hang up, I wonder why they are able to get me in immediately. Does the dentist suck? Boo?

I don't think he does!!!! Yeah!!!!!

BUT.

Wait, that should be a BIG "BUT!"

The thing is, my tooth was NOT hurting when I went in to see him. Perhaps I could have (hypothetically) lived an entire year with my pain-free broken tooth like those that offered me (very welcomed!) solace when I voiced my anxiety over the broken tooth situation. But, in the PROCESS of getting it fixed, something is now exposed that was not before.

NOW it hurts! I mean, it really hurts!!! Boo!!!!!

BUT, it's not a BAD kind of hurt. It's the kind of dull pain that I can DEAL with! Yeah!!! Not that stabbing throbbing pain that I had feared prior to heading in to the drill master. ;) (That's a hypothetical Boo!!!!)

BUT! they warned me that the temporary crown may not last through the weekend! WTF?!?!?! Boo!!!!

BUT! at least they WARNED me about that and I can avoid it! Yeah!!! Poor Marti was young and dumb and completely unwarned when he got his first crown and decided it was a GOOD idea to eat gummy bears or hot tamales (he can't remember) and lost his first crown. (Ya think?)

So, in the time it has taken me to turn on my PC and form at least THIS part of this post, my pain has subsided! YEAH-DI-FREAKIN-YEAH!!!!!!!! Yes, people, Excedrin KICKS ASS on dental pain! You know how they say certain pills work better on certain types of pain? Well, put Excedrin down for dental pain!!! I don't even know it exists right now! And, I knew to do this because last time I had dental pain, it also worked like a charm. Excedrin is my new "ass kicker" if I ever have dental pain! I'm just sayin'!!!!

So, anyway, I got the tooth drilled down today (yeah?) and got a temporary crown put on until they can get a permanent one molded and matched at the lab. YEAH! And, the temporary one is white and not silver! Yeah! BUT, I wonder, after I TOLD the girl that I didn't CARE if the temporary crown was silver, if they will bill me for the difference? Insurance will surely not cover the extra cost on something that will be thrown away in a week or so. Boo!

The thing is, it turns out that I finally have come to the realization (at 40 years old!!!) that I seem to have some sort of weird immunity to Novacaine! BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! (I see I'm not the only one with this problem: Novocaine Issues ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~...........~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ And yet another link, just to convince myself that I'm not crazy...

We started at 2:05 pm after he gave me my first shot. He let me sit there about 15-20 minutes maybe to let it take effect. I don't ever remember a dentist letting me stew on it so long, so this was a welcome procedure! (Uh, YEAH!) I was feeling plenty swollen by the time he returned, but as soon as he started drilling, I knew I was in for it again. Just as I always fear, I got the huge jolts of pain when he hit certain areas of my tooth. He calmly told me to relax, but how can I???? (Uh, BOOOOO!)

So, after about 3 major jerks away from his drill, he concedes that maybe I need another shot. He gave me one in the front of my jaw and another in the back where the first one was. And then, of course, I wait.

He returns and the drilling resumes. Do you want to guess what came next?

You're right! A big BOOOOO!!!!

I can still feel PAIN and by now I'm actually, for the first time in my conscious memory, crying in the dentist chair! (Well, boo.) I don't even remember crying as a child!!!!! (And I got a LOT of fillings as a child!)

So, as I wipe my eyes and tremble, he backs off and gives me another shot, then allows me to stew for a little longer. An over an hour has passed and he's barely started because I keep needing more shots. (No fault of his own, but boo.)

He worked around the sensitive spot and then after my 4th dose, we mutually agreed (in unspoken "suck it up and let's get this over with" terms) to just blast through it.

He did his best to avoid the area (I could feel where he worked, so I know he was doing this) until the end and then I just clenched every muscle in my body and let him have at it. It still hurt like a mother, but when he said he was almost done, it was what I needed to hear and we were soon done. (Boo for the pain, but yeah for the done!!!!)

I swear. Next time I visit a dentist when drilling is a possibility, I am SO shoving a piece of coal up my ass! I will surely have diamonds by the time everything is done! ;)

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Side note:

As much as I hated every moment of what happened today, I am SO thankful to the guy for getting me in and patiently working through the procedure with me! It must SUCK to have a job where you literally make people cry when trying to help them! What a thankless job that must be!

To every dentist out there, I offer my humble thanks. For every tear of pain I've shed in your chair, you have, no doubt, saved me hundreds of tears in the privacy of my own home, I'm sure.