Dentists

My first visits to the dentist were when I was too young to resist. I blame Dr. Wexler for my later drug use. That Nitrous Oxide was just too much fun. After a couple of visits I actually began looking forward to them. I could put up with the drilling and the pain, just give me a few whiffs and life was beautiful. Besides, I always got a lollipop on the way out.

But after my family moved to Florida, things changed. The dentists in Dade County used Novocaine shots. That was too much for me. I didn't like shots at all. I was 15 when I went to the dentist because of a toothache. One of the fillings put in by Dr. Wexler had fallen out and I had ignored it... for many, many months. But I can't ignore the pain for long once the nerve was exposed. I put up with it for one day before I let my mother know. But, oddly, the day before the appointment the pain disappeared. I no longer wanted to go. Mother made me go anyway.

I was led into the inner chamber and placed in the chair. The assistant/nurse/whatever put the paper bib on me and left. The dentist came in, did the usual "open... wider... wi-i-i-i-der... uh huh ah uh oh" stuff and then put together the needle and syringe, and began giving me shots. 4 of them. In my gums. Ow.

After the shots, he left the room. He came back in after maybe 5 minutes and asked me if I was numb yet. I wasn't so I said no, that I just had some tingling in my lower lip is all. He gave me 3 more shots and left again. He came back, refused to believe I was not numb yet (I still wasn't) and proceeded to put the pliers to the tooth. I yelled. Very loud. Very, very loud. He backed off. Decided he would give me 2 more shots. After those shots, he left for another 5 minutes. When he came back, he went right to the tooth and pushed it down then twisted then pulled up and out it came. He jammed in the pads of gauze onto the hole where a tooth once lived and the assistant/nurse/whatever led me back to the waiting room.

As we got back into the car to go home, my mother asked me why I yelled. She said it sounded loud even out in the waiting room. She said a few people left right after that. I have always wondered if she was just tugging my chain.