Don’t you just hate it when the dentist knows where you live? Got the reminder card in the mail this week and I just feel sick to my stomach already. Almost a year ago, I spent a good deal of time at my dentist. Needed a filling that didn’t settle as it was supposed to, and then the tooth had to be removed. Pain, pain, pain. And then it got infected and I got really sick. Long story short, it pays to switch dentists if the first one mucks up the job, and find one who isn’t afraid to prescribe antibiotics. Honestly, child birth was less of a trauma compared to my last visit to the dentist. It was so bad that I pretty much checked out of my life for months. Amazingly, you can survive without social media and fair-weather friends after all.
I’m not prepared to go through any of that again. I can’t put it off so I’m taking solace from researching dentistry practices of 200 years ago.
- teeth were loosened by careful hammering. No matter how many times I say careful, I still shudder because …
- dentistry was carried out without any means to dull the pain.
- occasional use of gunpowder and urine were recommended for tooth cleaning
- fillings were done but there was a type of porcelain tooth filling that could kill the tooth nerve. Picture dead black tooth with bright white filling as the end result.
- aside from false teeth, a gap could be filled by a tooth transplant (pulling a perfectly healthy tooth from one person to replace the one you just had pulled.)
Oh, gross on the last one …..
That settles it. Now that school has resumed and my current novel is almost complete and soon to be in the hands of my editor, I’d better suck it up and make an appointment. Wish me luck!