tooth excavation
So the other week, in deference to Leah's wishes, I went to the dentist for the first time in about ten years or so. He told me that my mouth was in suprisingly good shape, but that I did have one cavity, so today I went back to get it drilled, or filled, or whatever it is they do to cavities. I was uneasy about the whole procedure; my stomach was not all I could wish for on the drive to the dental office.
When I got there there was nobody home, but once they showed up (back from their lunch break I imagine) they sat me right down, swabbed some numbing agent on my gums, and stabbed me with a needle. I mostly didn't feel the needle, thanks to the aforementioned numbing--which also had a very interesting effect on my throat when I swallowed--but there were a few unpleasant moments when the deadly point approached too closely to some nerve or other. Then, after an interval for me to get all numb, they slapped some sort of scaffolding apparatus in my mouth to keep it open, the drilling commenced.
It wasn't actually that bad, the drilling, except at one point when it hurt some. When I made an 'owchie' noise (as well as I could through all the scaffolding and latex) the dentist was very considerate and apologetic, and explained that I had an extended nerve, or something of the sort, in that particular area of the tooth. He used a slower-speed drill after that, at least for that side of my tooth, and I felt no further discomfort. In fact, the only real discomfort of the whole visit came when he showed me my x-rays and told me that I actually had three more cavities hiding elsewhere in my mouth, and that I'd have to come back for two more drilling expeditions at a later date. That's in addition to the wisdom teeth removal which apparently must also be performed. The dentist showed me the x-rays to back up his diagnosis, but I confess I couldn't really see the cavities he was pointing to (they look like dark patches, I find); I considered it enough to be able to tell which bits were teeth and which were background.
So that was my trip to the dentist. One final note, that novacaine lasts a while and sure feels funny. Also, no matter how hungry you may be, it's just not possible to really savor your food when your mouth has no feeling to speak of. Aside from the little matter of not being able to taste due to tongue numbness, it's also not quite pleasant not to be able to tell when your top and bottom teeth are touching each other. Makes chewing difficult, I discovered. I'm fully better now, though.
On an unrelated note, it's nice to note that now, finally, the Red Sox managed to schedule a game when actual humans could watch and or listen to most of it. The first one was on a school night and started after 8:00; the next two were on weekdays and started at one. Guys, what's up with that? Now that we've reached game 4, though, they seem to have figured the thing out. Sox won too, so so much the better.