Dentists

1/30/2014

Today after I finish the last dregs of my coffee, I'm taking myself to the dentist for a root canal.  Ever had one of those?  Unfortunately, I've had several and they are one of my least favorite procedures, but necessary.

I was a child in the 50's when a visit to the dentist was very scary.  I suppose there must have been child dentists even back then, but if they were, my parents never took me to one of them.  No, instead I climbed up into the dental chair, which was not nearly as comfortable (maybe comfortable isn't the right word, but you know what I mean) as they are today.

Also, ALL and I do mean ALL instruments of torture, drills and other kinds of equipment literally dangled in front of your face, while you tried to get comfortable and get your heart rate down to something close to normal.  Then there was the white porcelain sink thing with water swishing around inside.  Instead of the tidy little sucker devices of today, back then you rinsed your mouth into the little sink.

Also, unlike today, in addition to the devices hanging over your head, there was a small tray that held all the little tools necessary to scrape, poke and eventually clean your teeth.  Nothing was hidden, everything was spread out right in front of you.  Even before the dentist and/or his assistant even touched my teeth, my dread and fear mounted with every passing second.  To say that I developed a fear of dentists, is an understatement.

As a teenager, one dentist told my mother that I had too many teeth in my mouth which was causing crowding.  Were braces considered?  I doubt it, because at my next appointment two of my teeth were pulled out.  It certainly fixed the overcrowding problem, but by today's standards, seems a bit drastic.

As a teenager I went to a dentist ONCE who apparently didn't want his patients to bite him (though they certainly should have), he put something like a bit in my mouth and then stretched some kind of rubber device over the bit.  This was frightening beyond words and after I told my Mother about the rubber thingy, we managed to find a new dentist!

When I had children of my own, and remembering well how fearful it can be to go to a dentist (at least for me), I found a children's dentist.  The boys loved going to see him, brightly colored walls, no instruments in sight, smaller chairs and a toy after each visit.  Luckily for them, the boys grew up without a dentist phobia, and even when it was time for braces, the visits were just not a big deal to them.  I can't recommend enough how starting a child off with a children's dentist gives the child a much different view toward dental care as adults.

Even though today's appointment will be a bit lengthy and a shot and a drill will be involved, my dentist is very kind and patient, which is important to a fraidy (I don't think that's spelled right) cat like myself.

I have an interesting story about how I got my name.  It seems that when my Mom was pregnant with me, her dentist had a lovely assistant named Patti.  Mom thought this woman was extremely nice with a good personality.  Here's the kicker:  "Patti" was having an affair with the dentist, who was married!  Many years later as a teenager Mom took me back to that same dentist, who was still practicing, and his assistant was "Patti", only then she was his wife!  I have no idea how Mom came up with my middle name of Jo, but when I was recently in the south, EVERYBODY called me by my full name, which initially caught me off guard, but after I got used to it, kind of liked it!

P