Laughing vs. Crying Gas

Getting a cavity is the worst.

You feel guilty for one. Not flossing after each meal along with brushing. It's like a scarlett letter of the mouth; penance paid for past wrong dental hygiene.

And that isn't including the drilling, tooth dust filling  your nose, and then the dental instrument hits a nerve that wasn't deadened by the shot that felt like they used a machine gun to wiggle a needle into your cheek, so as to help the hurt of filling a cavity. *

wahhahhah! Makes me cry to write this tonight.

BUT! I always handled it relatively well in the past. And sorta joked and laughed at my friend who was petrified of the place. Until now.

The dental seats were changed today. I had not been looking forward to today for a few weeks. So I asked for some laughing gas to help me endure the filling and hope that my body could absorb the shock of the work needing to be done. Adrenaline wise.

Shortly after arriving at my dentist's, checking in with his long time receptionist, I settled in for what I thought could be a nap, what with the laughing gas and all.

Nope.

They put a gas mask over my nose and I talked a lot. then stopped. Talking that is.

 They put the gel on my gum and went to give me the shot. In it went and OUCH!!!!!

Oh, my. I thought the gas would help more than that! Apparently I'm immune now. Great. My dentist had them switch the tanks cause it looked like the other one was low. He gave me extra time to get chuckling. But I didn't start chuckling. I started crying.

Crying! I was so thankful for my dentist as I lay there under the gas' enfluence. I was thankful for the wind blowing outside the window and the bright sunshine, because it was supposed to be really cold and rainy. Which did happen but not until during J's outdoor baseball game.

They normally don't play indoors, I just had to emphasize that it is OUT SIDE in the weather.
ugh. Poor kids.

So there I was crying and then he was drilling and I was still trying to talk and bare my testimony of life and bicycle riding and then he hit a nerve. Oh, no. How deep was this cavity? It actually wasn't deep at all. What the.... I am a complete woos.

No strength. Nada. I was now crying tears of pain. wah.

Later, after I'd checked off all that I needed to probably share with a different venue,  had my dentist promise to take J. and I fishing with his family, and he memo-ed himself a note to have his wife call me, I had the post laughing gas feeling. (we are friends and went to school together.)


Which is a cross between a migraine and the stomach flu. And a deep sense of stupidity for saying all you said. And cried. And will be getting a call from your friend who will think something serious needs to be talked about.

My daily quota just ran out. More when it hurts less. And when my cheek heals from biting it while eating before the numbness wore off.