October 10, 2005
Apparently there's an approved procedure to brushing one's teeth, and I've been doing it wrong for the better part of three decades. Now I'll grant the root canal a couple years ago and the deep-scaling I had done Thursday would attest to that, but it seems like such a simple process.
Anyway, the hygenist dug around under my gums, scraping off a layer of accumulated plaque and shooting an anti-bacterial powder into the holes. This makes the gum feel swollen and irritated. It also makes the jaw somewhat sore, since the hygenist tries to open your mouth wide enough to crawl in and do her work.
(Yeah, it's a she. And she's kinda cute. But since she's seen me tense up at the sight of a dentist's needle like I'd just been dipped in liquid hydrogen I'm pretty much writing her off. I got allergy shots on a weekly basis for years, and I've given blood several times. But dental needles are entirely different. All I know is that I wasn't looking too impressive at the time.)
So yeah, I got a mildly annoying dental procedure done, and I learned how to brush my teeth. I also learned that the upper jaw isn't wired like the lower one, and they have to jab you on both the outside and inside of your teeth to fully numb you. I learned that when, after getting the lower jaw and the outside of the upper jaw, the dentist giving the novocaine injection hauled out a third needle. Did I mention I don't like surprises?
Take care of your teeth, people, and don't offend them. You won't like it when they start offending you back.
