My dental visit was scheduled for 8:00am this morning, which happened to be the coldest morning of this winter. Snow on the ground, wind chills near zero, 13 degrees F. Roads were a little dicey, but navigable.
Last night I went to bed telling myself I would call and cancel the appointment. I’d use an excuse like “I am coughing, so I don’t think I should come in.”
I woke at 6:30am and decided to snuggle a little longer in the warm covers until the auto thermostat cued heat at 7:00am. I woke again at 7:15am. I really wanted to call and cancel the appointment, but I knew I couldn’t lie. So, I fed the cat, showered, brushed my teeth, dressed in my warmest clothes, and at 7:55am, I left.
I don’t like visiting the dentist. With Covid variants so rampant right now, the thought of sitting with my mouth open for any length of time in a dentist chair is not appealing.
The first thing my dental hygienist did was take me to a room to have a wrap around x-ray which occurs about every five years. Unexpected. Like having a mammogram, I had to hold onto the machine and place my chin (not my boob) on a small flat area that was too high for me to reach. She kept lowering it so I wouldn’t have to stand on tip-toe. Then I had to bite down on a plastic piece and smile! Really? The x-ray only took a few seconds, and I was happy to move to another room.
My hygienist is very friendly. And she likes to talk. After settling in, I mentioned I should take off my glasses so I wouldn’t get splatter marks. Know what she said? “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but we are supposed to tell people to leave their glasses on in case I should slip and poke your eye.” What? So I asked, “What about the people who don’t wear glasses?” She said, “I don’t know! I suppose we should give them safety glasses or something.”
All my years of going to the dentist, I’ve never heard this before. She was treating it lightly and I’m sure no one in the office were given safety glasses! I decided to leave my glasses on.
My exam went smoothly as always. The part I dislike the most is when she measures the gum recession to see if there is any disease. The number 5 means disease is present. Thankfully, almost all my numbers were 1.
I returned home exactly one hour after I had left. Honestly, I was happy I went. And when we scheduled my six month visit, I asked for a later time of day, because the older I get, the more I enjoy sleeping in a little.
Next week I have my ophthalmologist yearly visit. Which reminds me I do need to fill you in on what happened at an eye specialist visit in December!
I’m grateful that I only see my primary care doctor twice a year, my dentist twice a year, my cardiologist twice a year, and my ophthalmologist once a year. I keep urging all my body parts to hang in there with me. I know things could be a lot worse. Overall, I’m healthy for my age and I thank God for this.
May your day be filled with beautiful things! Until next time…
Carol Ann Erhardt, Author 