The Traumatizing

I've never been one to be afraid of the dentist. Really, I haven't.

But today was.... let's think of a few words...scarring, traumatizing, deathly, um, weird - that describes it.

So, I go to the orthodontist, and, you know, they do some normal stuff. Look at the teeth. The professor looks at the teeth. The professor gives suggestions...little do I know what those "suggestions" will bring. Ha...whoever said innocent suggestions were, well, innocent...didn't go to the dentist.

So, first she has to get my wire out of all the brackets (one bracket is on each tooth). This is easier said than done. In order to remove the wire, the brackets have to be opened, so that the wire is free and movable. Two of my brackets are usually very stubborn. Today, they tripled their efforts.

Opening the bracket doors is usually the most nerve-wracking part of the ortho appointment for me (ha! not any more...more on that later). The reason it's difficult is that she's pushing on the little bracket with all her strength with a very pokey instrument....pushing down. As in, if it slips, it jabs me in the gums. This has happened just about 2 or 3 times in all (one of them being today) but it's not that bad.

Um, so today, the doors wouldn't open. The assistant suggests a new tool. Well, the orthordontist doesn't know how to use that tool, so she asks some other people. They don't know either. Finally, she asks the professor, and he comes and tries to open them (with the original tool....turns out you can't use the second one or something) anyways... Let's just say I'm glad he's not my normal orthodontist, because he's fine when he's just looking at your teeth (okay, maybe the last time he looked at mine, I could totally tell he ate a hot dog for lunch), but when he's actually working on them his hands shake like nobody's business. So he's got his hand around my jaw, pushing on the bracket (using aforementioned very pokey tool) and his other hand, and both are shaking violently. Yeah, he can't get them open. I think what he was saying in Orthodontist talk was, "the brackets on these teeth often have trouble opening. You'll just have to take the brackets completely off and put new ones on."

My doctor doesn't want to do that, so, she tries again to open them. It works! Much rejoicing follows.

Only for so long, though. She does have to take one bracket off, and, after they take it off, they have to take off the glue that was holding it there. This involves a tool which could be described with those words I used earlier...traumatizing, deathly, etc. It's a little drill thingy that just spins really fast, so it obliterates the glue that it touches; like it's sanding it off your teeth. SO not fun. I endure, though. I think about other things, about Arden. I get through. Later I find out that when I get all my braces off, she has to do this to every tooth. I think I'm looking forward to getting them off less now.

So, this all passes, and I'm worrying about time, because my precious family is waiting for me in the car. Precious Arden is waiting for me. I must get to them! But no! the spinning beach ball of death! Actually, what came next had nothing to do with the spinning beach ball of death...in fact, the spinning beach ball of death may have been a better option.

No, instead out comes a little metal strip. I think, "wow... I wonder what that's for. How are they going to affix that to my teeth? How is that going to look? Will it be on top of the braces?" I was sorely mistaken. In walks the suggestions...suggestions of power. Power that files.

I got my teeth filed! It was ridiculous! I didn't ask to get my teeth filed. I didn't request to get my teeth filed. No. All of a sudden, I'm just told that they're doing it. Well, she files my teeth. She FILES MY TEETH with a little metal strip. I guess it is so that they don't bump into the top ones as much. Anyways. It was only four of the teeth, but still...can you see why this was traumatizing?

I cannot describe to you the sound...well, actually I can. It's like sandpaper in your mouth...on your teeth. Then the back of your throat burns and you think "is that because of the tooth-dust residue settling into my mouth after coming off of my teeth???????"

So, it wasn't actually too bad. I can't say that I'm deathly afraid of dentists now or anything. I don't dread my next appointment. But this whole situation is easily disdained...and easily pitied, if I might make a suggestion to you. =)

Now my teeth hurt. Not from filing, just from tight braces in general. But I mean COME ON.