Tuesday, March 15, 2011

(Mommy JD) The Dentist: A Necessary Evil


My late mother was a dentist so I can appreciate dental hygiene whole heartedly. I've never been afraid of going to the dentist and I looked forward to it as a child- especially when I had braces. I even took my son to a pediatric dentist when he turned 1 so that he could used to going to the dentist. That was fun.

I think the longest I went without going to the dentist was 5 years- throughout college and my first year of law school. So I paid a pretty hefty penny out of pocket to get about a million cavities filled (yes, I have had uber cavities in my lifetime, ironic for the child of a dentist, I know). And I really liked that dentist in NC- she had all kinds of music to choose from to drown out the sounds of scraping and drilling.

So today it was time for yet another visit to the dentist. They say pregnant women should continue to go to the dentist, especially with all of the hormones. I don't think I went at all during my first pregnancy but it had been over a year so I knew it was time about time to go. Unfortunately I had no idea how uncomfortable it would be.

As soon as I walked in the hygienist noticed my "condition" and immediately said, "ok, no x-rays for you." Good job. So she lays me back, starts the small talk and then digs into my teeth and gums. Literally. She told me my gums would bleed more during pregnancy but I swear I saw blood flinging left and right from that scraper. I'll spare the gory details.

For a pregnant woman, laying on your back is far from comfortable. And doubly so for me since I have this pesky sinus infection going on. So I'm just laying there getting picked at, feeling my baby kick from time to time, watching the blood splatter, and also thinking about how gross some people's mouths are and how hard it would be for me to be all up in some random person's grill like this. I mean, kudos to my mom, my co-author's husband, and all the other dentists out there- you all make a great living taking care of other people's teeth. I just don't think I could do it.

Okay, so time goes on and I start to get really uncomfortable. Not to mention the nausea I feel when she uses the tooth polisher cream stuff. When I finally get up I am dizzy as all hell. I literally feel like I am sick and about to fall out. It took everything in me to muster the strength to walk out of there, pay my bill and drive home. Oh and my gums felt like marshmallows on fire.

Another fun outing with me and the bump...

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