Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Dr. Teeth

Yep, I brought my camera phone in with me.After waiting in the lobby for over 45 minutes, the dentist called me in. He introduced himself by deadpanning that he usually preferred to operate without giving the patient any sedatives. I didn't laugh, so he didn't think I got the joke. "I'm kidding!" he said, and I simply nodded.

He wondered why I was nervous.

"I've never had a tooth pulled out of my head."

He dismissed the pain, and said this was easy.

Dr. Feelgood, aka UCLA student dentistFive minutes later I was crying for my mom as he stuck a needle deep into one of my gums. I swear it made a short cut to my urethra, and I don't mean this don't sound pleasant.

Five minutes after that, he said I was going to feel some pressure, and to count to a hundred three time.

I counted to twenty, and he pronounced he was done.

Now, nearly three hours later, the left side of my face is still numb. I've taken the advice of Anti and loaded myself up with Advil gel-caps. Claire took me to the grocery store and we loaded up on yogurt and oatmeal... stuff I can eat without chewing for the next couple days. Then when we got home, Claire cooked herself a steak - torture, because last night she made the second greatest steak I've ever eaten (she made the first best steak ever - a bacon wrapped filet).

All I can do now is wait for the numbness to go away and pray the gel-caps take over.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Disneyland.