I want to remain very attached to my teeth

I’m thankful that I have a gentle dentist, especially when it comes to root canal work. It was my 3rd appointment on the current tooth today, the previous one was before Christmas. It was a long appointment, nothing like lying there with your mouth open for well over an hour, being unable to talk and having very limited movement. I thought I might have almost dropped off into the land of nod, but no such luck – may be next time.

He finished cleaning out the canals, filled them and slapped a temporary filling over it. The hydraulic pressure was sending knives through my mouth, then the aircon cut in, blowing across my legs. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d say that I was actually shivering with cold instead of dealing with hot flushes. He ended the appointment with another x-ray to check that the cement had gone in properly - I hate to think how many x-rays he has of my mouth now, it probably rivals my mammogram collection! The tooth seems to have settled down from its adventure today, so that’s good news.

I go back in a bit over a week to have the permanent filling done. This time I should be able to avoid the dreaded anaesthetic – nothing like the sensation of needles piercing your ears, jaw and tongue – damned nerves!