I went to the Dentist: Part 2

I wake in the morning completely forgetting about the trauma I've endured. I wonder about the flat trying to wake up, make myself some toast, chuck it in my gob, bite down on..... NOTHING!! Ah yeah.

I made my appointment early morning and having already committed to taking the day off work I'd made the decision I wasn't going to waste my time sleeping late, knocking nervously around the house waiting for dental hell... no, no. I was going to nip this in the bud right now and spend the rest of the day playing computer games and watching TV. I grab the address of the surgery off google, memorise the route and get underway.

I leave ridiculously early, that's just how I roll, meaning I arrive and take the opportunity to revel in the sun and walk around the block. Eventually I get up the motivation to dive in and am immediately on the back foot.

Me: "Hi, I'm... what the..."
Receptionist: "Hello. Can help you?"
Me: "Yeah, er... I thought this was a dentist surgery?"
Receptionist: "That's right, we're having a bit of a redecoration"
Me: "But, but it's someone's house. We're in the living room"
Receptionist: *blank stare*
Me: "Ok. Um, I have an appointment - broken tooth guy, I probably spoke to you on the phone"
Receptionist: "Yes, just let me find a file..."

This is the point where she makes her way into the lounge and starts wading through a tipped over pile of brown paper folders that are literally occupying the entire floor space. There are three or four chairs as a waiting room... none of them match.

Receptionist: "Ok, you can go straight in"
Me: "Which way?"
Receptionist: "Through the door"
Me: "... the door hanging off it's hinges?"
Receptionist: "I did say, there is some works going on"

I started towards the door, and I'm proper crapping it. This did not look sanitary, comfortable, I was in no way feeling self assured that this was even in fact a dentists - but what's the worst that could happen? What, they'd strap me into a chair, torture me? Well....

No-one is in the room and I look around at the vast nothingness. Dentist chair, check. Little side table, check... er, flys buzzing around, check... check, check, check. Eventually someone in casual clothing enters the room and gives his name. "Take a seat please Mr Stocker". Nervously I lie prone in the chair and the investigation begins.

Dentist: "Ah yes, I see.... you will require a filling"

Ok, I'm starting to relax now. You see I was expecting the worst and hoping for the best. I was worried I'd decimated so much of my tooth that I'd need a crown or something equally expensive/painful. I was strangely over the moon to discover it wasn't regarded as particularly serious and although it would incur a cost I at least knew it would be a sensible one.

Dentist: "This is a minor bit of work, I don't even think you will need an injection"
Me: "What? Really?
Dentist: "Sure"
Me: "Hey, an injection avoided is fine by me"

I was beaming with confidence now, this was going to be an in an out job with no craggy feeling afterwards from the injection. Bring it on Doc!

Dentist: "Oh wait, I haven't done any xrays"
Me: "Umm, what for if it looks fine?"
Dentist: "Well it might be cracked or rotten under the gum line"
Me: "But you just said easy peasy no injection etc etc"
Dentist: "True. It'll probably be ok"
Me: "Are you taking advice from me, I don't have any qualifications here?"
Dentist: "It should be fine, lets begin"

Fear was creeping in again. He reclined the chair, prompted me to open my mouth and did some pressure tests on the top of my tooth. It hurt. I yelped. He continued. Out came the drill for the forboding pre "bbbbbzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!" - comforting. It felt pretty unpleasant but I was holding it together with some occasional sqirming and the odd "ahhh". Then "ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" ............ nothing. I came too in pretty unpleasant pain with him saying:

Dentist: "Ok?"
Me: "Dude, what the.... ahhh, shit, that really hurt mate".
Dentist: "Almost done"

I'd tough it out, but I was pretty sure I just blacked out. I remember it hurting VERY much then things got darker then nothing for a bit. I was now bloody anxious, but I had a drill in my mouth what could I do. He continued. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!"....... nothing.

Me: "Oh, oh I feel sick, oh dude that killed and I think I just passed out."
Dentist: "Lets get an xray"
Me: "What, now, half way through, no injection, pain, passing out, now?"

The machine was wheeled from outside the room and he positioned it then disappreared. He didn't come back for what felt like a pretty long time, and he was holding a small bit of yellow plastic. Had he spent that time making it? Dunno, but he was aiming for my mouth with it.

Me: "Humphhh, ahhh, arrrg, I think it's too big"
Dentists: "It's one size fits all"
Me: "It hurts, it's cutting into the bottom of my mouth"
Dentists: "You need this in, it's all we have"
Me: "No smaller ones?"
Denists: "Nope, you're going to have to cope. It's only for a few seconds"

This thing was cutting into me in a few different places but I bore the pain and eventually he got the xrays and buggered off again. I withdrew the plastic from my mouth and it was covered in blood. By now I was feeling a little woosey, and more than a little converned - to be honest while he was out the room thoughts of taking off were paramount in my mind. But this process was half done and I really wanted it sorted, finding a dentist had been hard enough.

He took ages to return with the xrays, and continued to explain with a massive grin on his face that the tooth was a little cracked below the surface but nothing to worry about - we could proceed safely. Just a litte more drilling, then the filling. The packing of the filling I knew I could handle after all this, and more drilling - gah I guess I was snookered on that one. The drill went back in, but this time I had a role to play. It hadn't occured to me until now but there was no assistant, and now thrust into my hand was the suction device which he placed and then asked me to hold.

Dentist: "Hold this here please. No, like this. Don't move it."
Me: "But it's kinda stuck to my tounge"
Dentist: "It's fine"

So, now I was acting assistant. I was not happy.