"I'll probably cry. It's a crisis."

Healthy Obsession Part 2

It you remember in an earlier post, I LOVE going to the dentist. I had been looking forward to this appointment for quite a while - 6 months to be exact. A simple cleaning. Ahhh! Clean teeth. - xrays, picks, spit sucker, some floss... you know the story.

All seemed like it would be normal. It started with small talk with the receptionist until it was my turn to go back to the dentist chair. One difference was the hygienist. My hygienist had taken the day off... I had a sub. That was ok. We chatted. We laughed. She shared a few stories about her kids, I shared one about a student. She was surprised to find out that I had never had a cavity. As we talked about teeth some more, I jokingly told her that the day that I have a cavity... I will probably cry. My teeth are that important I informed her. And that would be a crisis. She casually laughed and agreed that cavities are traumatic.

Later on, I noticed she was messing with my upper right side molar a bit. As she started messing with it, the conversation started to dwindle off. She was no longer as friendly as she was earlier.

This.is.when.panic.struck.

Why was she not talking with me? Making eye contact? Her carefree conversation turned into nervous laughter and awkward silence. What was going on?!

Finally, she broke the silence. "Well, I don't want you to hate me. Or even cry... but you have a cavity."

"WHAT?!" I immediately thought. "How can this be?! I brush my teeth, my diet hasn't changed... This is not happening!"

She must have been hearing the conversation in my mind. "It's a really small cavity." She reassured me.

"Maybe she is wrong." I thought. "After all, she isn't my normal hygienist. Does she really know my teeth well enough to make this big conclusion? Couldn't." I thought.

Later on Dr. Bishop came in to do the final teeth check and awkward 2 minute "what's new in your life?" conversation. "He'll set this straight," I thought. But, the cavity was confirmed. More dread.

So, I planned my next visit - in two weeks, not six months - with the secretary... and I walked out defeated. A cavity. A cavity!... It really happened.