Wednesday 17-01-04 The Dentist

I had to go back to the dentist today. I had a check-up on my last working day of 2016, and he told me I needed a filling. I agreed to have it immediately but unfortunately it was in one of my back teeth and it felt like he was drilling into my head. He gave me some anaesthetic, but I could still feel the drilling, it was still painful. I think the air blowing across my sensitive teeth didn't help much either, but probably the main agent fighting the anaesthetic was the alcohol in the cans of beer I drank the night before. He managed to drill nearly halfway to the fissure that needed cleaning out and filling, and gave me some more anaesthetic, but it wasn't working. Eventually he gave up, filled in the hole with a temporary filling, and asked me to come back. 

So for the Christmas period I was quietly dreading my return visit to the dentist, hoping that I would be able to handle the filling. I pootled down there today and sat in the chair, and again I took the anaesthetic. He drilled and it was painful again, but I think I was managing okay. The dentist realised though that it was the machinery (the drill and the air) which was the issue, and so he abandoned those and carried on with just a scraper. He got into the fissure and cleaned it, and then filled it. I was pleased he was able to complete the filling, and pleased that I didn't need to have a general anaesthetic or something along those lines. 

Of course my mouth was numb for the rest of the afternoon, but that is it for another six months. I will be using floss and interdental sticks a lot more than I have been. Hopefully I can avoid another filling for another couple of years...