Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Facing the Dentist

Since yesterday had such a large dose of unwelcome reality - the $195 ticket and 6 points (not 8 as I had thought), I figured I might as well bite the bullet, so to speak, and call the dentist.  I am financing the cost of the first attempt to fix this tooth and will sit in that most uncomfortable of all chairs this afternoon.  I am scared beyond belief - I have had work done on my front teeth before - and I haven't liked it.  But I have to do it.

This unnatural life-expectancy has some real drawbacks.  I don't think teeth were intended to last 80 to 100 years.  It is expensive to try to get them to.  And it hurts.

I'm imagining that if I were born 100 years before I was, I would have died at about 29 when I had a ruptured appendix.  Or perhaps in childhood when I had measles, mumps, and rubella.  And bad ear infections.  Perhaps I would have died in childbirth.  I would have never had serious tooth problems by that age!

I have always wondered why there was no real solution for alcoholism until the mid-twentieth century.  Maybe it is because very few alcoholics lived long enough to get a full knowledge of their condition before then.

I know there were drunks.  I know that when alcoholism rears it's ugly head, it is terrible, no matter what age.  But it is my observation that it takes years for an alcoholic to realize they need to stop... and that makes a person years older.  You have to live long enough to get old enough for that.  And alcoholics don't have the best health.  We need modern medicine to live long.

OK, my mind has taken a left-turn in sheer terror of this afternoon, as you can see.

I will put my trust in God and walk forward today.  I cannot control whether or not I am afraid, but I can control whether I am going to put one foot in front of the other and put a smile on my face and face the day.  I have to be at work at 8, in clothes suitable for painting  - I have been recruited to help paint a unit that has been remodeled.  Fun.

14 comments:

DaisyAnon said...

Hope all has gone well MC and is as pain free as possible.

Interesting theory about why it took so long for the AA solution to be discovered. I've often wondered about this. There are clear (istm) references to alcoholism in the Old Testament.

I think you are right, people just mainly died earlier of something else, or died of their alcoholism sooner.

shadowlands said...

"I have to be there at 8, in clothes suitable for painting - I have been recruited to help paint a unit that has been remodeled. Fun. "

My goodness, they make you paint while you wait in American Dentist's surgeries? At least in the UK all we have to do is sit in a room and read old magazines. ;)

ScottF said...

Here's to hoping things go well for you today MC :-) I'll be thinking about you!

Mary Christine said...

Ros, I have to be at WORK at 8 - I edited the post. It did look like I needed to be at the dentist at 8 to paint their office. With what I am paying them, I would think they could paint my house in addition to fixing my tooth!

Syd said...

I like the idea of your going to the dentist and painting the office while waiting for your appointment. That would be a cool plan. Maybe with the way the economy is going, we could do that kind of work and get reduced fees. LOL.

Seriously, hope that all goes well, MC.

shadowlands said...

I know Mary C. I was just kidding too!

JeremyRT said...

Your left turn made me chuckle as I often wonder that as well.

Good luck at the dentist today & kudos for getting it taken care of!

dAAve said...

If you had been born 100 years earlier, you would have died from alcoholism. Maybe in a dual-type gunfight outside of a bar.

Bar L. said...

Oh boy, I hope it went well. I know the dentist is a scary place for a lot of people. At least you will have it over with, the anticipation is sometimes the worst part.

October O Nine said...

Hope the dentist visit went well.

I liked your left turn musings in your post. Thank God for modern medicine to patch us alkies up!

Mary LA said...

Good luck with the dentist, Mary Christine.The historical misunderstandings around alcoholism also extend to mental illness, disabilities like epilepsy and dyslexia, various kinds of trauma -- perhaps we are just beginning to work towards solutions.

Suzanne Steven said...

Well the dentist's catchphrase is "Open Wide." Don't you think it's time to see the bright side of things and Open wide your mind? Let the cavity holes be filled and your life be whitened!

Mary Christine said...

The above comment is from a dentist's office in Laurel, Maryland. If I had a dentist who talked to me like that, I would definitely find another. Jeeez.

Dr. Amira Nashed said...

A proper dental care and certain preventive measures can save you from all these problems and expensive dental treatments. To have a perfect smile one should have excellent teeth. The teeth should be clean white and not stained or chipped. But if you ignore dental care your teeth and gums will become unhealthy. Dentist Flemington NJ