I just returned from a visit to the dentist.  Let me be clear:  I absolutely hate going to the dentist.  I like the actual dentist, the hygenist, the other folks there.  I like the office.  I find the chair very comfortable.  I even don’t mind the lighting.  But I hate the process of getting my teeth cleaned and poked and prodded and drilled and filled and flossed.  And I pay for this torture in the name of health.

Today the hygenist was poking a rather sensitive area.  I said, “Ow, that hurts.”  She poked more.  I said, “That’s really sensitive.”  She poked again… harder and more painful.  I didn’t say anything as much as I kind of growled.  She says, “Sorry, I just need to see how your teeth are responding to pressure and to assess their functionality.  I had issues with this statement.

A) How are my teeth responding to pressure?  They don’t like it.  You could have figured that out the first time I said, “Ow, that hurts.”  This is a phrase people generally use to express pain and discomfort and is a very effective indicator of when something is responding negatively to pressure.  One poke is quite enough.  Make a note after the first “ow” and move on.

B)  You want to assess the functionality of my teeth?  By poking and prodding with a metal instrument?  I don’t normally chew on sharp, metal objects.  Why don’t you rub some butter around on my teeth and see how they respond.  Watch me eat a turkey sandwhich to assess the functionality.  As long as I can chew and no teeth fall out, I’m good right?

Why do you use metal to clean my teeth.  Why not bunnies?  Or clouds?  That sounds so much better.

I had plenty more of these types of thoughts as the cleaning session (and the pain) continued.  I almost found myself getting angry with this girl who was cleaning my teeth.  At one point I thought seriously about getting out of the chair, driving home, and finishing the job with my belt sander.  It would feel the same, but take a lot less time.  It might even be more effective at removing tarter.  At the end of it all I was pretty bitter and had an overall feeling of “that’s not fair.”

Then the hygenist looked at me and said, “I know that was uncomfortable, but sometimes a little bit of pain is the best thing we can do for you.”

I said, “Thanks,”  but what I really meant was “Whatever.”  Then I looked in the mirror and saw how clean my teeth were.  I moved my tongue around my mouth and realized the pain was gone and my mouth actually felt good.  Even now I’m amazed at how good my teeth feel and I’m happy I made the dental trip today.  I’m even happier that it will be 6 months before I go back.   So, to my friendly hygentist – thanks for cleaning my teeth.  Sorry about all the snide thoughts you never heard.  I’ll try to do better next time.

And thanks for the life lesson.

Sometimes a little bit of pain is the best thing for us.