Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback
Anyone who has suffered through this entire thread has read of my ongoing problems with teeth. Every time my misery level rose to an unbearable point I've shared that misery with you folks.
Well today I finally took my first major step towards getting a set of dentures. I drove the hour trip to Lincoln where I had half of my top teeth removed. The appointment had gotten delayed a twice over the past months so I had plenty of time to prepare myself mentally to confront my worst fear - THE DENTIST.
I think he sensed that I was nervous. I'm not sure what gave me away. It could have been the panicked look in my eyes. Maybe it was the grip I had on the chair's armrests. I resolved myself not to cry like a baby. Maybe he'd give me a balloon when it was over.
I made certain that I shut my eyes before he brought the needle out. - No sense making the folks in the waiting room listen to screams.
The procedure went far better than I thought it would. Obviously this dentist needs practice before he'll achieve the torture skills of my previous dentists. They're all working at Gitmo now.
I was surprised when he said he was done but disappointed too. Dang! He didn't even offer me that balloon. He DID give me a mouthful of gauze to control bleeding. I had to keep biting down on it. When half of your face is numb and your lips feel like they're the size of cantaloupes, it's impossible to control drooling. Too bad today wasn't Halloween. I must have looked creepy enough to have scared off some of them trick-or-treaters.
It wasn't pain that kept me miserable. The holes in my gums continued to bleed for 7 hours after I got home. In addition to whatever I swallowed or drooled on myself, I spit out another cup of blood. I tried to sleep through most of it. Eventually I got up and made some pudding.
With the gauze in my mouth I was unable to talk after the dental appointment. Teresa may have taken that as a blessing but I felt like a mime. Unfortunately the only sign language I know involves using my middle finger. I think I may have offended the mailman.
Oh well. I guess I survived the day but I can't say I'm looking forward to the next appointment when I get to repeat the process.