The Dreaded Dental Visit

Dentist! The title, itself, sends chills down my spine. What is it about dentists? They are not your enemy, nor your nemesis. You could say that these well trained and caring doctors, are there for your well being. I don’t know about you, but I do cringe at the thought of having to visit (did I say visit?) one of these clinics.

About a year ago, I broke part of a tooth, and the first thing that came to my mind was, you got it. The Dentist. Well, I made up my mind that no one would be poking my mouth, nor torturing this macho man! No sir! I saved that part of the tooth, visited the local pharmacy, purchased some temporary dental paste, and proceeded to fix my tooth.
It worked! No dentist for me. I should open my own practice! Well, a few weeks later, as I drank some juice, that part of my tooth came loose. I repeated the previous process, and felt quite pleased with the results. Guess what! You got it again. Hmm! How can I avoid that dental visit. By the way,why do we call them visits? Well, time to heed my wife’s advice, and make that appointment.

Aware of how I feel about Dentists, she found one close to our neighborhood. Two days later, I was on my way to who knows what. We arrived at the clinic, and to my delight, the place was jammed packed. Perhaps they’ll cancel the appointment. No such luck. The woman at the front desk asked me to sign in. I looked at her long and hard, but she just smiled. I kept looking around for the nearest exit. Maybe I could make a break for it. I looked back at my wife, and gave her a sheepish smile. I signed my name, walked back to the waiting area, and sat next to her.

After what seemed like an hour to me, a young woman called my name, and told me to follow her to the next room. After an arduous, and torturous walk(well not really. It took me about five seconds, as I was seated next to “that” room, but to me it felt as if I had walked for hours), I entered the room. One thing I do remember. I thought I had heard someone cry out, “Dead man walking!” Hmm! The nerve. I was instructed to sit, and she introduced herself as Stephanie Paiz. I really thought she was going to say that her name was Igor. She was quite pleasant, and joked with me, as she attempted to ease my apprehension. She must have seen the horrified look on my face.

I was instructed to open my mouth, and some square little things were placed inside my mouth. Some creepy contraption was place on top of my head, and I said to myself, “Aha! The torture begins! Where’s my last meal? Again, she set my mind at ease. My teeth were being X-rayed. We completed this phase of the visit, and I was taken to the torture chamber. Well, the other, ROOM!

Stephanie sat me at the dental chair, brought out a few instruments, (I didn’t hear any music) and stated that the doctor would be in shortly. As I sat there, petrified, I kept looking for that ten inch needle these dentists love so much. The good doctor came in, and to my dismay, looked too young to be a dentist. He introduced himself as Dr. Zachary Currie. He asked that I open my mouth, and to be still. He proceeded with the poking, but there was no pain. No needle was used, thank God. After a few minutes, he asked if I had brought the part of the tooth that had broken off, which by the way, was a gold inlay. I showed it to him, and to my surprise, was told that he could attach it permanently.

He brought out the drill, and began to clean out the area. All along, he walked me through everything he was doing. Throughout this process, I felt no pain whatsoever.
After he finished, He told me that all went well. I thanked them, examined the work he had done, and voila, it looked perfect. This is the first time in my life, that I feel good about a dental visit. Dr, Zachary, and his assistant, Stephanie, demonstrated a totally professional, and caring attitude throughout this process. What a team!
For those residing in Albuquerque, NM, I highly recommend this clinic.
Cottonwood Mall Dental Practice. 10000 Coors Bypass, NW # G-218
Albuquerque, NM 87114 They are located inside the Mall.