Fear of the Unknown
Be brave
Welcome to the April 4 edition of my Substack experiment.
I am nearing the end of a harrowing week which included a visit to the dentist. My heart pounds at just the mention of dentist. The appointment wasn’t until 3 pm. That meant I had most of the day to work myself up over the visit—X-rays. No pain involved in that, I kept telling myself.
Part of the fear was the unknown. I had an appointment with a new dentist. Shivers overwhelmed me at the thought of getting a monster or a gentle giant for a dentist.
The next unknown was the office location. I didn’t know how to get to the office in a plaza situated alongside a three-lane highway filled with cars and traffic signals. I must tell you I am not fond of driving in traffic, let alone driving in traffic and searching for the entrance of a plaza. I didn’t want to suddenly see the entrance, then slam on my brakes to turn in and have a car slam into my car’s rear end.
Finally, I confessed to GT (Gardener Ted, my hubby), I was nervous about driving to the dentist's office. Without whining, coercion, or pleading, he said he would take me. Ya’ gotta love that guy. I soon discovered the office’s location was a whole three minutes away from our house.
The building was new. The interior, with high ceilings and tall walls, was painted in light gray. I know gray is the trendy color these days, but such a cold atmosphere even with the contemporary art hanging on the walls, was not a welcoming scene. I believe a sunny, fun yellow paint with colorful landscapes or bright florals on the walls and quirky figurines set on polished wooden tables would provide a warmer setting. I wasn’t impressed by the uncomfortable, cushioned, modern chairs with black iron legs and armrests either.
The young woman seated at the tall counter welcomed me. Was she smiling because she viewed me as the next tortured victim? I scooted away from her and chose to sit in a chair to complete the paperwork. I noticed the papers stuck to my clammy hands as I filled each sheet with all the information required and signed all the permissions for carrying out the pain to be inflicted on me.
I handed her the papers and made my way back to the chair. I noticed only three people were waiting with me in the lobby area, heads down while working or playing on their cell phones.
Have you noticed there are no magazines in waiting rooms? I had no Reader’s Digest or People magazine to take my mind off the fact I would soon be trapped in the dentist's chair.
I was too nervous to dig out my phone and try to focus on anything on the screen, so I sat quietly. From the outside, I looked like a calm, put-together lady, but my insides were writhing with anxiety.
Just as I decided I would leave, the technician called my name. Gulp. I stood and straightened my shoulders, breathed deeply, and shot a silent prayer to the heavens. I followed the young woman who looked pleasant and friendly. I think she was probably almost 16 years old.
We entered the X-ray room, about the size of a walk-in closet. She placed me in the X-ray machine, clamping my head into a device to keep it steady. Then the large open cylinder silently twirled around my head. Next, I sat in a small chair. She aimed what looked like a gun from the set of a science fiction movie at my mouth and clicked many times.
Ahhhh…no pain at all. I relaxed.
A consult with the dentist, a young woman with beautiful brown eyes above her mask, was all business. She decided my teeth were fine, and I only needed a cleaning. What a relief, no filling of cavities, no surgery, just a cleaning.
I was delighted to hear that news. As I walked to the front desk to schedule the cleaning for the next day, my heart began jumping against my rib cage. The hair on my neck and arms rose. My stomach clenched.
Cleaning? That IS the painful part!
How do you feel about visiting the dentist? Please leave a comment below and advice on being brave when you visit the dentist. Thank you.
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I love the suspense in your post, JQ. I don't mind going to the dentist. I feel much more nervous before speaking in public, and every time I ask myself why on earth I agreed to do it. It's strange I get nervous about that, because what's the worse that could happen? There is no physical pain involved! Congratulations on facing your dental demon. I hope the cleaning went well!
I feel much the same way you do, but my dentist knows that. I decided honesty was the best policy and they assign a gentle hygienist to me and check in with me. I have also (finally) realized that if I brush and floss well twice (or three times) a day, they don't have to do as deep of cleaning and so it doesn't hurt as much and goes faster, which is a huge win since I don't want to sit in that chair anyway.