strong chin, my dear

"go home and drink a large glass of water and take a bunch of those pain pills immediately because you are going to need them!" - coming from the new dentist I picked on google at whim yesterday and went to see about having my teeth cleaned.

Thank all my lucky stars he wasn't talking to me when he said this. I hadn't even laid eyes on him yet but the conversation going on behind the wall was freaking me right out. I was filling out my new patient info and considering my options for escape. Last name? Should I just stand up and walk out? Social? I'll just tell them I just realized I already went to the dentist today, silly me. I have never been a fan of the dentist {who in their right mind ever has been a fan or the dentist?} and this was not soothing me into thinking this was going to be fun. One time I looked forward to getting a root canal because I was sad about moving home from Korea and thought the real pain would feel better. That makes me worry about my sanity, but I've never thought it again so I think I'm ok.

I didn't get my chance to bolt because he came out and wished that man luck with the massive amounts of pain he was about to feel, then ushered me in through the room he had just vacated to my own room of impending doom. I tried not to notice all the bloody gauze pieces littering the tables and floor around the empty chair. If I hadn't seen the traumatized looking man walk out, I would have though he had died.

My new dentist saw me looking at this and told me he'd never seen anything like it in his 30+ years of practice. He'd had to reconstruct the mans mouth after taking his wisdom teeth out because a bunch of bone had unexpectedly come with one of them making the top of his mouth a big gaping hole. Oh.my.goodness!!

Are you still with me?

At this point I was giggling. I didn't know what else to do and in his own way he had completely calmed me down. He's this tiny little man and has that good doctor way about him where I probably would have giggled and gave him 'high five' had he told me I was in for the same treatment. I learned later that he frequents the rave scene and likes to go to techno dance clubs. What a cool old man dentist right?

I'm a sucker for adventure and this felt like one since the whole experience felt unreal up to this point. The office is a throw back to some era not anywhere a contemporary to this one. Maybe early 70's? I dunno, but it was shabby cozy and after finding out I didn't need any fillings and was merely there for a friendly cleaning I felt like I could hang out all day.

Especially when by some divine means he may have stumbled onto the root of my migraines. Yes, that is what I said. It very well could be my jaw! "The only thing keeping your face from getting distorted is your strong chin my dear." More to come later if it works out. I don't want to get overly excited about it until I know for sure.

For now, that is my story about my cool new dentist, almost dying of fright, sticking it out and very possibly finding an answer I've been looking for with every other kind of doctor for the last 7 years. A dentist? Who would have thought?