Dentist

No one like going to the dentist, but I really fear it. Just making an appointment raises my anxiety level. If something in my mouth hurts a little, I generally ignore it until it becomes something I can no longer "forget about".

Since I've transitioned to part time at work, I am losing medical benefits, including dental insurance. Tomorrow is the last day of my coverage. So when one of my teeth gave me a jolt when I chomped down on some cereal last Thursday, I forced myself not to ignore it. I called Dr. Drake's office and they fit me in at 8am the next day. The tooth in question had a huge, old filling in it, and basically the tooth needed a crown. I took an extra Xanax, the hygienist gave me a stuffed dragon (exhibit A, to the left, is that the craziest thing you have seen?) to hold, and Dr. Drake explained the whole procedure in detail, until I was ready to relax enough to lay back in the chair. He is the best dentist I have ever been to.

Just a little background, I used to get sedation dentistry, back when I could afford it. The dentist would totally knock me out and do whatever needed to be done. I chose sedation because I simply could not deal with the anxiety of dental procedures. I think the Zoloft I'm now taking, coupled with the extremely patient and sweet Dr. Drake is the difference. Mostly it's Dr. Drake. His hygienists are awesome too. The whole staff, actually, is 100% fantastic, from the receptionist to the doctors. If you live in Charlotte and need a dentist, I highly recommend Williams & Drake Dentistry.

So I'm the proud new owner of a temporary crown, with a permanent on the way. I'm a tiny bit sore today but not even sore enough to take Ibuprofen. The doctor gave me some pain pills to take yesterday and I took 1/2 of one when I started to hurt, just in case it was going to get worse, but I didn't need another one. I'm excited that I'm one huge step closer to not being afraid of going to the dentist. I'm also excited that dental insurance paid for most of this procedure; if I had waited it would have cost me an additional $870. Bullet dodged!

Disclaimer: I have not received any compensation or discount for mentioning this dentist in my blog. Not that I need to mention it, but I thought I would.