SMILE! (well, as good as I can)
Written by Veronica Rolfes, on 19-02-2008 05:12

OK, so I had my first appointment with Dr. Gibberman and I can't wait to get the ball rolling. I have to admit, I was a nervous wreck-about an hour before I left work I started getting butterflies in my stomach. You know, the bad kind. The butterflies that make you think you're going to get sick. Guys, I gotta be honest here. It's been YEARS since I've been to the dentist. You know that reaction you have when you get sick after eating at a restaurant? That signed in your own blood promise that you will never eat there again? Yeah, that's me and the dentist. One bad experience and I wrote them off. So the time comes and I get there. My nerves started to calm a bit-it didn't even feel like a dentist's office. The lighting was sort of warm, the decor was comfy meets chic-ya'll, they had a coffee machine. "Hey," I thought, "this is actually pretty darn nice!" The nerves calmed more when Jennifer greeted me with a big smile, and said, "You must be Veronica!" Wow, she's good-why can't the doctor's office greet me that same way? After a few minutes (I was a little early) I met Dr. Gibberman. He's pretty calm, cool, and collective. "Ugh," I thought, "let the badgering begin." Well folks, I was wrong. For starters he didn't crack the ruler against my knuckles for not being to the dentist in a while. Apparently I'm not the only one who has a bad experience and swears them off forever. He first started off asking what I wanted, what do I want to get out of this. Huh??? A dentist who doesn't say, "Like it or not, this is what's gonna happen!"??? Hey, I like this guy already and I've only know him for a minute! I want to be able to smile and not feel like it's fake. I want to not want to turn my head shamelessly and sink in a hole every time someone says, "The first thing I notice is someone's smile,"or "Oh my God! Did you see how jacked up their mouth is?" I NEVER show my teeth in pictures-I don't think I have since the third grade. So I'm stuck with the "catch 22"-I feel fake when I don't show my teeth, and even more fake when I do. Overall, I flat out hate my big gaping, small teeth smile. So he had me smile really big so he could get a look at what he has to work with. He had me smile really big a few times. I told him how forced that felt, that smiling like that doesn't feel natural. He had me count to ten. He said, "of course it doesn't, you don't even show your teeth when you talk." How bad is that people? I have become so accustomed to hiding my teeth, I have subconsciously modified the way I talk to hide them! That makes me feel kinda sad for myself. How much more have I hidden or modified because my teeth embarrass me? How many conversations have I dodged because I didn't want to take the chance of them seeing my gaps? How many pictures have I been unhappy with because my smile looks down right pathetic? Now I'm ready to get into action-I don't want to feel like this anymore. Dr. Gibberman went on with what the action plan will be. First things first-a full exam. We gotta find out how deeply rooted this baby cuspate (I think that's what the term is), if there is even a root at all. Then we gotta see what kind of shape the permanent tooth is at that is up in my gums. Did you know that teeth that grow in your gums and never come out can actually grow cysts? Yeah, found that one out from the good doctor. Cysts that can actually cause cancer! Yikes!!! Depending on what kind of situation we got with that cuspate, I can either go full swing into veneers if things look rooted, or a 3 piece porcelain bridge if the tooth has gotta go. Either way, I can't wait. I'm so freakin' excited I could pee my pants. Well, not literally pee my pants, but you catch my drift. I am a conformed anti-dentist. You can quote me on this-I can't wait to go back to the dentist!

A milestone...my first fillings
Written by Veronica Rolfes, on 24-04-2008 21:38

Well, the cavities are filled and I survived! Technically 8 of them got fillings, 3 had build ups (something similar to a temporary filling). I'll explain that part later. First things first—the day before. I was fine, a little anxious, but not scared. Then I started talking to some folks at work. Each person had their own story, but the main consensus was that the sound of the drill is horrible, and the Novocain shots were something I wanted to avoid. Of course that is virtually impossible seeing how I had 11 cavities in all 4 quadrants of my mouth, but I still asked Jennifer about it. Hey, can't blame a girl for trying.

So I get to the office bright and early, ready to get it over with. I open the door to seeing everyone smiling and happy—at 7:30 mind you. "OK," I thought, "feeling a little better." I chatted with Jennifer for a bit, then Dr. Gibberman came out and put his arm around my shoulders and reassured me I'd be alright. Sweet relief—I was so happy to be back in his office after my not so pleasant oral surgeon visit.

Krista walked me back to her room, and she started explaining what we were going to do. First they use a gel to numb the areas of Novocain injection, then after a bit, Dr. Gibberman went in for the numbing. I was such a chicken at first—I asked if I could close my eyes so I wouldn't see the needle. I can watch my blood get drawn and have 4 tattoos, but I was freaked out by seeing a needle go in my mouth. He said, "Whatever makes you comfortable," which at that time, not seeing anything was fine for me. Then my curiosity gave in a little because I wasn't feeling any pricks or pain, so I opened one eye, then the other. "Heyyyy, not too bad!" I thought, "and kinda fun to have the tingles in my lips."

After a couple extra shots because I was still talking "too normal" we were ready for the drilling. *Deep breath* "You're gonna live, he's great at what he does, it will be OK." Wouldn't you know it, I was fine. The drilling sound was not blood curdling, and I actually turned my music off so I could hear the general dentistry convo between Dr. Gibberman and Krista. Then I heard it—the only bad news of the appointment. "The decay is too bad in there, you need a crown." "Well of course I need a crown, I am the queen, and it's about time my royalty was acknowledged. Wait, what was that? That kind of crown? Bummer. Oh, there's more? Two of my wisdom have the same problem and will need to be removed?" That's about the point where my stomach flipped. It went from 1 day of pain from cutting out that permanent tooth to a swollen face, gauzed up gums, and no solids for days. Karma, it's coming back on me.

The odd thing is that when news like that came from Dr. Gibberman, I didn't want to run away crying like I did with the oral surgeon or my old dentist. It was sort of casual, like, "Hey, it's gonna be alright, no biggie," but yet professional. That's one of the many things I like about him—he says things in such a way that you don't feel guilty for bad dental care or that you are a horrible person for letting things get so disgusting. If anything, he makes you feel confident and positive about the future. Yeah, I've gotta get my wisdom teeth cut out and a crown, but it will be alright, nothing to stress about.

So we get the drilling done, and after another couple doses of Novocain, Krista went to work. She was cracking me up—she's so real just like everyone else in that office. Poor thing had to spend almost 4 hours hunched over my mouth. Lord knows she deserved that LaRosa's pizza they were getting for lunch (veggie topper at that—could I be drooling anymore???).

All in all it wasn't death defying at all—I made it though with no tears shed, and pretty much pain free. I did take a few Ibuprofens for my jaw since it was open for so long and for all the shots I had, but other than that I was good to go. The worst thing of the whole experience—eating a Frosty out of one side of my mouth and having my co-workers laugh at me. Avoiding a glop of chocolaty goodness on your shirt is quite the task. One of them even said, "You must have a VERY good dentist for how well you are doing after 11 cavities."

You know what, I do. I have the best.