Like most people, I don't really like going to the dentist. The trauma of the "un-necessary" work performed by the school dental nurse still haunts/annoys me, and initial dealings with the "grown-up" dentist weren't really much better.
My current dentist is however a really nice guy and I don't have the same dread come the time for my annual visit - that is until I'm actually walking to the chair. No amount of PMA makes that initial fear go away.
The other thing that makes dental visits interesting is that I'm "blessed" with a really strong gag reflex. My dentist has now learnt that he takes x-rays using the small holder and has everything pre-setup so the x-ray is taken before the gag reflex kicks in.
Along the course of my cancer diagnosis and treatment, everybody has learnt about the limitations my gag reflex introduces to the way they work and the things they want to do.
The gang of seven have been frustrated many a time as my gag reflex has stopped them actually getting a look at my tonsils, etc, so Wayne Gillingham, the dental guru in the gang, devised a plan whereby they give me nitrous oxide to dull the gag reflex.
The first attempt to do this worked well - and this was the first time they gave me something concrete as far as proof that the treatment had worked.
This morning, we had another session, and despite the success of the last one, the old fear thing came back again, albeit slightly different. I've talked about maintaining my PMA previously, but sometimes you just can't overcome the fear that the cancer has returned. Despite the fact I'm only really in the chair for 10-15 minutes, waiting for the confirmation there is nothing to worry about seems to take forever.
The news was all good. In fact it was even better news than last time. The mouth ulcer that first alerted us all to the cancer has now in fact fully healed and disappeared.
I'm starting to rethink my fear of dentists. The last two visits have after all been nothing short of life changing, in a positive way of course.
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