I have an alert on my file at my dentist’s office - an alert like we put on the files of fractious pets.
I don’t bite. Well I did once. So technically…I do bite.
I hate going to the dentist, but I LOVE our dental team.
The first time I visited my current dentist, Dr. Belling, I asked if he would judge me for bringing a stuffed animal to a dental appointment. “Of course not,” he said.
“Oh good,” I said and pulled my giant Eeyore out of my coat. Later, when I knew all was well, I brought my husband and our kids to The First Safe Dentist I Have Known. And Eeyore. Always Eeyore.
It took my entire childhood and much of my adult life to find a dentist who does not suck, and I am not letting go of that. Going to the dentist is SCARY. I don’t care if he is good - I just need a dentist who is kind. He is.
Also he is good.
Which, it turns out, is also important.
So The Bite was several dental teams ago. It is not how I got my alert - though that is the fastest way my patients earn alerts. And I probably should have gotten an alert for that one.
My current alert (probably) says, “pretty friendly but very nervous - turn off the gunshot shows and move slow…”
So this one time, a dental hygienist told me to bite down on an x-ray plate that she was holding, only she must have miscalculated the amount of time she had to get her fingers out of my mouth before I - anxious as heck and eager to quickly do everything I was told - chomped. Hard. I was nervous. I am SO sorry Nice Hygentist.
And Amber, I would never. I mean…I would never again.
Anyways, your new dental team is 40th and Dodge Family Dentistry in Omaha. I say Omaha because if I lived on another continent I would come to see this dental team, so I thought if you are reading this from, say, Australia, you should know that your new dental team is in Omaha Nebraska, home of The World’s Best Zoo.
Your new dentist is Dr. Belling.
Or it may be one of the other dentists at the practice. I have it on good authority (from Russell, who does not have weird dental phobias and is brave enough to see other dentists) that they are all amazing.
Thank you Dr. Belling for all your great care over the years and for never letting me be more anxious or in more pain than need be. Thank you amazing team. You make scary visits enjoyable - a feat that had never been accomplished in my long, long life. I so appreciate you all.
I have worked SO hard on my anxiety, with the goal of being less of a pain in the ass at the dentist. I feel as though I have made progress. Yay me! One of my many Eeyores will always be there with me though.
And dogs who do not want to be in my exam room, I get it. It’s ok. Bring a stuffie. It helps a little.
