Richard Hyatt: A toothache & some rock 'n' roll
Pray for me. I have a severe case of odontophobia.
For those who are free of cavity and fright, odontophobia is an irrational and overwhelming fear of the dentist.
But before you take on a superior air about not being afraid, know that 75 percent of the adults in this country are like me. It is considered one of our basic fears.
Dentistry was primitive when I first sat in a chair. Drills were loud and got so heated that steam was in the air.
That's why when I hear a worker breaking up concrete with a pneumatic drill my teeth get on edge.
Novocain was seldom offered. Even kids had to take it like a man.
Those early experiences turned me into a coward. As an adult I have gone to the dentist less and less, usually waiting on a full-blown emergency.
A few weeks ago -- on a weekend, naturally -- an aching tooth grew worse and I didn't know where to turn. I called a retired dentist that I know and poured out my heart.
I confessed that I was scared of dentists, that I hadn't been in a chair since 2008, that I didn't know who to call and that I didn't have dental insurance.
My friend recommended a dentist and by Monday I was in his office remembering that even simple exams make my knuckles turn white.
They plugged earphones into my iPhone and I listened to my favorite songs in alphabetical order.
When he was done, he said I needed a root canal and referred me to a specialist.
Dentists are bad enough but endodontists make me rush to the nearest exit.
Pain will make you do things you don't want to do though and 24 hours later I sat in his chair.
They turned on a TV and he injected me with more than ten shots of Novocain.
My mouth was dead, but my lips still tried to protect me from the dental invasion.
After two episodes of "Law & Order," they were done.
I've visited the dentist three times since that root canal.
My wife laughed that it would take a pressure washer to rid my teeth of a six-year buildup of plaque.
But she was wrong. It just took patience and persistence.
The happy ending was that the dentist found no damage and no disease -- though he did offer a stern warning for me to take better care of my teeth.
In return I should say I'm healed of odontophobia and that I will never be anxious about going to the dentist again.
That isn't so. I will be a wimp forever.
But I now know that drills are faster and not nearly as loud and with old rock 'n' roll in my ear I can survive anything.
-- Richard Hyatt is an independent correspondent. Reach him at hyatt31906@knology.net
This story was originally published January 6, 2015 at 10:08 PM with the headline "Richard Hyatt: A toothache & some rock 'n' roll."