World o’ Pain
There is something about the sound of a tooth being extracted that really takes you back. Especially when it is actually two teeth being extracted. Even the word, extracted. I was recalling with the dental nurse today my earliest experiences with dentistry after she asked how I was feeling. I said apprehensive, and this was before the extractions.
When I was five or six, my Mother took me to the dentist for the first time. I will never forget the first time I heard the high pitched whine of a dental drill. He said I had about 15 cavities and even though most were still baby teeth and bound to fall out anyway, he proceeded to drill into everyone of my little corrupted teeth, filling them with the mercury amalgam fillings of the day.
Normally, I pulled my own teeth when they grew loose, because the grown up teeth were growing in. One time I even tied a string to the tooth and tried slamming a door to remove it. We did that. But the sound of the first time a tooth was professionally extracted, well you never forget it.. and today even though the area was thankfully numbed, I got to hear it again. Twice.
I recalled to the nurse the time I received a vaccination, for mumps I think, and the needle was dull. That was when the nurses had to re-use needles. These are the memories of a certain generation, along with frozen Banana Creme pies, Cool Whip, TV dinners, and TV trays. Hell, we even had to get up off the couch just to change a channel, not that there were too many channels anyway. Plus everything was in black and white.
I told the nurse my Tooth Fairy stories, and she related how her boys, age 5 and 2, were asking her now if the Tooth Fairy existed. I told her to ask them what they wanted to believe. She liked that answer.
When the doctor came back to begin the extractions, she said I had given her a great life hack. I turned to the doctor and explained, “That means advice.” He said, “Yes, I know. I’m a millennial.”
I have witnessed many changes in this lifetime. I never planned on a visit to Cancerland, but it seems I have tickets for every ride. Who knew that sucking on a warm tea bag would bring back so many memories? Michelle is a fantastic nurse, although she doesn’t want to wear the nice uniform I bought for her.
NURSE!!! Get me my Tylenol 3’s, please.
When can I take another one?
I love Toxic! Did you ever see the YouTube video on how they made that song?
I have an odd fascination with tooth extraction stories and seeing the banana cream pie image my first thought was, "that was the only food the author was able to eat after teeth being extracted." But it was more a childhood memory which was even more interesting. It does seem insane that you had baby teeth extracted. That seems sadistic and possibly a money grab for that dentist. A tooth pulling quota perhaps.
I am finding myself craving banana cream pie now.
I wrote a piece about getting a molar extracted at a cut-rate dentist a few years ago and how I was given music to listen to, to drown out the drilling and the tooth cracking and chose Britney Spears. Here's the link if you are interested.
https://earworm.substack.com/p/brittany-spears-toxic