Dentist Appointment

November 20, 2009
I had a dentist appointment today. I had received information from the doctor about what I could and could not get. I could get local anesthesia, but that was it. Even if I had cavities, I decided I would just wait until I was done being pregnant to get the Novocaine and get them filled.

I showed up for my appointment and the secretary had me fill out a questionnaire. It asked a few general questions as well as if I had any new medical issues, to which I replied, "pregnancy." The secretary was so excited after that and told me all about her new grandbaby at home. Then the hygienist called me in.

Because of my pregnancy, I was not allowed to recline in the chair normally. The whole issue with being on your back and cutting off circulation. So she reclined the chair and had me lay on my left side. Then I tilted my head toward her. I remained in this position the entire time of cleaning and whatnot. It wasn't uncomfortable, just kind of awkward.

It turns out I did not have any cavities, but my gums are not very healthy. This often happens during pregnancy. Gums become swollen and bleed easily. The cure is to apparently floss more and try to toughen them up. I'll attempt to work on that. I'm not a very good flosser to begin with, although I know it is very important.

Then I was done with the appointment. I sat up and felt really dizzy. It was very weird. I also had a pain in my neck, obviously from the position I had been laying in. I didn't want to tell the hygienist that I felt dizzy because I didn't want to get a lot of attention, so I just took a few quiet, deep breaths and followed her out. The dizziness eventually subsided.

On the way out I scheduled my next appointment with the secretary. It will be in March, after the baby is born. The secretary gave me a stern look and told me I needed to bring the baby in to show off. Bring my baby to a dentist appointment? I told her that probably would not happen, so she demanded a picture at least. I guess I have to remember a picture of my child at the next appointment.