Well, today I started off my Friday with a trip to the Dentist. My second dental appointment in as many weeks. I must say it will never be the highlight of the week! Ever since I was a young child I have dreaded going to the Dentist. I remember when we saw the school Dental Nurses, that they were quite young and Mondays were not good days to end up in the chair. I remember vividly sitting in the dental chair and needing a filling. No anesthetic in those days to numb you so it was a bit more bearable. The reason why Monday was not a good day to be in the chair was that on more than one occasion the two Dental Nurses would be drilling – with no pain relief – and chatting about their weekend. They would often be so engrossed that they would be drilling and not really paying much attention as I tried to sink into the chair and try to escape the dreaded drill. Then they might suddenly recall and look at me in the chair and look somewhat puzzled at the tears in my eyes. Not an experience to quiet any fears you already had about going to the dentist!
So, the fear and trepidation of going to the Dentist has never abated. These days fortunately I can have injections so I am not in pain. The Dentist does focus on what they are doing and is not prone to chatting to their assistant while forgetting I am there, thank goodness. However, I still stress about being there at all. I have found since my diagnosis that I can get quite shaky and sometimes have to hold my arm to stop it shaking.
The worst part of the whole process is the water squirting in my mouth and down my throat. One of my Parkinson’s effects is that I can easily choke on water going down the wrong way and even my saliva has been known to do so. So, as soon as the chair tips back and the water flows I can feel my heart racing and the anxiety start to build. I have an agreement with the Dentist that I will put my hand up if I need them to pause and that helps a bit, but nothing will completely take the stres away.
There is another aspect to going to the Dentist that I am somewhat fearful of. That is the bill at the end of it. I just had a clean, some x-rays and a filling and it cost me $340! The cost of Dentistry is horrendous! Looking ahead to retirement, I wonder how many people on a pension can afford those sort of prices? I know it is important to look after your teeth as they can have a negative impact on your general health. Having seen a young man in our ward who came in with puss around his brain and very sick as the result of a tooth abscess, I am acutely aware of the possible dangers should I not continue to have regular check-ups and care for my teeth.
Now I just have to save my pennies for the next 3 months to pay for the next appointment!
My journey with Parkinsons 