The Trip to the Dentist OfficeThinking to myself, is there any way I could jolt back in my car and head back for home, I enter the tall thin tan colored brick building and walk over to the elevator, hoping that the last half hour of scrubbing my teeth to death pays off. Nervously, I push the up button and patiently wait. The elevator door promptly opens and I am engulfed, the door closes, up I go. Once on the second floor, I exit the elevator and immediately I can smell the mixture of the wintergreen flavored tooth paste and the overwhelming aroma of bleach out in the hall, along with the sound of the teeth grinding drills which gives, no longer the feeling of the dentist office but of road construction area. With the opening of the outer door, the blast of cool air hits me giving a feeling of being naked in the cold brutal winter. I walk in and add my name to the list on the long sign in sheet.
“Andrew,” the slim silver haired woman behind the winter white frosted glass slide window, sees me and lets me know that the dentist will be ready in a split second. While I wait hesitantly for the dental assistant in her crisp clean creme colored uniform to announce my name, I look at the tiny tropical turquoise splashed fish in the large crystal clear tank sitting in the corner of the room. The sleek silent fish dart about playing hide and seek with the plastic mermaid figure sunken deep at the bottom of the tank with the jewels of the sea. While the tiny silver bubbles gracefully slip to the top of the tank’s surface and break silently while I wait my turn. Then I turn and look to see a photo album sitting on an ancient looking coffee table.
I pick it up only to see mouthfulls of melancholy decaying teeth and gums. I quickly close the book thinking if I looked at it long enough I would turn to stone and shutter at the thought, but happy to know that mine are all there twinkling in the abundance of sunlight that’s peaking in from the outside world through the streak free window. Finally, the nurse calls my name and I enter the inner office and sit in the cream colored trap looking chair, hoping that it will swallow me and send me any where but here. Looking at all of the shiny stainless steel tools gives me a feeling that I am about to enter war. Laying down the bright overhead light momentarily blinds me, then he starts the procedure. “So, how have things been going with you since the last time I’ve seen you Andy?” he asks.
“Auuuuuuhhhhh right. ” Is all I could reply with. He laughs and continues to clean, polish, scrape, and floss. “Spit in to this cup. ” He commands.
With having to lean my head forward and spit into the cup was merely impossible with the heavy lead apron placed over me. I thought I had succeeded in that tiny task but as I rested my head back down on the chair I could feel some rapidly running down the side of my mouth. “Alrighty Andy you are finished, free to go!” he said happily. I was afraid to ask but it would eat at me if I didn’t know now before he would call my parents to set up another incrushiating appointment. “Do I have any cavities, Dr.
Schall?” nervously I asked. Nope, you are cavity free keep up the good work. He then hands me a new soft tip toothbrush and I leave the dentist office with a much more happier smile on my face, while I roll my tongue over my pearly whites.
