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it was a 9am dentist appointment. i was 5 minutes late arriving in her office cause i missed the train stop. i had to walk 10 blocks, thanks to my gameboy (i was about to kill this guy, so i forgot to get off the train, dammit).

i wasn’t too nervous since i like dentists and i enjoy going to one. i had a great dentist when i was a kid. he made ripping baby teeth out of my gum seemed to be a fun thing to do, both for me and for him. he told stories, he named the tooth, and he had this cool blocks i can play with and make little houses in the waiting room. so now, i enjoy the smell of their office. i think the buzzing sound of their dental tools is cool — it sounds like robots! it was so convincingly fun, i even wanted to be a dentist when i grew up. i guess he made the dentist visit a wonderful experience.

if i was nervous, it was because i had a feeling that the cracked tooth would be the least of my concern. all the mouth problems i’ve piled up for the past 7 years (since the last time i went to a dentist) would be the real problems.

and i was correct. it turned out that my gum isn’t healthy… it’s red and inflamed since i haven’t flossed regularly. my tongue ring, which has caused many chipped teeth, may also be the biggest cause of my jaw pain (the jaw pain is the real killer. i haven’t been able to eat apples or chew gum without pain). my wisdom teeth need to be taken out, so sometime next month, i have to see an oral surgeon. yikes.

but the good news (yes, there is a good news) is the dentist i visited today is awesome! it was my first visit, mike d recommended her. she was a good listener. she was quite funny, but not too funny. i can still trust her that she’s not going to screw things up and destroy my teeth. she told me everything she was about to do. before i left, she taught me how to brush and floss correctly and handed me a toothbrush and floss to take home. again, she made dentist visit a wonderful experience.