yesterday was dentist day. I always have the most amusing time at my Chicago dentist (as opposed to all of the dentists I had while still living in my hometown). the hygenists in this particular dentist's office are a riot. I've never met more affable or unguarded women in a clinical setting. for instance, the last time I went, I learned that my hygenist was suffering from a bout of intestinal gas due to broccoli. only she didn't put it that eloquently, she said something like, "I can't stop farting." I also recall hearing about how she and her friends used to get drunk a lot.

yesterday I had a different hygenist who had switched with my regular one because the new one was pregnant and didn't want to do X-rays on her new patient. she then proceeded to let me know she's "freaking out" about giving birth, to which I said, "I know, I'd be too! but it's gonna happen, no matter what." there wasn't a spit bowl in the room where the hygenist was cleaning my teeth, so she gave me the vacuum tube to use at my discretion. she showed me how to turn it on and instructed me to put it in my mouth after turning it on. so, every time she's rinse my teeth, I'd turn on the little tube and close my mouth around it to suck out the water, etc. when she was almost done, I went to use the vacuum tube for the nth time, but something went wrong and my mouth water sprayed up in the air and all over my shirt. I kind of laughed and said, "whoops!" and the hygenist turned to see what I'd done and said, "oh, you got cocky, huh?" funny.

before the dentist came in, I'd explained to the hygenist that I knew I needed to get my wisdom teeth removed, but I had a few IV-related reservations. so when the dentist did enter the room, I explained these reservations and he confirmed that they could do the procedure with gas only. so that's good. even though I'm still not fond of the whole idea. especially after watching the movie "Coma." the whole being rendered senseless thing kind of scare me.

anyway, now I have to get a consultation with an oral surgeon. my dentist gave me two recommendations, one's downtown, and the other's right near my house. I'm torn on which one to try: do I pick the downtown doctor, who can afford his sky-high rent and whose location suggests a certain importance? or do I pick the nearby surgeon, which would afford me easy access post-surgery? I also have to decide when exactly to do the thing. the dentist warned me that he expected to see that I'd have them removed by my next appointment (in March). I think I want to do it in November, between April's b-day and before Thanksgiving. oh and then there's the whole paying-for-it thing. my insurance will cover 80% of the cost and I eat the rest. so I'll have to get that estimate nailed down before I commit to the whole deal. scary. but oh so necessary.

who needs to write a whole big-ass page about going to the dentist? I do.