open wide, please!

It's something like a condom for the mouth. Or what's the female one called? The headgear that ladies wear in Holland . . . ?

Anyway, the dentist called it a rubber dam (that Dutch connection again). A sheet of rubber that goes in the mouth to protect against mercury being ingested as he drills out those nasty amalgam fillings. The teeth to be worked on poke though a hole in the dam and an oxygen tube is placed in the notrils to avoid finishing up with a dead patient in the chair.

"Would you like to watch a video?" I declined (just having spotted the complete Friends collection on the shelf) and opted instead for Classic FM soothing away on the radio in the background.

My lower right jaw was to be worked on. Three amalgams to remove and a couple of small cavities to be filled. Now, you all know what it's like having your teeth drilled. It's much the same having fillings removed. The big difference was watching fragments fly in all directions. Thank goodness for the dam and safety glasses.

I was in the chair for about 90 minutes. The first thirty were spent getting over the shock of the cost estimate for de-toxing my whole mouth. During the remaining period I actually almost went to sleep! This guy was so good with his drill.

That's 25% done and I'm not at all apprehensive about my future appointments to complete the job. I might even watch Friends. You know, the one where Joey has a root canal . . .

tags: amalgam  fillings  dentistry