El Dentista

When I received a great recommendation for a Cuban dentist nearby, who provides dental cleanings for $25 USD, I decided to take advantage of it. I was very satisifed with the treatment, and, although the dentist didn't pressure me, I decided to schedule a follow-up appointment to have two old fillings replaced and two new ones (because I brush my teeth too hard and had exposed the roots).

It's been a very long time since I've had any serious dental work done, but I didn't think I was too nervous. I remembered the slight pinch of the novacaine, the pressure of the drill that follows, and the heat gun that dries the fillings into place. However, a few things have changed since my elementary school years.

For one thing, they don't use novacaine anymore, they use lidocaine (spelling?). It's much stronger than novacaine but it doesn't jack your heartrate up as much. Anyway, to make a long story short, I was expecting a quick pinch, and, instead, I experienced a long needle deep inside my jaw for a solid minute or more. I must have panicked, because I could feel that ominous pinch on the back of neck as the blood left my head. I was getting very dizzy. I was drenched in sweat, and I could not figure out how to stop that awful nauseous feeling.

Before I knew it, my thumb-sized dentist and his pinky-sized assistant were shouting orders at me that I could barely understand. I was squirming around uncomfortably as they tried to get me to lie all the way back in the chair. They turned on the AC, put cold compresses on my forehead and neck, and the assistant started fanning me with my file and whispering encouraging things in my ear. This all helped. Cotton swabs saturated with alcohol in front of my nose just made me feel more nauseous, though it did make me open my eyes, which relieved the dental team. It was like, Big Tree Fall Hard, and if I really had fallen, I do not think these guys would have been able to do anything about it.

After a good half hour of embarrassment, I finally felt semi-normal, minus the fact that my head was numb all the way from my scalp down to the base of my neck on my right side. They were able to drill out the two teeth on that side, fill it with temporary fillings to calm the nerves--I did not expect this either, since my dental work always seemed to be done in one day--and then scheduled an appointment for the next day to take care of my left side, hopefully without an embarrassing complications.

The lidocaine did not wear off for a good four hours, and I passed out through most of that. I thought I was going to be able to work and go to the gym and all that. I had no idea that the DENTIST of all places would take so much out of me.

The next day, I knew what to expect, and I did not get dizzy at all. It seems that my reaction was more about control issues than anything else.

Yesterday I moved to my new research site of Jinotega--pronounced he-no-TAY-ga--but I am supposed to return to Esteli tomorrow to finish my dental work. The only problem is that now I have contracted some massive infection in my throat, and am in way too much pain and discomfort to imagine opening my mouth again for dental work. I can barely swallow or sleep. I started antibiotics, but I will go to a private doctor tomorrow to get some additonal help. I have no idea whether it is something in the air or what. I do not think it is the dentist, because the office is just as clean and sterile as any dentist office I have seen in the States. But, whatever it is, I have to do something about it quick. Too bad everything is closed on Sundays...