Why Hellllooo Dr. McHottie

I had been putting this off for years. Seriously, years. I have had to go to the dentist on a more than regular basis for my entire life because I do not have strong teeth. I think it is genetic or something. I think my parents had weak teeth too. Maybe it is because I hate milk and never get enough calcium? I really want to smack those people who are like "I've never had a cavity in my life". Well count your blessings because not everyone is so lucky. No matter how much we brush and floss, we will STILL get cavities. All I really know is almost every single one of my teeth has been "worked on" and I was tied of it.

Back in early 2000, I had finally found a good dentist in Greenville and when I moved to Raleigh in 2005, I really didn't want to have to find a new dentist again. I put it off for a year or so and then made an appointment with a dentist a friend recommended in 2006 when I finally started to feel guilty about ignoring my dental health. Surprise, surprise, I had a dang cavity.

When I went back to get this cavity filled a few weeks later, I had the worst experience I have EVER had in a dental chair (including my past root canal and getting my wisdom teeth removed!) The dentist went to give me that horrible numbing shot and I squeezed my eyes shut and started singing the greek alphabet in my head to keep my mind off of it. All of a sudden it felt like electro-shock therapy was going on inside my mouth! There were sharp, shooting shockras going straight through my gums, down my chin, and even tingling through my throat. I had never, ever felt pain like this. It felt like my tooth had been inserted into a light socket. It only lasted a few seconds, but I will never, ever forget that feeling. Apparently he had hit the nerve.

My new dentist (Dr. McHottie) explained to me today that when a dentist numbs the lower part of your mouth, they want to get as close to the nerve as possible without hitting it. The trick is that they can't see where they are aiming. He said it is rare to hit the nerve and he has only done it twice. Well, I pray to God that I never end up being lucky #3 because that crap HURTS!

Anyway, this traumatic experience made me put off going to the dentist for about 2 years. A few months ago I got a postcard for a new dental office in my area. It caught my attention because the dentist looked just like one of my past crushes! This was enough motivation for me to make an appointment.

Today was appointment day and I was so nervous. I knew it was not going to be pleasant to get my teeth cleaned because it had been so long and I was so scared I was going to have like a million cavities.

It wasn't pleasant, but I must say I LOVE this dental office. First off I had the nicest, most knowledgeable dental hygienist ever working on me. She explained everything that was happening and what she saw. She even took a picture of one of my teeth and reviewed that and my x-rays on the TV with me. She showed me the calcium build-up she was removing from my teeth and explained why some areas might be more sensitive.

Also, the chair you sit in at this dental office massages your back! Yes, a massaging chair almost like you are sitting down for a pedicure! Now, I know it had been a long time since I have been to the dentist, but no one has ever mentioned a massaging chair, and I think that would be something worth mentioning!

Ok, finally in walks Dr. Britt and he is even hotter than the postcard pic. He is so friendly and makes some jokes about how nervous I am. He asks where I am from and asks what brought me in and why I am so nervous. All in his charming slight southern drawl. I could not stop smiling and giggling like a little schoolgirl.

I was too nervous to glance at his left hand to check for a ring, but have since checked out his website and unfortunately he is married. But hey, it still makes my dental experiences much more enjoyable!

When I left his office I could not stop thinking about how freaking cute he was. I quickly assigned the nickname "Dr. McHottie" to him and decided I couldn't wait to go back to the dentist. Then I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw I had a little smear of blood (no doubt from my bleeding gums) on the side of my mouth. I realized that didn't leave the best of impressions on Dr. McHottie. Oh well, there's always next time.

My teeth weren't that bad. They had to clean off a lot of build up around my gums and they are sending me to Endodontist to further investigate a suspicious area on my x-ray near my root canal and I had a filling pop-out that needs to be re-filled, but other than that I was good. However, I don't think I'll ever wait that long again.

I am almost ready to mark off #16 on my list. I just need to find a good gyno and then I will have all my trustworthy doctors in a row!

Also I promise a snowboarding post soon (still waiting on pics). But in the meantime check out this hilarious post from my friend Heather about us getting lost on the way to the mountains. It was seriously almost one of my favorite parts of the trip! We were so scared and could not stop laughing!