One of the things I never would have imagined was that one day I would be on a first name basis with my dentist.
First off, I don’t like dentists, not as people but the profession. I am a wimp when it comes to pain in my mouth and I tense up every time I have to open my mouth and especially when they turn on the drill or have to deaden the gum. If only I had been blessed with perfect teeth and no mouth problems!
I have spent so much time in the dental chair this year, I pretty much know my dentist’s life story and she knows mine. She even asked me about where to get flowers for a wedding. While I love my dentist and her staff because they are just absolutely the best, I still don’t like going to the dentist.
I mentioned I was a wimp about mouth pain, right? Well, for the first time in a long time, I haven’t felt real pain at the dental office when doing the work. Of course, I had a reaction to a new medicine they use for numbing your mouth. Heart palpitations and a feeling of I’m about to pass out. The reaction only lasted a few minutes and I was fine.
This medicine was great because it took affect quicker and my mouth was back to feeling normal much quicker. However, because of the reaction I’m no longer allowed to have it. It is written in bold letters all over my chart and when they pull my file up on the computer, it beeps to tell them not to use it on me. Bummer, because it really is better than the regular stuff they use.
The week before the wedding when I came down with an abscessed tooth, she even gave me her cell phone number. They gave me antibiotics in hopes of the swelling going down and me being able to get through the wedding without having to have my tooth opened. She told me if push came to shove she could numb my mouth so I could get through the wedding without pain and to call her if it came to that. The antibiotics worked and I got through without having to call her cell, but a week after I had to be back in the chair to begin the root canal process.
I had also put off finishing up a crown for an implant and so had to have that done. Because I was not used to having a tooth in that bottom spot I thought I would just have to get used to it but it turned out to be too high and I had to go back again for a top tooth to be ground down so I could actually chew on the left side. One week, I was actually in the dental chair twice. And I’m not done yet. The root canal crown has been ordered and when it comes in, back to the dentist I go. It is also time for a cleaning.
Hopefully, this will be the last of my dental troubles this year.
I actually just changed to this dentist about two years ago and was leery at first because you never know and my past associations with dentists were not fun. Trips to the dentist still are not fun but are just necessary sometimes and I’m thankful for mine and her staff as they really try to make you as comfortable as possible. Calling your dentist by her first name might not make the fear of going better, but hey, it’s a start.
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I got into journalism because I loved hearing people’s stories and wanted to tell them. Everyone has a story to tell, you just have to get them to talking. If I were not at a community newspaper, my dream job would be going all over the country writing stories about people who are making a difference. We don’t always hear about those people and their stories don’t always get told.
It not only inspires you, it helps you to realize there are still good people in the world. In today’s society when most of the news is bad and we hear all the negative things people say and do, it can make you disheartened with people. Seeing the opposite end of the spectrum helps you keep a positive attitude and strive harder to keep being a good person.
Kendall McGee is a Junior Mentor at the Steve and Marjorie Foundation and he inspired me last week. Hearing his story and interacting with him, it is hard to believe he was ever different from the fine young man with a good head on his shoulders that he is today. So refreshing to find a young man who was so determined to change the negative path that he was on when he was 15.
Kendall has done that and is definitely on the right path. I could have stayed all day talking with him. He is now 21 and will graduate from college in 2017 with a systems engineering degree.
We will be publishing an article about Kendall in the coming weeks. There are other stories from others who attend the program that will also make your heart smile.
I have always liked Steve Harvey and hearing him talk at Camp Grace last week, just reinforced what I’ve always felt, that he’s one of the good guys. Genuine and down to earth. He speaks the truth, even if you don’t want to hear it and he cares about people and is sincere in wanting to give back. And no offense, Steve, but as great as it was meeting you, it was Kendall who reminded me why I wanted to become a journalist in the first place. Thank you all though for the experience.©2016

VICTORIA SIMMONS is an author, columnist, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com