A necessary evil

Yesterday I went to the dentist to have a broken tooth fixed. This was my first visit to the dentist in over four years. Frightening I know. We've never had any sort of coverage until now and now only because we broke down and decided to apply for Blue Cross. Anyways, I forgot what a horrible feeling it is to have your mouth frozen. I woke up this morning with a horribly tender jaw and a very tense and sore back.
Because for forty minutes I lay there with my mouth pryed open as wide as it could go, elegantly dressed in a paper bib, metal clamps attached somewhere in my mouth and this big ol green rubber thing somehow blanketing my mouth and throat from ingesting any sort of mercury which I do appreciate, thank you. And of course drooling out the side of my mouth and down my neck . But I think even worse than all that is the almost comical way these two figures are there looming over your face with masks and noisy instuments. Talking to each other as though you're not even there in their secret dentist talk. However they do kindlyask every so often if you're okay. What are you gonna say "um.. no I'm not doing so well, I'd like you to please stop and just start over..." And as if you can say anything at all with four hands, a drill, a water shooter and a suction tube amogst many other things IN YOUR MOUTH. Quit asking me how I'm doing and just get it over with so that I can stop stiffening my back and clenching my hands into fists.
Well, anyways. It's not that I don't like dentists, I just don't like what they do. I'm just grateful that today I can feel if I'm chomping on my tongue or not.