Very Good Impression

That's what my dentist Thomas H. said after I bit down on some putty to record my sets of teeth.

Even now, an hour after walking out of his office for a crown on tooth #19, I am still heavily sedated—call it my "novocaine hangover". Really, I can't feel anything on my lower jaw! And I have a dinner date with my gf, but I worry about biting my tongue since I can't feel anything at all.

In any case, the whole procedure, under Thomas's gentle care, took two hours or so. (Thnx Tom! I'm still trying to set you up with my friend Mandy.)

I was pretty stressed out going into the procedure. I kept thinking about dentists having the highest suicide rates, me not knowing the details of crowning and the risk involved, the hi-pitched drilling sound, etc.

So what did I do? I prayed. A lot. I prayed for two hours of the procedure, prayed for Thomas, prayed for myself, all under my numbed mouth. Guess what, it worked! I felt very at ease and calm thereafter. (Great wonderful painkiller and Thomas's professional "chair-side" manners helped, too.)

Now I won't be so fretful going into my follow up in two weeks. I plan on asking Thomas what he thinks of my choice of a hookup for him. Haha.

Sshssh...whatever happens at my dentist's office stays at my dentist's office.

PROFILE: Thomas H. DDS
• 5'7 1/2"—5'10" ???
• cool, laid back, Taiwanese
• churchgoer (on and off)
• can say "autoclaves, endodontics, occlusal matrix" 10x really really fast
• lifetime supply of toothbrushes