My face is still waking up from the Novocaine received this afternoon at the dentist. I was fitted with a temporary crown. Being fitted with a crown sounds like princess time, but it's more like dungeon time, even torture chamber time.
Not that it was really torturous today. I did receive nitrous oxide to alleviate any anxiety I might be feeling during the procedure, and of course the Novocaine makes the process painless if not pleasant. It was the first time I took nitrous oxide, and it came to me via a tube and device that fit over my nose. The assistant said it is easy to self-regulate nitrous because if you feel you're getting too much, you can breathe through your mouth more, but if you need more you can take more frequent, shallow breaths through your nose. Well, I am by nature a mouth-breather. Big time. So I concentrated on inhaling through my nose for all I was worth. Quite aside from the effects of the laughing gas itself, I was distracted from the activity in my mouth by focusing my mind on breathing through my nose.
I tried to breathe to the Jesus prayer, which is actually a recommended technique for that prayer:
Breathe in: Lord Jesus Christ
Breathe out: Have mercy on me
I also thanked God in my heart for modern techniques and drugs that do so much to alleviate pain.
When the procedure was over and I was able to think about the numbness, I felt that the left side of my face was numb up to the cheek bone and in the nose area. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw that I smiled like a stroke victim. As I was driving home, I thought, At least I'm not drooling. Then I thought, As far as I know.
But now almost all the numbness is worn off.
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