Putting Teeth to Sleep

I remember when people asked me about what I'd miss most leaving Waco my standard response was always:

• The people
• My church
• My doctors

Although I have missed my friends, that was absolutely no surprise.  However, I have missed my doctors, truly.  And even though I have a wonderful experience thus far with the University Health Center, I still miss my primary care doctor and my eye doctor.  However, I have found one of the best dentists on the planet!  No really.  It was unlike any dentist experience I've had.  If you wanna check out the website (for kicks and giggles) its www.glennalex.com.  Be prepared, you'll be jealous!

Let me brag about him, for a minute.  The initial visit, his administrative assistant sat me down in a conference room (after offering me coffee, tea, and all sorts of other special drinks) to ask about my past dentist experiences, what kinds of things I wanted from a dentist, and things I was nervous about.  The doctor then came into the conference room we had a brief overview of my previous extras, and then we went to check out my teeth.  He was calming and explained what he was doing throughout the exam.  We then went back into the conference room to talk about my cavities.  He explained in great detail how the cavities formed, why, and even drew pictures.  He wanted to make sure I felt completely comfortable and knowledgable about my teeth.

When I showed up to have my cavities filled I was anxious, however, they had explained to me that they have 'the wand' which makes dentistry pain-free.  Apparently, the most pain comes from the injection of novocaine. He did the topical numbing, and I didn't feel a thing, from start to finish.  I didn't even realize he had already put the needle in (it was apparently so small with a tube attached).  But the computer started beeping, which he said was slowly administering the novocaine which he controlled with a foot pump.  It was unbelievable.  Truly.  I asked how he knew how much novocaine to administer and he said, he'd been putting teeth to sleep for a long time and that it was a calculated amount.  Before he began drilling, he let me know I could put in my headphones and blast them as loud as I wanted.  The whole process was ... almost enjoyable.  He is a gifted dentist (both in trade and  manner). 

Anyway, during a sermon the other day, the woman was talking about how God healed the blind man in three ways, 1st through direct means (the first time), 2nd through direct means (but through repeat measures and petition), and 3rd through spitting in the dirt and rubbing it on the blind mans eyes.  She spoke about how the dirt can symbolize humanity and that God can use humanity to heal the body.

Although they were just cavities, if you remember back to a previous post (extra expenses), I was worried about having them filled.  After 29 years of no cavities...I had multiple and was nervous.  A friend reminded me that God is concerned about all the things in my life, big and small.  And God provided!  He provided a truly phenomenal doctor (and a completely pain-free experience) and although I prayed my cavities would disappear, God worked in another way and am I thankful for all the ways God cares for me!