Well, it's done.

The final "seating" of a crown is almost shockingly fast, as dental procedures go.

(I did have to have Novocaine because it wasn't a root canal - there's still a live nerve in there, and as the dentist said, "You wouldn't like it very much when the hygienist hit that shaped tooth with the air to dry it off." Considering that I suffered through several days of tiny tooth exposure with the first temporary, I'm more than willing to accept what he said as truth.)

But I did not cry again - even though I walked in there knowing I was going to have the shot. That's a big advance, for me. I have a long and bad history of needle-fear.

I also did pretty well during the procedure itself. (Still do not like the teeny tiny buzz saw to remove the temporary crown, though - and it was necessary because when I had the new temporary put on, the hygienist made darn sure that sucker was staying in place.)

I do like my dentist. I do not like GOING TO the dentist but I do like my dentist - he is a good dentist, for one thing (that is, he does good quality work and the stuff he does generally lasts well). But he also has a good...I guess you'd call it chair-side manner? He's very calm and unflappable and is good at jollying along nervous patients like me.

(After the shot, I sort of weakly joked, "I guess I'm getting better at that" seeing as he didn't have to pry open my mouth and I wasn't crying while he gave the shot or anything. He responded, "Well, maybe *I'm* getting better at it." Considering he's been a dentist for nearly as long as I've been alive....I don't think his getting better at it is an issue at this point).

I think he also understands that some people - who are otherwise reasonable and sane people - simply do not like having a relative stranger's hands, as well as pointy metal tools, stuck in their mouths. (Yes, I've had other dentists who seemed to be of the opinion of "Why does this bother you? This sort of thing should not bother you! It doesn't bother me when I have it done!")

He also doesn't yell, which is a relief. Yes, in the past I have had Dental Professionals (including an orthodontist who shall remain nameless but who is probably still remembered fearfully by people who were young teenagers in Northeast Ohio in the early 80s...) who yelled. And you know? It does not help. Does not help one bit. Part of it is the whole power relationship - the dentist has all of the power, the patient is helpless - you're not even the right way up when you're in the chair! (that's one thing I hate - that feet-above-head posture. I'm always afraid of passing out when I get out of the chair because of my low blood pressure). So yelling seems unnecessary to me and rather sadistic. (Or maybe it's just because I'm the kind of person who'd rather die than be willfully non-compliant - all my non-compliance is involuntary and stems from Fear of Pain.)

But it is nice to have a dentist who speaks quietly and slowly, who warns you before he is about to do something (another thing about past dentists that bugged me- a few of them thought they could do some kind of Ninja maneuver and get the Novocaine shot in without my noticing it...but it doesn't work that way. It's better to tell me and let me close my eyes first than to freak me out by having the needle suddenly come into my field of view.)