Forget those silly resolutions!

So I was going to write all about resolutions... but then I went to the dentist.
I have never had a good experience at the dentist. Even when I go in for a basic cleaning they make it more painful than it needs to be. I brush my teeth twice a day, floss regularly, and do all that other junk, but then they either used instruments of torture for a deep cleaning or they leave me sitting in that chair for half an hour and finally say something about how my teeth are fine and don't do anything but waste my time.

But this was a special case. I was getting a filling done. For the first 12 years of my life I gotten by without a single cavity, but then out of nowhere appear a bunch of small spots on my teeth. Depending on who you talked to, some would say I have 18 cavities, and other would say I have 0. Finally a decent dentist decided I had 4 deep cavities, and a bunch of other spots that aren't a problem. Thank goodness!

So on Thursday I went to get one filled. They said they would do two if I wanted, which I did so I could get it over with sooner, but they still did only one. The worst part of it all was the Novocaine. He would find the most painful spot in my mouth, and after about 5 seconds he would ask if it was numb. Of course it wasn't, so he'd go back in for more. He ended up giving me so much Novocaine that my face was numb for the rest of the day.

The actual filling of the cavity went by smoothly, without any pain (thanks to that Novocaine), but afterwards they wouldn't let me leave for 15 minutes because I was lightheaded and shaking a bit (I blame the Novocaine). Then I went home and watched YouTube for three hours while eating mashed potatoes and a chocolate Frosty. But then I was dragged away to go to the thrift store, where I got a bunch of books and skirts. By the time I was home I'd regained most of the feeling in my face, and wanted nothing more than more Novocaine. The actual tooth felt fine, but my jaw was throbbing with pain.

And it's still almost constantly throbbing. I've taken more Motrin this week than I have in my whole life, and an 800mg tablet hasn't relieved the pain for more than an hour. The pain is duller than it was on Thursday, but it's still constant. I can't open my mouth very wide or smile much, which wasn't helpful yesterday when I was singing in Stake Choir in front of a thousand people and a General Authority (and my low-cut dress people always compliment me on wasn't that great in that situation, either). And after almost three hours of stretching my mouth in uncomfortable ways, all I wanted was some Motrin and a nap.

If this continues, I don't plan on going to the dentist any time soon. I'd rather have some cavities that aren't causing me any problems than a constantly aching jaw.