Open Wide

Man, I'm thirsty.

My sippy cup sits to my left, filled with fresh ice water, but I can't drink any. My mouth is still numb from a visit to the dentist this morning. I tried to take a drink earlier, but my mouth just contorts as the few working muscles struggle to find something to hold onto. And I can't afford to dribble water onto my shirt. I'm in public.

I blame my imminent dehydration on the poor man's version of Botox I got today - anesthesia and nitrous oxide. I had to go to the dentist to get some cavities filled and after 5 minutes of breathing that sweet, sweet gas, my whole body was tingly. It was like I could feel nothing and everything all at once. My upper lip has swelled to epic proportions - at least that's how it feels. The two Motrin I popped a bit ago are making my thoughts blurry.

Sometimes I wonder if dentists and doctors have some sort of ulterior motives. I know they help people, but, sometimes, I think they cause just a little more pain than is necessary in the process. Mental and physical. They sit you down in this chair and ask you if you need gas to relax. I hadn't thought about it before then, but you know what, yeah, I am a little jumpy. Gas me up. After I'm all drugged, they bring the construction cones with the quickness to my mouth. I see little particles flying in the air. The sound of the driller/sander/whatever was as loud as a jackhammer. My jaw ached from staying agape while they did my procedure. And never should I hear the words "How does this work," from the dental assistant who's doing my fillings. Afterwrd, I had to shell out my whole paycheck because of my mom's wack insurance. I kept having to look in the rearview mirror to adjust my lip because the numbness made my smile crooked.

Now, I keep biting my lip to see if the feeling has come back to my mouth. I'm sure that by the time it does come back, I'll have a small hole on the right side of my face. Maybe then, at least, I'll be able to take a sip of water.

Man, I'm thirsty.