Everyone knows Einstein’s famous formula of E=MC2 and the theory of relativity. A great physics concept which you can smile at, nod your head knowingly and move on. But many years ago, I read a quote in a book about how Einstein was just talking about life and how everything is relative from where you are standing; your reality has nothing to do with my reality.
This last week I had my teeth done, an old filling being pulled and replaced with an onlay. Now, I am the type of person that if there is a better way to do it, why not do it that way? Why should I have to suffer? So, I go to a Dental Spa when I have teeth work done. A wonderful place where you get seated in a nice comfy massage chair with a view of the Dallas skyline, headphones and music programmed to your tastes. While you are sitting there having your work done, a massage therapist comes in and gives you a hand and foot massage. Quite a nice setup which changes the whole Dental Experience, they even have laughing gas for those of us who would rather take a mental trip while we are having three hours of work done on our teeth.
Now, I am a natural type of girl. I eat healthy food, put very few chemicals in my body, drink little alcohol and have never done drugs. So, laughing gas is quite an experience for me. When I have my teeth cleaned it is a very small amount, just enough to relax, however when you have it for major dental work it is a whole new experience and perspective.
They got me all settled into the chair, we chatted for a bit and talked about them going in and tearing out the old mercury filling, taking an imprint and then their lab was going to create the new onlay while they cleaned up my chipped front tooth. After that, they would put in the new onlay, polish me up and send me on my way. I curled up in the chair and got all comfy with my warm neck pillow and blanky while they placed the laughing gas over my nose and put a piece of cotton in my mouth to numb the areas so I wouldn’t feel anything when they had to put the needle in. Then off I went for my 3 hour trip (which only felt like a half an hour). During the trip I would have slight interruptions to move my head back and bite on a block and a couple of saw sounds, but nothing too intrusive.
However, the trip was quite interesting. Time went so quickly and other times felt like it was forever for a second. Snapshots of the doctors conversations and a lot of brain time going on in my head. From my perspective everything had significance during that time. Each breath, each drool, a bit of a gag reflex when they took the molds, conversations I overheard about who was dating whom and a couple of dental comments about the new materials now in comparison to five years ago. I walked the hills in Ireland and visited times past. I even did a bit of flying through space in a cool space craft to visit a friend on another planet. There was one point when I was so focused on breathing and it was so slow that you wondered if I was even breathing at all. My perspective of the visit was completely different than the nurse and the doctor. I am sure in their world it was a standard routine dental visit, their view of the world was normal, mine was mind driven. I even spent time writing this blog in my head about perspective as I lay there.
Finally, it was all over and the gas was cleared from my head with oxygen. My tooth was done with no pain, no stress, I didn’t feel a thing. My front teeth were magically repaired and reshaped to fix the chip I had put in them and I went on with my life as if those 3 hours in my mind had never happened.
The dentist I go to is amazing, one of the top 5 cosmetic dentists in the United States, quite an artist and I always walk out of there feeling good about my smile. However, this is the first time I had to go in for major dental work in over 20 years. I don’t know why people fear the dentist when you have such a great experience. Then I remember the pain of the dentist giving a shot before the area was numb and how deep it goes into the skin and when it hits a nerve. Or when they start working on the teeth before the shot has time to take effect and the tenseness of your jaw muscles and the major headache you get at the end from the stress eating away at you. My view of going to the dentist is a pleasant experience where others is one of fear and loathing.
“The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” Henry Miller
“Perspective- Use it or Lose It. If you turned to this page, you’re forgetting that what is going on around you is not reality.” Think about that. Richard Bach - Illusions
