Drill and fill with a laser

I did not sleep well last night, anticipating a drill and fill. Chris woke me up just before he left for work. I glanced through my e-mail, exercised and took a shower. When dressed, I packed the baby quilt (with binding in progress) and left for the dentist's office. I thought it took me 20 minutes yesterday, but I was a few minutes late leaving 20 minutes before the appt time. I was ushered into a small, dimly lit room by the acupuncturist Michael Neeley. I removed my shoes and socks, and laid down on a table. He put a heat lamp on my feet to keep them warm. First he held certain points on my feet, legs and arms to relax me. Then he wiped a number of spots with alcohol. He pulled out one needle in a plastic tube. He touched it to my skin and it stuck. It did not hurt. So I gave him permission to do all the others. He left me lying there for about 20 minutes, I think. The needles were to help with relaxation and detoxification. It was a process that the dentist insisted on. Sadly and inexplicably, I could not relax. After it was over, I stopped by the restroom. Then I sat in the waiting room and started on the binding. Soon the hygienist called me to the 'room'. A big room was divided into sections with cabinets. Several sections had dental chairs in them. Maybe they all did. I sat in the chair and the assistant put a pad on a chain around my neck. She told the process that they would use. She left out the part about injecting anesthetic and I reminded her. She asked me not to swallow during the process if possible. Huh? I asked about a dental dam and she said they didn't use one. The dentist checked each of my fillings with some instrument to record the electrical charge. This is how she decided which side of my mouth to work on. One side had a cracked filling so she did that one. Both sides were very high. The dentist injected me at intervals, waiting for the numbing to occur in stages. Finally they put a nose cone on me with 100% oxygen so I wouldn't respirate mercury. She told me to relax, that whatever I might have been through before did not apply because she wasn't like any other dentist and she knew her job so I should just trust her. Well, the experience wasn't so different. She used lasers, but there were other tools, too, which whirred, and grinded, and screeched and were generally as scary as any past experience. It was shorter, though. The dentist left to tend to another patient. I could hear her in another section. The assistant sat me up and patted my shoulder. She told me they were done and she left. I sat there for awhile until the grogginess passed. When she didn't come back, I got tired of waiting. So I folded the blankets they put over me, gathered my things and went to the checkout counter. I wanted to write a check and leave, but the receptionist had to check with the dentist. I wrote the check and then she checked again and said it would be $90 more since one of the fillings was deeper than they thought. I was not happy. She made me another appointment even though I said I didn't know if I could make it and would rather call later. Before I left, she gave me a bag with papers, a packet with a charcoal tablet, and some Vit C packets. I drove home. I was going to eat breakfast, but did not feel like chewing and was afraid I would bite my cheek and not know it. So I checked e-mail. And then picked up sticks and raked leaves for an hour. Finally, breakfast. I did all my chewing on the right side. I took the charcoal tablet and discovered an unmarked packed of white granules. I called the office and there was no answer. Someone called back to say it was salt for the salt rinse and I should start rinsing tomorrow. There was a paper of instructions for extraction care, but I hadn't read it since I did not have an extraction. I did a lot of tapping on how I did not like this place and didn't want to go back even though they hadn't done the right side of my mouth. I did a google search of mercury-free dentists and found one that does second opinions for free. I sent them an e-mail asking what protocol they follow for removing amalgams, since I am fairly sure it calls for a dental dam. Anyway, I listened to an audio and worked on the quilt binding. Chris came home and fixed himself supper. I still did not feel like chewing so I skipped. I did take my supplements however. At 7:30 I went to church for choir practice. I told Micah that the baby quilt would soon be ready. Practice went well, and afterwards the director gave me trombone music for Easter. I came home to find Chris on his computer. Soon he was ready to watch TV. We watched two episodes of Eureka before going to bed.