Tomorrow, I have to have two wisdom teeth extracted, a prospect which fills me with joy. Even more special is the fact that they're not going to put me out; just a Valium and nitrous oxide (hopefully, Novocaine will also enter into the equation). I've had a root canal, and I've had scaling treatments, but nothing fills me with as much dread as an extraction. I've had six or seven teeth extracted in my life (mutant that I am, I had some fully developed supernumerary teeth, so they had to remove some existing teeth in order to prevent the extras from breaking through where they weren't supposed to be).

My last extraction, over twenty years ago, involved the extraction of four teeth at once, and I was supposed to have been put out completely. However, I was merely paralyzed; I remained fully aware of everything that went on. I complained about this when the anaesthetic wore off, and the oral surgeon pooh-poohed my claims, saying that I had been put under, and had merely dreamed it. So I related in detail everything that was done, and everything that I remembered being said. And then I found myself looking up at the ceiling, with a circle of concerned faces looking down at me. (If there were any mercy in the universe, I would have passed out during the procedure, but noooooo.)

Most recently, when I had the root canal and scaling treatments, the dentists had to keep putting in Novocaine, because it kept wearing off. Apparently I metabolize it much more quickly than normal, which makes lengthy procedures ever so much fun.

So tomorrow, they work on the two teeth furthest back in my mouth, in opposite corners (one in the lower left, and one in the upper right). And I have a history of anaesthesia not working properly. Wheeeee.

But hey, at least I'll get out of the office for a while.