Open!

An appointment with the dentist is one of those modern engagements that all of us dislike.  Even if we have a dentist we like, insurance that covers most of the cost, and enjoy the feeling of a clean smile and good dental health going to the dentist is never a pleasure.  Some people have true phobias of the dental office or chair requiring behavioral analysis and modification to allow the barest required treatment from even the kindest professional.  Sitcoms make jokes about dentists and the fear of the chair expressing our dislike of going before millions of people.  Thus, a few years ago Kramer coined the discriminatory title “anti-dentite” in an episode of what many people believe to be the best sitcom series ever produced.  There are among us a class of people who will avoid the dentist as long as possible while suffering and risking their health.  This short story recaps a recent visit to the dentist’s chair with a little extra pain and suffering.

The patient, I suppose one needs to be patient when obtaining the services of the medical profession, was going to a new dentist who provided a level of service much different from the normal professional.  The dentist had a special area in his office, which used no pain relief at all.  His unusual services were not covered by any insurance provider or group health plan and payment in full was due in advance.  This is, humorlessly, painful enough and the cash only fees are quite high.  The high fees can be justified by a number of factors: it takes longer to drill teeth without numbing the area first, care to prevent trauma must be higher, a special chair and room, and special waiting area.  There is also the problem that so few dentists indulge in this rather bizarre practice.  It requires more than just a need for more money on the side; the dentist in this area of dentistry must enjoy his work.

The dental office was located in a nice area of the valley with ample parking near some very expensive commercial real estate.  The appointment was for midmorning with the patient informed that it would take three to four hours.  The exam showed two small cavities in lower molars on opposite sides of the mouth.  This exam and X-rays were conducted by another dentist; the one performing the treatment would not see the patient until seated.  The fee was mailed in the form of a cashiers check more than a week in advance along with a signed document stating that the patient understood the pain and risk involved.  The patient entered a special door near the regular office by ringing a bell and then being bussed inside.

The room was dimly lit, more like a bar then the waiting room of a professional.  A woman in white came to the counter opened the sliding glass window and said, “remove every stitch of clothing and I do mean everything, wash off all your make up and when you’re finished sit down.  Don’t keep us waiting!  If you change your mind, leave, but not one cent of your payment will be returned.”  The window closed and the woman in white walked away.

The patient had been informed of the requirement of nudity and dressed in a simple bra, panties, and cheap old dress with sandals.  She wore no make up or jewelry and carried a small purse with a few dollars, her keys, and drivers license. She slipped out of the dress folding it and laying it on the small coffee table.  While unhooking and removing her bra she stepped out of her sandals and then pulled off her white cotton panties.  She stepped into the restroom and turning on the light looked briefly at her nakedness in the mirror before sitting on the toilet to pee.  She washed up afterward and spread some cool water on her face.  She had no interest in sex with a stranger, but wondered if a good fuck should not be included considering the price being charged.  She returned to the waiting room and marveled that it was so small.  She thought one does not need a lot of space to hold terrified naked people.  She sat down on the sticky vinyl sofa more from the command to do so than any interest in being comfortable.  She sat there very nervous, self-conscious, and humble for over an hour without an old magazine or even elevator music. The woman in white, who was surely watching her naked form, stepped in giving her a plastic bag for her garments and carried them off without a word.  A few minutes later she returned and putting a blindfold over her face lead her through the door to the chair.

The chair was not like the padded relatively comfortable chair you’re use to sitting in during treatment.  It was heavy steel covered with wide and thick pieces of plastic.  There were sets of straps at three areas one for the ankles, one for the waist, and a set for the arms.  The woman in white helped her into the very uncomfortable chair and strapped her down beginning at the waist, followed by the feet, and then the arms.  She then took her blood pressure, which was too high.  She said she would give her a minute to settle down and try again, but if it was still too high she would need to reschedule.  Half an hour past and the blood pressure was acceptable. 

The dentist entered and without the regular chair side manner of greeting and shaking hands commanded, “open!”  He poked around a little in her mouth and said, “I won’t be able to do them both today.  I’ll drill and fill the left one.  It is the smaller of the two and this being your first treatment without numbing it should give you the pain you’re craving.  Now, I’m going to put a special device in your mouth to hold it open.  There was a picture of it in the literature you received.  It won’t hurt, but it is uncomfortable and scary.”  Those were the last words he spoke to her.  With the whitehead in place, she could not speak to either protest his caresses or encourage them.  While there was no intercourse, both he and his assistant enjoyed the softness of her breasts and the wetness of her pussy.  She had no complainant believing the playful molesting took away the fear of what was coming, if only for a moment. 

The noise of the drill was in her ears for a number of seconds prior to the first touch on the tooth.  The noise multiplied the fear of coming agony raising her blood pressure to new highs.  For a second she honestly believed that the pain could not be as bad as she was then imagining.  The first short mild touch of the drill to the tooth changed her idea of agony.  Her body jumped in its bonds and she began to shake uncontrollably.  Screams came from her wide-open mouth.  The dentist moved very slow and carefully waiting to see her body come back from the agony before touching the tooth again.  Every time the drill hit the nerve of the exposed tooth the agony was worse.  The drill, as it always does, changed pitch and each time her body reacted it took more time to settle her down.  Ninety minutes later sweat pouring off every inch of her skin the drilling stopped.  Small tools dug with painful result into the tiny hole in her sore tooth, but it was nothing like the drill.  Then the dentist filled the opening taking about five uncomfortable minutes and left the room.  The assistant took her blood pressure and wiped her body down with a towel taking her time and feeling want pleased her.

Twenty minutes later the straps were removed and the patient walked back to the waiting room.  “Just cover up with your dress and finish outside.  The dentist will do the other tooth at the same day and time next week.  Don’t eat or drink anything after eight the night before.  It is going to take at least an hour longer and will be far more painful.”

An hour longer and more painful, the words kept going through my head as I walked dazed and barefoot wearing just the thin dress to my car. 
 

MARGARET B encourages you to e-mail comments, ideas, and chat.
E-mail  b_d_s_m@HOTMAIL.COM 
 

10.01.03