Can I Do This?

“It’s going to be an extraction.”

I stared at Dr. Jay for an eighth of a second.

It was Thursday, my third day working in the Dentist and I had no idea what in the world I was doing. The thought of hearing a snap when the tooth came out, almost sickened me. But then, I thought of how neat it might be to watch, and assist in something new so I set up the necessary instruments and went down the hall to the office. The sky was grey and cloudy outside the window, and the office had grown chilly.

Thumbing my way through a stack of cream-colored charts I found the one I'd need, and with a smile I lead my victim patient back to the room. I had considered a handful of times since my first day there what might make me feel better if it were me walking down that hall and sitting in that chair. Smiling hygenists { not the wicked grin kind of smile, the I-know-how-you feel and it's ok! } | a down to earth Dentist-man | a comfy chair and a little small talk about anything that wasn't ridiculous.

The talking part I can handle, thanks to having worked at the Pregnancy Center and having so many things thrown at me in such a short amount of time. Eyeing my patient from where I bent at the counter pulling up her charts on the computer, my heart went out to the poor older lady. She had paled from the waiting room to the dental chair, her hands tightly clasped together shook like a 3 year old on a sugar high, and her dark eyes were wide taking in her surrroundings.

"Lucky for you, you got the comfy chair." I said, with a sympathetic smile. Within minutes, I had snapped the cloth around her neck and assured her that everything would be alright. But still she watched me with doe-like eyes, as I laid the syring on Dr. Jay's operating tray. "Is that the needle?!!!"

Of course it's the needle, what does it look like? I thought to myself. Instead, I nodded my head and explained how she might feel a small pinch when he numbed her but it would make pulling her tooth a whole lot less painful. She seemed semi-okay with that, because she visibly calmed about five degrees ....

Just in time for Dr. Jay to arrive on the scene and start setting up. Fifteen minutes later, I snapped a pair of blue Latex gloves over my fingers and took a deep breath. I sat across from Dr. Jay with the lady in between us. From time to time he would ask for this or that and I watched in fascination because I've only ever felt all this goings-on, never seen it done. The tooth didn't make that little pop when he extracted it, so the only annoying thing about the ordeal would be my fogging glasses.

Or so I thought ...

Dr. Jay would fly solo from that point, so I followed Johnna down the hall to see what the repair man had to say about our Panoramic X-Ray machine. No sooner had I stepped into the hall, this odd feeling overcame me. The world became silent {like those old black and white films, where you see what's going on but you can't hear a thing}, and no sooner had I thought to myself how very weird it was, that silent world went all fuzzy. Johnna | the man | the X-ray machine | that little sign hanging on the bathroom door all began to sway and fog.

"Johnna." I heard a voice from somewhere and recognized that it was mine. Mine? This was so weird ... "I think, I need water."

Then in a split second, when Johnna turned around and said "Oh No", it dawned on me. I was going to pass out if I didn't sit down soon. What kind of Dental Assistant would I if I passed out every time someone had a tooth pulled? I was such a little wimp ...

Johnna grabbed my arm and shoved a cup of water in my hand. I sat in the lab for several minutes with my eyes closed trying to get myself together, all the while beating myself up and wondering if I could really do this? I wanted to, it was more enjoyable than I'd ever imagined. But could I?

"Hey," I opened my eyes and Jay was standing in front of me with Johnna behind him. "You doing okay?"

I nodded, but we figured out that maybe eating breakfast would've helped. Within minutes, I was feeling like my old self again but I could've kicked myself. The only time blood had ever bothered me was back when I was in college and giving blood. Who knows what the deal was, but it hasn't happened again and probably wont.

Still, it definitely made life interesting. * smiles *