The Pain Center

The Pain Center

My biggest fear as a young girl was going to the dentist. Every visit involved pain, and that’s what scared me the most. The majority of people that you ask will tell you that they were afraid of the dentist too. I, like many other children use to love eating candy, I still do but not as much. I had a huge sweet tooth, and because of that I would get cavities. Once a month id get a friendly reminder from the pain center telling me it was time for my check up. I knew what to expect, and I always dreaded it. My mom would always go with me, held my hand, and told me everything would be fine and to just be brave. Her words did help me get through the painful process every time I went.

Going to the dentist now is a whole lot different then how it was when I was a little girl. Now it’s not about going because I have to it’s because I want to. After all, everyone does care about their pearly whites; you do use your smile everyday. This time the purpose for my visit was to replace my retainers that one of my family members accidentally threw away. I was very upset about that, especially because retainers aren’t so cheap. I arrived to the dentist at 11:00 am, which was the time of my appointment. As soon as I walk in I feel a whole room full of strangers direct their attention towards me. It’s only instinct, I think everyone does that. The familiar smell of minty freshness surrounded the room. I sign my name on the clip board sitting on the receptionist’s desk, then take a seat next to a women and a man dressed like a mail man. I then take the time to observe my surroundings and the strangers around me. I know nothing about these people; maybe just what dentist they go to. Waiting rooms to me are very interesting; Strangers under one roof waiting to be chosen. The man sitting next to me was wearing dark sunglasses and was wearing a lot of blue. He had his head down, and was snoring very loudly. He was either on his way to work or getting out of a shift because he seemed very tired. The woman next to me was accompanied by her teenage daughter. The daughter was most likely there for her braces.

The room was very cold; I had heard somewhere that cold weather is supposed to keep you awake. I guess the man sleeping next to me was warm-blooded or didn’t get the memo. The woman next to me was cold as well; I heard her mention it. The PBS show Caillou was on the television. It was pretty funny to me because there were no children around. No one really seemed to be watching it, expect one lady. She was in her 40’s maybe, and she was very attentive to the show. The waiting room was all white with white tile on the floor. There were a couple of Halloween decorations on the wall. They consisted of witches, pumpkins, and spider webs; they were probably purchased at a 99 cents store.

In front of me was a young Hispanic man with an LA cap on his head. He was reading a magazine, and before I even looked at what he was reading... I already knew. He was reading a sports magazine of course; I couldn’t picture him reading anything else. Next to him was a couple. The woman was Caucasian and was a little over weight. Her boyfriend looked a little Hispanic and seemed to be older then her. They seemed happy while I watched them laugh and talk. In the mist of their conversation I over heard her say, “Well, be ready, because you know its coming”. She said it with a very serious tone. Then as time went on I noticed her grab his hand and place it on her