Lidocaine

An odd day that started normally enough with the Contemplative Eucharist here at COTM. I had time afterwards to clean up and answer some e-mails and blog a bit before rushing off to a Dentist appointment.

This was a follow up from a week or so ago. They wanted me back to fill some small cavities and clean up some old bonding work. I really like Dr. Brown and his office. No waiting, even though they were busy. Friendly staff. Good banter. Modern, pristine office. Efficient and high-quality work. And, perhaps most importantly for dentists, superb pain management.

After rubbing a topical anaesthetic of some sort on my gums they began injecting something (perhaps Lidocaine) into the gums to deaden the nerves before drilling. Here is where things got interesting. The (attractive female) Dental Assistant began massaging my left earlobe. "I'm just going to distract you from what what Dr. Brown is doing," she explained. I immediately understood, I've seen similar techniques used with children in the hospital. So I decided to relax by entering into a mode of being attentive to my body. Having meditating a few hours helped.

I noticed several things going on at once. First, the earlobe trick works on several levels. On a purely neurological level, it's true that giving my system more than one novel sensory input at a time caused my attentions to be divided and lessened my perception of the injections. On a psychological level, the earlobe massage was also both novel and soothing, so it worked that way as well. There was a moment when I was thinking, "Really? You're going to do that while he sticks needles in my gums? Hmm. Okay..." Anyway, I didn't feel a thing.

Dr. Brown drilled out the cavities and then one of his people went to work filling in the holes and also cleaning up the bonding work. When they were done I was pleasantly surprised by the difference they made. The bonding is imperceivable. In fact, my teeth look whiter than before. Well worth putting up with a little earlobe massage.

After the dentist it was off to lunch with a parishioner. Thai food at a place on Yonge: Mint. I enjoyed a Thai Ice Tea thankful that the Lidocaine had worn off.

After that I hit the gym for a sold hour of weights and cardio. Interesting how even just a few gym sessions makes a perceptible difference in how I feel.

Now I'm just finishing up my day at church. And a good day it was!

-t