Things to Remember When I Don't FEEL Like Brushing or Flossing My Teeth....

...how much I am starting to hate going to the dentist.
...how I always have to get extra lidocaine when they fill a cavity because I feel the pain very easily even with the first shot.
...how I always tell the dentist I need extra lidocaine in order to not feel the pain, and they always say "we'll see how it goes first."
...how tense my whole body is when they first start but trying to stay calm b/c maybe they'll be right this time, and I will be numb enough to not feel anything.
...how they give me just the one dose, and then as soon as the drill starts...I DO feel the pain.
...how I can actually feel the needle going into my jaw as they give me more lidocaine. No...I don't just feel the "pressure" - I can literally feel the needle as it slides all the way in there. That's almost as much fun as the pain from the drill.
...how I hate waiting for the second dose of lidocaine to kick in and worrying that it won't work, even if I know it will.
...how I can then not relax during the rest of the procedure b/c I'm so worried about it hurting again. (Have you experienced that pain?? It is NOT fun.)
...how uncomfortable it is to know that the dentist and assistant are staring into my open mouth while I am lying there helpless, trying to look at something else, like the cover to the light they are shining into my mouth.
...how I can't stand the sound of the drill whirring......................
...how much I don't like having to bite down and grind my teeth on that thing that helps them figure out if they've shaped the cavity well b/c you can not tell how it feels when you are numb.
...how much I don't like my face being numb all the way up to my eyes. (They seem to put the needle in so that it numbs the top part too much and the bottom not enough.)
...how I am numb for most of the day since I need that extra dose.
...how much my jaw hurts the next day or two after having those needles put in and my mouth messed with
...how sensitive my teeth are for a few days or so after the cavity is filled.
...how I am considering more and more the possible benefits of sedation dentistry, even though that scares me for other reasons. But it might be a little less traumatic!
...how I AM starting to feel that visits to the dentist are becoming traumatic for me.
...how I should know better with my step-mom being a dentist and all. (But she used to tell me how great my teeth were, even when I never flossed too well - so I guess I felt like I could keep getting away with it.... But it's apparently catching up with me.)

...how much I may not like to spend time brushing my teeth sometimes when I just want to fall into bed...but it really doesn't take all that long if I just do it.
...how much I really don't like to spend time flossing but the last couple cavities have been b/c of my not liking to floss.

*sigh*

Now just to remember all this stuff more than just a few days after each dentist appointment. Maybe having this written down will help me out.