Dr. Neo Buddha

I'm afraid my teeth are causing people to die. On the day my mom died, I had a dentist appointment because I just had a bad feeling about a tooth and thought I should get it checked out. Obviously, I had to cancel that appointment. By the time I got around to getting to the dentist, I found out I needed a root canal on that tooth. I couldn't afford to get the root canal until my dental insurance went into the next cycle because I was maxed out. A few weeks ago I checked my insurance and  made the appointment for the beginning of May. I was all ready for my appointment then my mother-in-law died. Oh My Buddha.
I was terrified to go to the root canal appointment but thought if I did not, would the next appointment be like another episode of Pushing Daisies? I have an appointment and someone dies unexpectedly? Where is the pie? I decided to go to the appointment anyway, just in case.
I had not been to this endodontist before except for a consultation. The last time I had a root canal, the endodontist I went to was horrible and midway through he took his gloves off and put his gross, flaky hands in my mouth and I was traumatized. I gagged just writing that. My husband had been to this endodontist before and told me I had nothing at all to worry about. I didn't believe him though. I thought he was just saying that to get me to go. Karen had a root canal on the same tooth with a different endodontist recently, and like my tooth, her tooth had a filling made of some weird stuff that is hard to drill through. I get to the office and the doctor was totally different than what I remembered from the brief consultation. He was like something from the Matrix mixed with the Tibetan Buddha. He was all tall and wooshy and calming. I didn't feel any of the novocaine shots, any of the drilling, and before any of that even started, the assistant offered me a glass of water and a magazine. What?! Am I at a hair salon or the dentist? When the root canal was over, Dr. Neo Buddha told me it was so nice that I came in because I was about to lose my tooth. I got there in time and he saved it.  Nice, nice? Oh. That's a nice way of saying it. He gave me a prescription for antibiotics and Vicodin (in case it hurts later) and said he'd see me in a few weeks for the rest of the root canal.
I had not taken any drugs but I would really like to know what they pump through the vents in that office. That root canal was the most religious experience I have had in a long time. If I didn't have that fear that my teeth were killing people, I'd look forward to my next appointment.