I get to the dentist’s today at 10:30 a.m. I need two fillings. They show me in.
The dentist shoots my mouth up with novocaine and leaves me for a few minutes so it will kick in.
Suddenly, there is a sharp buzzing noise and most of the lights in the office go out.
Machines stop humming. The staff starts talking with heightened voices.
The office has lost power, partial power. Some equipment is working, some isn’t.
I lose feeling in my cheeks. Am I going to have to go home like this and then come back and do it again?
The dentist goes to fiddle with the fuse box. Some lights flicker on and off. The dental assistant begins moving me and my very numb face from room to room to find one where all the equipment is actually powered up and working.
They figure out which room to put me in 10 minutes later.
The dentist finally starts drilling and tells me a story about how he once performed a tooth extraction by candlelight…
That’ll teach me to floss more often…