Fear and Loathing in Suntec City

So it has come to pass that I have a dental appointment today and it is not going to be pretty. I was hoping for a more sophisticated sounding term than "Dental Fear" to describe the situation, but unfortunately Google is not going to let me have my way today.

I have been living in fear for the past 2 weeks since I was informed by the dentist that I have 3 new cavities (damned pregnancy-related calcium deficiency!) and would need to get the fillings done. I was all up for doing that at the last appointment but it was this little thing that the dentist mentioned at the end of his sentence that got me, and it got me good.

We can fill up the cavities very quickly since you need to get back to the office by 2 - just need some anaesthetic.

Then he put both hands and a cleaning instrument with a draining hose in my mouth for the next 5 minutes while I pondered on that last bit of his sentence while looking wildly around the room (for what? I dunno) and trying not to twitch.

When he finished the cleaning and polishing, and I finished spitting into the sink, I ask - what anaesthetic? what anaesthetic?

Oh. Just an anaesthetic injection for each cavity. You're afraid of pain, aren't you?

Oh Fucketty Fuck. What kind of God damned loaded question is that. If I'm afraid of pain, then I'm also afraid of the injection too, right. But if I'm afraid of pain, I have to get the injection, right? But I'm afraid of injections. And I'm afraid of pain. And I'm afraid of drilling. And I'm afraid of being afraid when I'm supposed to be someone's mother and a full grown adult. Aaaargh.

Not possible to focus this morning. I am too scared. I just know that at the height of the whole dental experience this afternoon, when I am half-crazy from pain and terror, the dentist is going to ask me whether the volume of the plasma TV fixed to his ceiling is too loud, and would I like to watch something else instead.