Butterflies

Numb

With my mirror in hand, I retracted his cheek and inserted the first numbing needle. He didn't flinch, nor move, but I could tell he didn't like it. He kept his eyes closed and his hands rested together on his stomach. I quickly pulled out the first needle and turned his chin, inserting the second needle on the other side of his tooth. I then numbed up his gum line, closer to the root of his tooth, which took a little bit longer than the pervious shots. Within a minute, I was done and set the syringe of lidocaine back on the tray. 

"Great job! That should start working pretty quickly so just let me know when you feel pretty numb." I said. His hand moved up to the outer side of his cheek, poking it to test weather he could feel it or not. 

"Woah," he chuckled "that's so weird!" We both laughed as he continued to touch his cheek. His fingers then moved down to his lips where he tapped them lightly. "My lips are numb" he said surprised. 

"Yeah, that happens most times. It should go away in an hour or two." I replied. He immediately frowned and crossed his arms. "Why the pouty face?" I asked.

"I can't kiss you if I can't feel my lips" he said. I couldn't refrain myself from smiling at his remark. 

"Oh yeah? We can test that if you'd like." I said. I leaned over and placed a light peck on his lips. As I backed away, he shook his head and looked at me as if I were stupid. 

"Nope. I'm blaming this on you." he said sarcastically. "If it weren't for you, I'd be able to actually feel my face and then I could kiss my beautiful girlfriend but noooo." he joked. The edges of his mouth curled into a smile. I playfully punched him on the arm and laughed as he continued to shake his head. 

"Well, now you know to not get cavities, silly." I said. "Come on, lets get you fixed up." I patted his  shoulder as the chair leaned back down. I maneuvered the light until it was shining right onto his mouth and grabbed a mouth prop off of the tray. 

"This is just going to hold your mouth open so your jaw doesn't get tired." I said, holding it above his eyes. He opened his mouth and I slid it back until it was at a comfortable position. I then got my mirror and turned the drill on, bringing it closer to his mouth. 

"Raise your hand if you need anything and I'll stop. If you feel uncomfortable or any pain, let me know and I'll numb you up a little more. You've already got the hard part over with so just let me work my magic for a few minutes and I'll have you out of here in no time." I smiled. Shawn nodded his head and I began to slowly drill his tooth, being extra careful than I normally am. 

A couple minutes later, I finished drilling and set it aside, rinsing his mouth out with the water and suction. I then completely dried his tooth and molded the composite to fit the newly made hole in his molar. After setting it with the light, I took the mouth prop out and raised the dental chair. 

"You are all done" I said. He stood up and turned to face me. I touched my hand against his cheek and he looked straight into my eyes. "You did really well. I'm proud of you." I smiled. 

"It was pretty easy. All I had to do was lay and look at you." he grinned. 

"The numbing should wear off soon. I'll see you after work." I laughed as I pulled him out of the room. I waited as he scheduled his next appointment, which was just a cleaning, six months from now. I then made my way back to the procedure room and finished up my day at work. 

***

As I opened the door to the house, I could here battle music coming from the living room TV. Shawn must be playing some of his video games which I didn't want to interrupt. I put my things away and changed out of my scrubs. Wearing one of Shawn's shirts and some pj shorts, I  strolled into the kitchen to make some tea. 

"Hey babe" I heard from behind me. I turned to see Shawn standing in the doorframe, his hair slightly messy. "You look cute." he smiled. I walked towards him and he wrapped his arms around me. He placed a light kiss on my head and squeezed me close to him. 

"I see you aren't numb anymore." I said, looking up at him. He nodded his head and grinned. "Are you sore?"

"Not really. It's nothing compared to my wisdom teeth." he replied. "I'm just glad I can feel my lips again."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"So I can do this-" he said, leaning down and kissing my lips.