Dr. Parker knew the appointment was going to be difficult almost immediately.
Her patient, Marcus, needed a painful tooth removed, but the moment she prepared the numbing injection, he pulled away.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “I’d rather deal with the toothache than a needle.”
She patiently put the syringe aside.
“Okay. We have other options.”
Next, she suggested nitrous oxide.
Marcus looked at the mask and shook his head even faster.
“Nope. Anything covering my face makes me panic.”
Dr. Parker stared at him for a second.
“So you don’t want the injection, and you don’t want the gas?”
“Correct.”
She folded her arms.
“What about taking a pill?”
Marcus immediately relaxed.
“A pill? That I can handle.”
“Perfect,” she said, disappearing into the hallway.
A few minutes later, she returned holding a small cup of water and one tablet.
Marcus examined it suspiciously.
“What exactly is this?”
Dr. Parker told him.
He blinked.
“Wait… that isn’t a painkiller.”
“No,” she replied calmly.
“Then how is this supposed to help with my tooth?”
She smiled.
“It won’t help the tooth.”
Marcus looked completely confused.
Dr. Parker pointed toward the treatment chair.
“But considering you’ve rejected every normal form of pain control, I figured you might need something to give you a little confidence.”
Marcus stared at her.
Then the dental assistant burst out laughing.
After a few seconds, Marcus started laughing too.
And somehow, once he relaxed, he finally agreed to the numbing shot.
