Do you ever wonder why kids hate the dentist so much? Most people think it's just stubbornness or fearing their teeth may be a little sore, but it's really not any of those things.
You see, I figured it out for myself the other day. It all started when my insurance policy changed and I learned my dentist wasn't covered any longer.
"Great," I thought.
To my dismay, the only other dental office anywhere near me catered to children. I grumbled and cursed but finally said fuck it and scheduled an appointment for the following week.
The day of the appointment came up and I made my way there.
When I got there it looked like any other dentist. The interior walls were painted with all kinds of different bright colors and there was even a small jungle gym in the waiting area.
There were a few pissed-off parents slouching in the waiting area and a few loud-mouthed kids on the jungle gym, but nothing odd.
I went over to the check-in and handled the usual paperwork routine. I waited for them to call my name.
I saw a child coming out bawling to his mother. She shushed him and said he was embarrassing her. Finally they called my name, which was great, because I was done with that waiting room. I made my way back, but along the way I noticed the assistant leading me. She was absolutely breath-taking, perhaps the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. That wasn't what caught my eye, however. She was sickly pale like paper.
At first I brushed it off, as she just badly needed a tan, but after a few moments I thought nobody should be that pale. It wasn't human.. It-it was ghastly in a way.
After trailing off for several moments, we ended our path in a small room only containing a chair and the dentist's tools on a small metal table. This room was an attempt at a childish and happy room, but it came off more as creepy and disturbing.
It was brightly painted with paintings of children flashing their pearly whites, but the smiles they gave off were unsettling. They were as wide as their faces and almost half as tall.
The smiles always seem to carry a sort of devious undertone with them. Their eyes nothing more than black dots, seemed to watch you all the time as if they were peering into my very being.
At this point, I was just ready to get this damn thing over with. When the doctor came into the room he did not say a word. This was odd because usually dentists, especially children's dentists, were very outgoing.
He did not say a single word throughout the entire check-up. If something needed to be said, it came from the gorgeous pale lips of the assistant. What hit me the hardest, however, was the end of the check-up. After the dentist finished the cleaning and rinsing process he laid the tools down and sat for a moment.
He then leaned over me once again and looked into my eyes. His eyes were deader than anything I had ever encountered. He struck fear deep into every fiber of my being as he stared. He then brought one glove-covered hand up to his protective mask, slowly sliding it down.
What I saw... What I saw would haunt me forever. As he slid the mask down around his neck, his jaw dropped.. literally. It was if his jaw had been completely dislocated and only remained attached by mere strings. His jaw hung there as his tongue flopped around unable to hold itself still for more than moments. His teeth were sharpened to a fine point and almost as white his assistant's skin. He sat there staring, gurgling for what felt like an eternity, but was actually no more than a couple of seconds.
I couldn't bring myself to make a sound. All I could do was stare in agonizing fear. He quickly put the mask back on and left the room. The nurse led me out and I just went home, never looking back. The next day I worked up the courage to return and confront the dentist and his assistant, but there was no sign of them. The other employees had no recollection of anyone matching their descriptions, in fact they seemed to just think I was crazy. I still have nightmares about it. It was so vivid... I tell myself I imagined the whole thing but deep down inside I know... I know why kids fear the dentist.