The dentist

Last Thursday I had to have a cavity filled. Trying to make the best of the situation, I took a camera along.

In addition to other memorable aspects, visits to my dentist are often educational. This time he pointed out that the syringe for injecting anesthetic—unlike those used for other injections—has a loop on the end of the plunger, through which the dentist hooks his thumb. After inserting the needle, he pulls the plunger out a little and looks to see whether blood has been drawn into the syringe. If it has, he withdraws the needle and tries a different spot. He wants to avoid injecting anesthetic directly into the bloodstream because: (a) it won’t do its localized numbing job if it’s whisked away throughout the body; and (b) it could make the heart race, which “some patients find upsetting.”

Clearly your heart was not racing wildly here for you to produce such a clean precise shot. Very clinical (pardon the pun)!

Disturbing and original. Perfect lighting and DOF. Regards.

Yikes!!     Well done.