You know that problem child molar I just had worked on for the nth time? The one that required heroic measures and possibly divine intervention a couple of weeks ago? I went in yesterday to get the permanent crown installed.

It seemed like a pretty standard routine: Sit down, get the topical gel, and then out came the local anesthetic. My dentist went in for the first jab.

And hit the nerve.

For a good many years, I'd been afraid of just such a thing happening. It was only in the past year or so that I'd gotten over it …