I may have become an anti-dentite.
I have had consistent problems with the tooth that was filled back in October. It has hurt pretty much consistently since the numbing agent wore off. I've never had hot and cold sensitivity in a tooth before, and didn't have any in that tooth before the filling, but since then? Every day. To the point I stopped getting the filtered water out of the fridge dispenser and just drank tap water because it was so uncomfortable. Eventually, I stopped chewing on that side, cause a wrong bite would hurt.
However, I am not a wimp. At least I don't think of myself as a wimp. I don't complain (ok, I complain in my blog, but only when its funny and I try not to do it in real life.) I figured, "well, that's what happens when you have a filling. This is your life now." I resolved to get that sensitive tooth paste after I finished my current tube (Because, oh yea, I move all the time and I don't buy anything anymore until I am out of whatever it is, so I don't have to move one more thing.)
I did, in fact, go to the new dentist across the street from my office. This dentist had a decent handshake, and didn't down talk to me. I told them that the tooth had been bothering me. They did a cleaning and took x-rays.
They found a cavity under the filling.
Great.
I don't know how it got there, but my suspicion is that Dr. Trasher/Thrasher/Basher didn't do the filling right, since I had problems with it from day 1. I suspect that what I was experiencing was NOT normal.
So, I scheduled a time to come in for a filling on a Wednesday. Filling gets done, and the dentist mentioned that the cavity was deeper than he thought.
I go about my way, and, whoo whee! The tooth felt fine for the first time in six months. I drink cold water again.
Sunday night, my ear kind of hurt.
By Monday afternoon, I was gritting my teeth to get through the rest of my day at work because someone was jamming several knitting needles right into my head. My ear wa throbbing, my sinuses had been scraped by forks, my teeth were screaming. Rockets shot their way down my upper and lower jaw lines, and I would not have been surprised if sparks had started shooting from my nose.
I tried calling the dentist, "just to see" if this was anything. I got the answering service, notifying me that their office was closed. For a week.
I took myself to Urgent Care, where the PA listened somewhat skeptically to me, including the part about the recent dental work, looked in my ear for 2 seconds, and pronounced that I had an ear infection. He sent me on my way with an antibiotic and steroid script. I took the medicine faithfully, and waited.
The pain woke me up Tuesday night and took my breath away. I took my medicine Wednesday morning and headed to work. After my first meeting of the day, I was in "I can't think, I might throw up" levels of pain. I told my boss, which is always embarrassing, especially because just telling him that I was having a problem brought me to tears... and then called the dentist's emergency line.
It took the longest hour of my life for him to call back. There was much skepticism when I talked to him, that he'd never seen something like this, but called a specialist who was able to get me in that day.
I buckled down, downed some Tylenol, and worked as hard as I could to get some stuff done and keep my mind off of the nuclear weapon going off in my head.
A couple of tests at the specialist, and I was being sent in for a 2.5 hour-long emergency root canal.
Did I mention that this is the very back tooth of my very small mouth? Oh, and that I apparently have a ridiculously small head to begin with? Yep, sure do - I, in fact, wear a child-size ski helmet because the women's extra small was too big. Yep. Tiny head here. Freakish.
Also, I apparently have roots like oak trees attached to my teeth. The go every-which-way, and I believe I heard the specialist cursing several times. He left a highly sarcastic message with my dentist about what a "fun" tooth I had...
As it turns out, because its not enough to have a filling, then a refilling, and then a root canal, they only do a temporary filling on the tooth and I had to go back for yet a fourth procedure (on the same freaking tooth) to have a permanent crown put on. Sheesh.
Well, after the dentist and his staff came back from what I can only assume was their annual ski vacation during my own personal crisis, I went in for yet another 2.5 hour procedure to have my fancy, and ridiculously expensive crown measured, molded, baked, and fitted. Frankly, just pulling this sucker out would have been easier and way less expensive. I seriously started comparing the dental fees I racked up this week to grad school credit hours. I have now completed a class in dent-ology.
The dentist told me my case, that of needing a root canal right after a filling, was only the second case he'd seen in 10 years. It was... unique. He suggested that I play the lottery.
I told him that wasn't the kind of luck I was having.
Plus, I can't afford the ticket right now. I just spent all my money on my mouth.
I really, REALLY dislike the dentist.
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