Root Canal
I have bad teeth. The horrible kind of soft teeth that Jacob inherited (thanks, Mom!) from me - and I'll only accept responsibility because it comes from my mom's side of the family and because, well, I am my mom's side of the family - and have cost us upwards of $9,000.00 in his teenie little mouth.
It is a fact that Jake O'the Bad Teeth and my Daughters O'the Crooked Teeth cause me to put off my regularly scheduled dental work because braces cost $170.00 a month per kid (of which I have two in) and crowns are a whopping whole bunch of hundreds of dollars each (of which Jake needs FOUR of). So that is how I ended up in the line for a root canal (two, actually, with more likely to follow upon closer inspection of said crappy teeth) in an emergency, immediate kind of way. I've put it off for three months, let the infection get so bad the side of my head has actually gone mushy with large pockets of infection crawling from my teeth to the crest of my cranium. The headache had become the worst part - a debilitating, constant, stabbing pain in my right temple so bad that I couldn't see straight, but still it was hard to justify spending what I knew would be a lot of money on me when the kids need so much.
Besides, dentists hurt.
I made an appointment with my regular dentist for Tuesday afternoon. It was not my dentist that came in (he's retiring :( ) but another guy - who I didn't like very much at all - said I need a root canal and crown. The infection is too bad to do anything with now...here's your prescription for antibiotics and pain meds (ONE only. At night. Only.) I have a fear of the unfamiliar so we began the search for another dentist. Now, I realize I didn't know the other dentist that I chose to go to but we had decided on him based on recommendations we got from other people. I had no recommendation for the new guy at my old dentists office, and I'd started off not liking him right away.
Friday morning I walked into the new dentists office. I liked him right away. He was young-ish (maybe mid-40s which is very youngish when I consider that my own dentist appeared to be a hundred and forty eleven when I first started seeing him 25 years ago) and he had a sense of humor. I sat down in the exam chair - something that usually sends me into a fit of panic that I can't seem to help no matter what - and noticed right away the large tree that stood right outside the office window. It had a face. Great big eyes stared back at me and fingers pulled apart wide lips where a tongue stuck out. I looked behind me to see of something was reflecting in the window glass but no, it was a face. On the tree.
A gift from his wife, he said with a grin.
He started off with x-rays and a few questions about my dentist visit earlier in the week. "He did x-rays?" I nodded, yes.
"He said THIS tooth was the source of the infection?"
Again, I nodded.
"And this is your usual dentist?"
Here I explained the new guy situation and said with hope, "Why? Do I not need a root canal?"
"Oh you're getting a root canal, but not on that tooth today. Your problem is back here." He tapped lightly on a tooth that sent a pain through my head so shocking, my butt actually left the seat.
"See?" he said.
And with that, his assistant went to work gassing me up and we were on our way. For two hours he worked, waking me gently each time I started to doze and let my mouth drop closed while he tried to work. I love nitrus.
I don't understand the fact that it is kids parking on desolate roads huffing the stuff. All it does is make you want to go to sleep. I have a much easier time imagining a car full of tired mothers with empty vials spread around the floor just trying to catch a few peaceful winks before heading back to the grind.
I was talking to the nurse - doing the best I could with an upper lip that refused to move, but she assured me she could understand what I was saying - while she took x-rays to let him see if he was satisfied with his work before closing up the tooth or whatever it is you call the finishing up part. All in all, it was a great experience. He didn't let me hurt at all. He was entertaining from the start. And he was helpful in explaining to me the order we could do things that won't break the bank and let my kids' teeth go bad in the process. It went so well, I'm actually looking forward to my next root canal in 3 weeks. That can't be bad. And there will be more gas.
It is a fact that Jake O'the Bad Teeth and my Daughters O'the Crooked Teeth cause me to put off my regularly scheduled dental work because braces cost $170.00 a month per kid (of which I have two in) and crowns are a whopping whole bunch of hundreds of dollars each (of which Jake needs FOUR of). So that is how I ended up in the line for a root canal (two, actually, with more likely to follow upon closer inspection of said crappy teeth) in an emergency, immediate kind of way. I've put it off for three months, let the infection get so bad the side of my head has actually gone mushy with large pockets of infection crawling from my teeth to the crest of my cranium. The headache had become the worst part - a debilitating, constant, stabbing pain in my right temple so bad that I couldn't see straight, but still it was hard to justify spending what I knew would be a lot of money on me when the kids need so much.
Besides, dentists hurt.
I made an appointment with my regular dentist for Tuesday afternoon. It was not my dentist that came in (he's retiring :( ) but another guy - who I didn't like very much at all - said I need a root canal and crown. The infection is too bad to do anything with now...here's your prescription for antibiotics and pain meds (ONE only. At night. Only.) I have a fear of the unfamiliar so we began the search for another dentist. Now, I realize I didn't know the other dentist that I chose to go to but we had decided on him based on recommendations we got from other people. I had no recommendation for the new guy at my old dentists office, and I'd started off not liking him right away.
Friday morning I walked into the new dentists office. I liked him right away. He was young-ish (maybe mid-40s which is very youngish when I consider that my own dentist appeared to be a hundred and forty eleven when I first started seeing him 25 years ago) and he had a sense of humor. I sat down in the exam chair - something that usually sends me into a fit of panic that I can't seem to help no matter what - and noticed right away the large tree that stood right outside the office window. It had a face. Great big eyes stared back at me and fingers pulled apart wide lips where a tongue stuck out. I looked behind me to see of something was reflecting in the window glass but no, it was a face. On the tree.
A gift from his wife, he said with a grin.
He started off with x-rays and a few questions about my dentist visit earlier in the week. "He did x-rays?" I nodded, yes.
"He said THIS tooth was the source of the infection?"
Again, I nodded.
"And this is your usual dentist?"
Here I explained the new guy situation and said with hope, "Why? Do I not need a root canal?"
"Oh you're getting a root canal, but not on that tooth today. Your problem is back here." He tapped lightly on a tooth that sent a pain through my head so shocking, my butt actually left the seat.
"See?" he said.
And with that, his assistant went to work gassing me up and we were on our way. For two hours he worked, waking me gently each time I started to doze and let my mouth drop closed while he tried to work. I love nitrus.
I don't understand the fact that it is kids parking on desolate roads huffing the stuff. All it does is make you want to go to sleep. I have a much easier time imagining a car full of tired mothers with empty vials spread around the floor just trying to catch a few peaceful winks before heading back to the grind.
I was talking to the nurse - doing the best I could with an upper lip that refused to move, but she assured me she could understand what I was saying - while she took x-rays to let him see if he was satisfied with his work before closing up the tooth or whatever it is you call the finishing up part. All in all, it was a great experience. He didn't let me hurt at all. He was entertaining from the start. And he was helpful in explaining to me the order we could do things that won't break the bank and let my kids' teeth go bad in the process. It went so well, I'm actually looking forward to my next root canal in 3 weeks. That can't be bad. And there will be more gas.
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