It's another cloudy morning here in Lombard. I'm heating water for tea and waiting for a phone call from the dentist's office.
Wednesday I had a root canal (technically, I had Endodontic therapy performed on four root canals in molar #30) and by Friday night the pain was so bad that I couldn't even bear to breathe through my open mouth. When the pain really gets going it feels like it is in all the teeth on the right side of my head, my right temple, my right eye socket, and the right side of my skull.
So this morning I called the office to find out what I should do. I'm wondering, is it infected, what should I do for the pain? They said they would page Dr. McCall and call me back.
Ten years ago I had a molar pulled. I didn't have insurance, the thing was causing a lot of pain, and it was the easy and inexpensive thing to do. But I always second guessed the decision and wondered if it would have been more responsible to try to save the tooth with a root canal. Now that I know what "saving" the tooth really means, I wish I had pulled this one too! Seriously. After the procedure, which took more than two hours (three hours if you count the first part) and was far from painless, the doctor told me that the tooth would now effectively die, grow more and more brittle, and eventually could possibly crack. So we went to all that trouble to keep a dead, ticking time bomb of a tooth in my head? I don't get it.
5 comments:
Dentist's office called back. They think it is infected and they are writing me a couple of prescriptions, thank goodness!
Ok, another update - when I talked to the assistant at the dentist's office she said it was probably an infection, and the doctor would prescribe antibiotics and a pain reliever. But I just picked up my prescriptions and, instead of an antibiotic, there is a steroid. I'm guessing the doctor doesn't think it's an infection. I just hope this works!
We hope it works, too.
If not, call me. I'll bring over my bottle of Jamieson's medicinal liquor, and I'm only half kidding.
LOL! Thanks Daddy :)
I prefer Jose's medicinal liquor, but I like the way you think Andy.
Hope the tooth gets better Kim.
Post a Comment