Well, about 3 weeks ago this same tooth started hurting and it like I was going to die. I tried ripping it out myself, but to no avail I went to 2 dentists. I didn't want to go to my old dentist because I had problems with them from previous visits. So I tried a new dentist. When I went they took x rays and told me that I was going to have to go back to the old dentist, because that was the one who did the root canal and that they would probably take care of it.
After going to the second dentist for the day, it was determined that I would need to go to an endodontist because the root canal was abcessed. I went to an endontist the next day to find out that after they took about $400+ in xrays, that they weren't covered by my insurance!!! Awesome! That would have been good for me to know 20 min earlier. As I was in so much pain, I didn't even think about checking that before making appointment. I just went where I was recommended to go! (You live and learn right!)
So I called a different endo (mind you, that I didn't even know that endodontists existed until that week!) and made an appointment for that Monday (4 days later). With all the pain, I finally gave in and went and got the prescription pain meds they gave me. I took them. At some top ramen (note that I couldn't chew anything.) swallowed it whole, got a priesthood blessing and layed down to watch a movie (thanks Bryce for the blessing and accompanying me to watch Eclipse or Twilight or whatever it was we watched...maybe breaking dawn!) I felt fine. No pain. No nausea. No nothing! I cancelled my sub for the next day and decided that I could go into school.
Woke up in no pain! Amazing! Went to work. After taking my pain meds and amox. I felt good, but come 9amish, every time I went to speak, I wanted to throw up. I didn't want the pain medicine to leave my body, because after being in so much pain, I needed to not let the thing that was taking the pain away leave me!!!! So I kept everything down until around 12ish. I couldn't handle it and right in the hall I dry heaved into the garbage can as kids talked to me and passed by. I went into my classroom and hovered over a garbage can. A very persistent student kept asking me questions. I finally had to say, "Do you need something right now?" He said, "No." And I (between dry heaves) said, "Please get out. Can't you see I'm throwing up here?" (Some kids are just very concerned about their education!!!)
I went home and ate more top ramen, because I associated that with a full stomach and feeling better!!! I layed down, took a nap for 2 hours. Put in some movie. I don't know which one. I slept through it. Woke up 2 hours later, felt so much better! Ate some ice cream! My treat when I'm sick!!! I put in a different movie and went back to sleep. No more nausea. I decided to not take any more pain pills. I felt like perhaps the pain went away because the amox. was killing the bacteria that was causing the abcess and infection.
My dentist told me that once I quit taking the amox, that all the pain would come back and worse. So I decided to spread out my amox. until I could get in for surgery, which happened to be yesterday. I made it in just in time (after having visited AF Hospital for some "girl" medical stuff...oh the joy! They didn't find anything so that's good! New experiences to help educate me more! Made a friend with the secretary, learned that a mam. isn't as painful as I thought it would be) and had the root canal.
I told them that last time I had it done, I was terrified and that they gave me valium to calm me down. I asked if they had any there. They just looked at me like I was crazy!!! They did give me nitrous oxide and it made me a little bit "spinny" I told the doctor that my head was spinning. I thought I might throw up a little bit. He turned it down. I wish in a way I had the valium, because last time I had the root canal I didn't pay attention to anything. This time I heard every little zzzzztttt and wwwwwwwwwwww sound...it was awful. I had to consciously tell myself to unclench my hands and relax. I tried to think of a beach and peaceful things while I laid there and he applied tons of pressure to this tooth.
So step 1 that happened yesterday was to take out the old root canal and put medicine in it (Oh, yeah let's not forget that they found a 4th hidden root! and I of course made sure to remind him to take care of that!!! I'm so silly when I'm on medicine! I was like (with my mouth full of stuff ) "don't forget the 4th root!!" The kind and patient endo said, "Ok. I'll be sure to get it!" I went back to focusing on the beach...
So I got done and felt like a truck had hit me. He had seriously been pressing really hard on my face. Good thing for my skull to protect me! (I looked like it too. I had to laugh when I saw myself in the mirror! I looked special!) and then the nitrous started to wear off and I could drive. I completely went against all I know to be healthy for me right now and had ice cream and a really (not very good tasting, I wish I could take it back) fattening soup and onion rings!!!
As I was eating on one side of my mouth, I could feel the other, non usable side and thought, "Wow, that tooth feels like it's half there." When my endo, Dr. Fife (who is very attractive and single I might add) called to see how I was doing, I said, "Good. It just feels like I have a white trash tooth." He laughed as if no one has ever said that before! He said, "At least you can't see it and it's at the back. When you come in and finish it off next Friday, we'll clean it up and will get it ready for its crown." Satisfied I went and took 3 IB Profane and laid on the couch watching Big Bang Theory and Everybody Loves Raymond and fell asleep!
I feel great today, but had to get a look at what my mouth tells me is a white trash tooth (partially decade and not very useful) so I took a picture. This is what it looks like! I'm pretty sure that a chunk of whatever he put on it to help me out, has fallen out. So to my tongue we are walking in decayed, white trash tooth city. But next Friday I will be back to new. Of course I will have no roots in that tooth and it will die, but hopefully I can run and scuba dive without pain now! This tooth has been giving me trouble for 3+ years now! Good riddens! PS looking at that picture, why would anyone want to be a dentist and put their fingers in people's mouths all day? Not me!!! I just put my thoughts in people's minds all day!!! (I think I still have a bit of the drugs in my system! I've felt kinda weird, but that is probably just cause I AM!!!)
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