Before I went to bed, I could sense some swelling in my mouth on the upper left side. I woke up this morning after just a few hours sleep with it very tender and obviously swollen.
My main dentist¹ (who was in his office on his day off) saw me this morning, briefly. It was enough time for an x-ray and an opinion. Two teeth will have to go because of a periodontal abscess.
Great.
My second session is set for 3:30 this afternoon at the periodontist. No one is more thrilled than I!
¹ – When you have more than one dentist, you know you’re coming to the plate with an 0-2 count before the first pitch.
I hope that while your discomfort is minimized, you have a renewed respect for the Flossing-Industrial Complex.
I have to have 4 wisdom out- and I’m contemplating the “waiting until it becomes a big problem” option. My dentist and hygienist are great- but I’d rather see them socially rather than at work.
Unfortunately, they just don’t heal themselves. Trust me, what I’m feeling now is not what anyone wants to go through at any time!
No pain is more disruptive to one’s existence than tooth pain. Like a small child or a mother-in-law, it demands your undivided attention and keeps your focus and concentration hostage until satisfied. I recently experienced my first root canal after a gradual four month crescendo in mouth pain. A filling on a back molar fell out, and since I had just graduated from college and was “between dentists” (as most newly designated alumni are after they fall off their parents coverage), I put it off. Eventually it caught up with me!
I employed ibuprofen, anbesol and ice packs, but the relief was always temporary and I wasn’t too thrilled about an over-the-counter “crutch”. I’d implore my commuting companions to stop at the local ice cream counter on the way home from work just so I could freeze my aching mouth with a douple scoop of mint chocolate chip (though the sprinkles were only aesthetically soothing…) Six dental appointments and $2300 later my tooth was drilled, filled and crowned, and life returned to normal (well, as normal as it can be). After that I was convinced endodontists are heaven-sent. I felt like a million bucks the minute the pain in my tooth subsided. And I made a new friend: dental floss.
(I heard about your weblog on WPLR – thanks for sharing!)