Roots and Canals

Put 'em together and what do ya get? Pain. I mean PAIN.

Last Thursday evening, one of my upper teeth started to kinda sorta hurt. Friday morning, I could tell it was sensitive to hot beverages, and later I noticed also cold. By Monday morning, even the air on it when I talked made it pound with pain. I was in the chair at the endodontics office by 1:30 pm. Wait, strike that. My appointment was at 1:30, I didn't get into a chair until after 2:00. Identifying exactly which tooth was very painful, but the resulting root canal wasn't too bad. When the novocaine wore off around 4:30 pm, I felt just fine. I thought, hey, piece of cake. Got a nice, cold bottle of water out of the 'fridge and took a nice, long drink. And I nearly DIED.

Back in the chair at the endodontics office about noon yesterday. It took quite a bit of time, but finally the doc determined that it was indeed the same tooth. I had trouble convincing him it was still sensitive to heat and cold, in fact it was more sensitive and more painful than the previous morning.

Apparently there were 2 canals that he took care of on Monday and either there was a 3rd canal or one of the 2 had a longer root that had calcified and the live tip was in the bone... Frankly, by the time all the tests were done determining what the hell was going on, I was freaked out and frazzled with pain. He could have put a quitclaim deed in front of me and told me to sign it and I would've. He could have put Palauan Balut in front of me and told me to eat it and I probably would've.*

More novocaine and then another re-do on the root canal from Monday, and then another shot and some slicing and drilling, a few stitches, and I was on my way. From what I remember, for the last part, he had to move my gum out of the way to get to my jaw bone to drill into that and get at the root from the top down. Fun. Especially entertaining was the way he kept calling me Bizarre Tooth Girl.

And then I went on my merry way. And then the novocaine wore off. I was almost home when that happened. Thank God. I made it until I got safely parked in my garage and then I bawled, and I bawled for about 2 hours, until the 3 Motrin I took finally kicked in. Holy shit. They should give you a dose in the office so it has time to start kicking in before the good stuff wears off.

Feels much better today, but only in the past hour or so. What an ordeal. I just love being Bizarre Tooth Girl.

*Or he could've given me the keys to his shiny black little Lexus sports car that was parked out front and told me to drive it, and I definitely would've. I settled for parking next to it and door dinging it. Ha! Just kidding... that was just my fantasy as I was bawling last night.