Categories
confession

nine??? are you sure, doc?

I haven’t been to the dentist in a long time.  Years.  Three of ’em.  I knew it was a bad idea, but when you’re a grown-up, it’s hard to take care of little things like dentist appointments.  As a kid, I was in that office once or twice a year, and I couldn’t understand how my parents could possibly go 5 or 10 years between visits.  Well, now I get it.

So, at today’s appointment, I learned that I have 9 cavities.  One of which needs a root canal ($$$$) and a crown ($$$$).  Now, I know that I need that root canal, the doc isn’t trying to pull a fast one on me.  And how do I know?  Because …. I …. have a …. hole …. in my tooth.  A big one.  I can put my tongue in it.  And feel something soft.  That tastes … not very good.

Everybody kept asking if it hurt.  And seemed surprised when I sort of shrugged it off.  I mean, yeah, it hurts a little if I chew on that side of my mouth – so I just chew on the other side.  It’s not enough pain to take any drugs for it, though.  And I have to admit, I’m surprised it doesn’t hurt more – I mean, I’m missing 1/4 of the enamel on the tooth – and I don’t require medication?

So I called the root canal dentist to make an appointment – and he’s getting me in on Thursday!  I’ve never had such speedy dental service – I was expecting a month long wait.  He asked what I was doing to manage my pain, and I told him that I didn’t really have any.  I guess people who get root canals are usually people in great pain?

After the root canal, I have a crown and 8 fillings to look forward to.  I think, then, I might just have a filling in every single one of my teeth.  Guess it’s time to stop drinking sugar ….

3 replies on “nine??? are you sure, doc?”

LOL, well, surely your dentist couldn’t say anything worse than “you’ll need 8 fillings and a root canal.” 🙂 I think my problem lies in the fact that I get half my daily calories by drinking sugar: hot chocolate in the morning, a soda at lunch, vitamin water in the afternoon, and soda or juice at dinner … All my cavities are between the teeth, which, according to my doc, is indicative of sugar-drinkers. So, it’s water for me (until I get my cavities taken care of, at least) and I s’pose I’ll have to start, um, getting more of my calories from actual food …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *