Wednesday, February 25, 2004

posted by: copernicus on 2/25/2004 03:25:00 PM
Ok, folks. Don't worry, no posts about Quantum Physics today.
Today we'll be talking about dentistry, and THE MOLAR THAT WOULDN'T DIE.

I have this molar on the upper left side who I've been trying to beat into submission for a couple of years now. His last appeal will be at 11 a.m. tomorrow, and if he isn't granted a continuance, he will finally face the reaper and be EXTRACTED.

His problems first began as a cavity a couple of years ago. He was drilled and filled, and all was well until a few months ago. Apparently the dentist didn't drill out all of the cavity (or a new one snuck in above the filling) because the tooth continued to be eaten away undetected, due to the new filling concealing the new decay, and ate through the inside of the tooth until it reached the nerve.

So one day I'm at work, it's about 3 a.m., I'm chewing a piece of gum and the filling pops out, suddenly leaving the nerve root exposed, and THROBBING. I was in a shit load of pain, I had 4 more hours to go on my shift, and my dentist didn't get in until 8 a.m.

I toughed it out (as if I had a choice), got ahold of my dentist and got in for an emergency visit at 9 a.m. Keep in mind I work the 13 hour night shift, and had been up since noon the previous day. Dr. Jensen finally sees me, looks at the tooth and says: "Ok, there are 2 options here: Root Canal or Extraction". I mention that I don't have dental coverage. He mentions that a root canal will run me about $900, and extraction about $150. He stresses that he'd rather try to fix the tooth as it is a molar, and if I go the extraction route (which will be painful as molars are anchored to the skull), it will mean later bridgework, where they put a fake tooth in it's place and band it permanently to the teeth on either side.

I sat there in the chair, in pain, and chose the root canal.

"Oh, I can't do the root canal here, I'll have to refer you to a colleague." Thankfully the colleague could see me right away, I'd just have to drive across town in morning rush hour traffic.

I made the trek, got there, got my in-n-out root canal (this guy had patients lined up in chairs, and worked his way down the line doing quicky root canals) went and got my Vicodin (Brett Favre can't be wrong) and was to come back in 2 weeks for the follow-up and final portion of the procedure. I had now been up for 25 hours and was fully strung out from pain, worry and lack of sleep, but now my pain was gone, and all was well.

Until my check bounced.

I ended up getting him $300 of it, but still owed him $600, and he wouldn't finish the work until I paid him the rest.

So this tooth was left with some exposed areas that needed to be filled and he wouldn't do it. I had no insurance and was broke, so nothing was done and the tooth was left in its unfinished state.

Which brings us to yesterday. I am eating a sandwich, I bite down, and a chunk of the tooth breaks off. No pain, thankfully, but now I have this awful taste in my mouth and my breath stinks. Really. I had to go to the store for Listerine last night. And some wine. And some Dill Weed for a dip I wanted to make. I bet that looked interesting in the Express Lane.

So I got an appointment for tomorrow, and after all this time and money, it looks like extraction after all. The bridgework will have to wait. Right now I just need to get this stinky tooth out of my skull, and I sure as hell can't kiss my girlfriend until this is resolved. Vicodin, here I come!

*swish-swish, gargle, spit*