I've been to a dentist, an endodontist, an oral surgeon. Everyone is very urgent and efficient. They all cluck like chickens and say that the tooth can't be saved—the crack is too deep. I haven't been able to eat since Friday—other than swallow my food whole. Not recommended.
They were all so sure it was a wisdom tooth issue. I said, Step away from my wisdom teeth. They're mine, and I plan to keep them. Thank you very much. They laughed. I'll still have two molars in a row to grind up my food. what is it about dentists and their classic hatred of wisdom teeth, anyway?
They were all so sure it was a wisdom tooth issue. I said, Step away from my wisdom teeth. They're mine, and I plan to keep them. Thank you very much. They laughed. I'll still have two molars in a row to grind up my food. what is it about dentists and their classic hatred of wisdom teeth, anyway?
I got a new appointment at 11AM today (I cancelled yesterday, I just wasn't ready). I stalled when I realized that I'd made it through the worst part of the pain and didn't need to go in stressed to the max, and be bilious to boot. I am researching the process now to see if there's a chance to save a split tooth. Also I resented the fact that everybody was rushing me about, trying to help, because I was in so much pain. Advil is working. I know my tooth is not going to get infected in the next few hours, etc. So, chillax, already.
The truth is, I'm secretly terrified. I've never had a big tooth pulled before. Never had a toothache either. To further complicate things, I'm in that slender boat where I can't take the usual opiate pain medications. I tend to barf them across the room. I can't believe I have tolerated Advil this long, but so far, so good. Oil of clove and Scotch as a mouthrinse seems to help.
The truth is, I'm secretly terrified. I've never had a big tooth pulled before. Never had a toothache either. To further complicate things, I'm in that slender boat where I can't take the usual opiate pain medications. I tend to barf them across the room. I can't believe I have tolerated Advil this long, but so far, so good. Oil of clove and Scotch as a mouthrinse seems to help.
Fairfax dentist, Thos. J. Snead, D.D.S., was a a bit of a sadist, his oral regime did not include pain relief. He's the reason why I abhor dentists. He wanted to yank my wisdom teeth, but I had a gum infection, so he couldn't have at them. I am so glad I have them now.
I've been a TMJ gnasher all my life, I've snapped at the air, bitten my tongue, grated my teeth, all in my sleep. Fractures occur, and the tremendous amount of pressure on our lower jaws finishes them off when you bite down wrong on a tiny little raspberry seed, a corn nut, granola, etc. The sheer shear factor.
The past few nights, I've had such wild dreams about my teeth. I realized that I need to say goodbye to my tooth. It sounds silly, I know. But I also want you to know that I was using whisky as a swish gargle to numb the pain, followed by oil of clove, then I waited for the Advil to kick in. So there were mitigating circumstances, in that I was pleasantly pickled these past few days.
One good thing about a good whisky gargle, is that you can drink it all up when you're done with the gargling part. Very efficient, if I don't say so myself. Every time the pain became unbearable, I whipped out my flask, pronto. And gargled on, much to the dismay of my cousins. I began to like the taste of whisky as it efficiently killed the pain, LOL.
It's done, I'm toothless in Gaza. Well, I'm minus one tooth, packed in gauze, but I still have more teeth than the average bear as I still have all my wisdom teeth. So, inquiring minds wanna know, was a not so very smart tooth pulled? Black teabags are my go-to gum packing devices. The caffeine brings some relief too.
My wisdom tooth is pretty well rooted in my jaw, so it's not going to move much, so says the oral surgeon. He said the other molar might move a bit, but apparently teeth tend to migrate forward, not backward in the mouth. Who knew?
I approach the concept of eating with trepidation. A good thing I don't like Tootsie Rolls. I have an earache right now. I'm swishing with saltwater after I eat. At least I can gum soft food. It was pretty surreal getting a tooth pulled. I can see that eating is will continue to be a tricky business.
added 8/19, rev.
I used most of this in my next post. Need to combine and delete. I was too out of it to edit.
I used most of this in my next post. Need to combine and delete. I was too out of it to edit.
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