11/24/08

Thankful for dentistry

So…. I have never really been grateful for dentists until today.

This afternoon I visited my dentist for the first time ever….for actual pain. Saturday night I developed (while on a date movie night at home with my husband and a pumpkin pie shake and even up past my bedtime of 10pm) some SERIOUS pain in my lower right side of my mouth. Yes, I know I’m a wimp for pain, but this was some serious pain, and I was on a date! I didn’t shed tears, but only because I was very brave. I took some Advil and tried to sleep.

Sunday morning bright and early my mouth felt better…. But not for long. Anytime I ate anything, the pain returned with a VENGEANCE. I managed to handle Stake Conference (Elder Hinckley said some wonderful things), but other than that, I couldn’t really eat my great Sunday dinner (bistro chicken anyone?) and I can’t even explain, but my mouth was just in pain. My husband kept telling me to call my dentist at home since it was an emergency, but I was trying to tough it out, and figured maybe it was just a one day thing. I read up on the Internet and tried to self-diagnose myself....yeah right, most things I had 1-2 symptoms but not others.

Monday morning….Collin slept through the night WAHOO and then I went to the gym at 5 like I regularly do (and lost 3 pounds due to not really eating Sunday), but in the middle of the workout….PAIN. So I came home, heated up a rice baby (bag with rice in it) and put it on my mouth and called my dentist at 8am….and went to work.

115pm Monday afternoon, my dentist gives me the blow. I won’t bore you with all my dentistry talk here, but needless to say a PINPRICK of nerve had been exposed 6 YEARS ago and that was causing my pain. (Alma 37:6 comes to mind, in a NOT great way) My dentist started putting numbing medicine on and WHOA….here I am starting the root canal/crown process. YUCK! But, for also the first time at my dentist, the laughing gas….worked. I relaxed to a whole new level while my pulpy roots were drilled out…. And got a free chocolate cookie out of it. The good news is insurance pays 60 percent of my crown instead of 50 percent, and I get three more visits to the dentist in December (Merry Christmas to me) and I’m looking forward to three more chocolate cookies :)

4 comments:

Krista said...

Root canals are not fun! I have had two. But it's worth it. Hope it goes well.

kari said...

LOVE THAT GAS!!! I seriously can't sell that stuff enough, along with Metallica of course. My root canal was actually my first "pleasant trip to the dentist". Forget the cleanings. Those bite. Drug me up and I will take the dentist any day. Tooth man says it's a good thing I never tried crack. :)

jeffandbrianne said...

Yikes! That sucks. I may be joining you in all the fun dentist stuff in Dec cause my wisdom teeth are coming in and probably need to be pulled. So we can have swollen mouths together. And Kari, I loved your comment, haha.
-bri

An Ordinary Mom said...

Ugh ... so sorry.

But maybe your little one can teach my little one to sleep through the night :) !!