Alright, not so much laughable as, hmmm, let's see. Yeah, well no nice words are coming to mind but then again, nice words have been few and far between in my vocabulary lately.
>> Graphic, icky descriptions to follow! <<
I did enjoy the comments on the previous post but I've been busy working nutty hours (til 3:30am) and moreso, having dental issues so I was always out of time or steam... Anyway. The tooth abcess I thought I had? Well the antibiotics were doing less than a stellar job at kicking it so I had a procedure scheduled for today. The American Dental Association has termed slicing gum tissue, yanking and peeling it from the bone then using a jackhammer in your jawbone a procedure. Bastards. Scraping jawbone to rid scar tissue is like dragging a metal ruler on concrete, only in your head. Repeatedly. Oh, and don't forget about the chunk of gingival tissue (probably already on a barge full of medical waste to be incinerated) that was removed to resection the remaining healthy tissue and protect the tooth in question.
What a way to start your fucking day. Verdict: I have a sizable hole in my jawbone. Not because I have yuck-mouth; far from it. Seems that there are a couple options but they include scar tissue formed from the irritation of a root canal done ~two years ago. Scar tissue attracts bacteria and boom - infection. Another idea is an actual bone defect. Grand. I follow up next week and am fully aware that it may return. My doc seems optimistic, though.
I've turned down pain meds and have been popping ibuprofen like Pez. For the moment, the pain level is quite low. We'll see what happens. I did love the four slugs of novocaine I got in the office; the 5 hours of total numb 'nothingness' was fabulous. I was actually scared for days before I went in as this is just something that makes me queasy. So far, I'm alright and that is so much more than I'd expected. But who knew... holes in your jawbone? What... do I have oral termites?!
One more thing. Matthew Good is coming to Buffalo at the end of August. Between that bit of news and no current excruciating pain, I'm feeling quite good.
9 comments:
I've been hearing a lot of scary stories about unpleasant dental issues lately - it's making me want to go to the dentist
since I haven't been in... 8 or 9 years (boy times does fly!!) - maybe it's time to bite the bullet (while I still can) and stop waiting until I have insurance... as it seems that day may never come hehehe
anyway - I'm glad you're getting this taken care of... AND that you'll have another chance to see Matthew Good - YAY!! =)
Bloody hell! Y'know, even though modern dentistry and antibiotics are a far cry from our barbaric ancestors drawing teeth with plier type instruments (hmmm...strikes me that still happens) without pain meds, it's still an area of extreme pain.
I can't talk, I'm codiene'd up t'eye balls right now, I rang my boss to call in sick this morn and I didn't even recognise her voice on the phone. She eventually called me petal and told me to get back to bed. The joys of extreme allegic reactions coupled with squidgey cramp. I hate summer. I hate my womb.
But Mr Good is good. I'm listening to a mixture of Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond. No wonder I need codiene...
GD xx
Kitty - GO. Screw insurance. There is no point in waiting for something that may take a while to come. And for what it's worth, the majority of dental plans only cover $1500 - $2500 per year anyway!!!! It is better to catch things when they are at 'filling' stage versus 'root canal and crown' stage. There's about a $1000 advantage and a better pain ratio!
Ginger Doll - Ooh, sounds like you do need a nice break to just rest. I've had harsh words with my own uterus and it still mocks me with those horrid pains. Considering the Cash/Diamond (hey, that's a theme...) auditory duo, well, that's just odd. Perhaps it's the pain taking hold? ;) Take care of yourself sweetie!
damnit. you're one brave soul. i KNOW i need to have my teeth checked, but i'm putting it off. i mean, i have a high threshold, but dental pain, noooooooooooo.
$1500 - $2500 a year isn't enough to cover one or two regular dental visits???
I'm not overly concerned - I've had about 4 or 5 cavities in my life (most of which happened while I had braces) I went to the dentist regularly when I was growing up - until I got my braces off (when I was 14 or 15)
then I didn't go again until I was about 27 or 28 - at that time I had one tiny cavity
thankfully I've been blessed with strong teeth
illyria - Not so much brave, just terrified of what would happen if I didn't go. Most people dislike the dentist but the sooner you get in, the less chance of dental pain, which, as you inferred, is awful!
Kitty - For the majority of the population that is more than enough. Not for me though; I'm greedy, haha! Because of the clenching/grinding I absolutely kill my teeth. Let's put it this way, after less than six months, I've blown through all but about $900 of a $2500 policy and, well, I'm the exception here, not the norm. Shocker, eh?
awuch. . .
I almost felt the pain: if there is something I abhor it's the "procedure" at the dentist! Ah well, U survived though :) so, good job ;)
>>well, I'm the exception here, not the norm. Shocker, eh?
Ain't a bad way to be, it strikes me. And I have a two week vacation starting on Friday - YAY! I may actually remember who I am, could be dangerous!
Hope the gob is getting better. GD xx
PS. I'm now obsessively listening to the soundtrack from Juno. I'm not sure it's an improvement.
Tigress - I do suppose surviving the ordeal gets me some sort of notch on my belt, no? yeah, I always think the word 'procedure' really translates to 'horrid ordeal that you are way too much of a sissy to deal with'. ;)
Ginger Doll - Vacation?! NO! My goodness girlie, you've earned it. I hope you enjoy every moment, wherever you may be. A little time to rediscover yourself sounds like a wonderful idea. In fact, I'm actually sitting here smiling at the idea! YAY!
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