A Day of Dental Duress...

[savageseraph]

Today, well, let's just say that today was a piece of work. Last night, while I was talking to caras_galadhon, my tooth pain started getting worse and worse. And worse. Ibuprofen wasn't touching the pain, not even a little. I decided I would have to call the dentist in the morning and say that I couldn't wait until Friday to have the tooth taken out. When I woke up after three hours of sleep and really couldn't get back to sleep because the pain was so bad, I was trying to last out the hours until I could get to the dentist.

As I was driving into work, I was actually crying because the pain was so bad. When I called the office, a man answered. I explained that I was supposed to have the tooth out on Friday, but I couldn't wait that long. He said he was the person who did the extractions, and he could see me if I went to his office across town. He's the husband of my dentist.

So I hauled over to the West Side and that's when the fun started.



After looking at my panoramic x-ray, the doc told me that it was clear there was something going on with the tooth. However, he couldn't tell what. This was a tooth I had root-canalled before, so the metal in the crown was blocking his ability to see what was up with the tooth, which was slightly loose. He wouldn't know until he cut the crown off, but there were two options. If the tooth was cracked, it would have to come out. If there was a problem with one of the canals, some infection in there, he might be able to save the tooth.

Taking off the crown was not pleasant. It didn't hurt, but he had to drill at it, and then he said, "Now, you're going to hear something cracking. Don't worry. It's just the porcelain in the crown, not the tooth." Oh my god. So yes, there was cracking and tugging and more drilling and more cracking and tugging, and then the crown was off. According to him, the worst part was now over.

Then, he looked at my tooth for a bit and said, "Who did this root canal?"

I was embarrassed to say it was Sears Dental. I had it done at a point where I was temping and had no insurance, and at Sears, I could put the charges on my Sears charge card. While this was a necessary decision at the time financially, it was a bad one since they fucked up the root canal and left a good portion of the nerves in one of the roots. Now, that is a bad thing, but there was worse.

They never filled the roots. What they did was put these metal posts in the roots. Metal posts that the dentist had to unscrew to get out. One of them was really stuck, so he had to drill and twist and pull and drill and twist and pull. It was horrifying. However, it was not as bad as when he got the last one out (He showed me each one as he took it out.), looked at the tooth, and went, "Oh my god."

If there's one thing you don't want to hear your doctor saying while he's working on you, it's probably "Oh my god."

When that last post came out and with it most of the remaining nerve, pus started bubbling out of the tooth. Oh, and not just pus, but--wait for it--GREEN pus. He had to keep suction on it while he drilled out the rest of the nerves. While he's doing this, he holds the drill up to my nose and is like, "Can you smell that? That's the infection." Umm, luckily, I'm next to impossible to gross out, because I would imagine some people wouldn't have been impressed with this. Then when he massaged and squeezed the jaw around the tooth, I could actually feel the pus coming out of the tooth, not in a painful way, more the sensation of the liquid and the pressure letting up.

Bottom line, the tooth itself is totally open. He wanted it free to drain. On Friday, I go in for them to take a look, and if all is progressing well, they'll pack it with antibiotics and put on a temporary cap. I'm also taking antibiotics. Then if all keeps progressing, he will fill the canals in ten days and then work on fixing up the tooth.

The pain is mostly gone, which is good because I don't think I could tolerate much more. Normal doses of ibuprofen is containing it. I realized how bad the infection was getting when I blew my nose, my ear popped, and I could feel fluid running out of it. Clearly inside, but still. Thank god, I went in today. If I didn't, he said my face probably would have been hugely swollen tomorrow.



Tonight, I should be working. Instead, I'm just chilling and enjoying a pain-free evening. I'll go to sleep early, and then hopefully I'll feel better romorrow.

Comments

[esmeraldus-neo.livejournal.com]

Okay, I just had a toothache last week. It was very, very bad. I was taking hoarded Vicodin and washing my mouth out with bourbon, using benzocaine on it, started using toothpaste for sensitive teeth, and I wished for it to go away before I had to give in and try to see a dentist, because my dentist died, and the replacement dentist moved away, and I have no insurance.

Erm. Sorry. I think you got my toothache.

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

Ow. OwOwOw. I can sympathize with the lack of insurance thing, and the cost for dental care even with it is incredible.

Hope you're feeling better.

[esmeraldus-neo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I am. It went away. I hope you're better. That sounded dreadful.

Really, it did.

[kirby-crow.livejournal.com]

I've heard this story already in chat from ya tonight but OMG IT IS STILL HORRIFYING! eep!

*bakes you brownies*

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

Brownies? *perks*

Wait a minute... This isn't with that possibly funky peanut butter in it, is it? *eyes* ^_~

[chrissie-m.livejournal.com]

I knew I shouldn't have clicked on 'gory dental details' but I couldn't not, and now I'm half horrified and half relieved that my own dental 'nightmare' recently was so much less awful than yours.

Sympathies, for sure.

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I hate the dentist, and things like this remind me why.

[brigantine.livejournal.com]

OW, OW, that is just... Ow!

And also, Eww. You poor kid! *pets you*

I'm glad you've got a good dentist at last, though, so this mess can be properly taken care of. Sheesh!

How is your puppy's tooth coming along? Are you on tooth-drugs together?

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

*enjoys pets*

Well, the puppy's tooth appears to be fine, though he may have to be on maintenance antibiotics since they can't take the tooth. If it flares up again.

I'm feeling worn out but pain free. So I guess that means I'm fighting off the infection.

[alex-quine.livejournal.com]

Yikes! I've had over ten root canals and that sound horrific. You have my deepest, deepest sympathy - will he give you a report on it so you can claim from Sears? that sounds like downlike sharp practice and at least it ought to cover your current bills.

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

I've had three, and one resulted in the tooth going bad about 10 years later.

I didn't ask about it. I guess the part with the metal pins was standard practice years and years ago. Enough for him to ask if the dentist I had was really old. I'm thinking about asking next time I go in.

[alex-quine.livejournal.com]

I've got metal pins in most of mine because there wasn't enough of the tooth left that could be saved to anchor the crowns to. They were cut off above the gum and the posts put into the canals once they'd been drilled out, but I remember how careful the dentist was about cleaning out those roots.

And the reason a bunch went bad all at once because of a really bad dentist who was reported to the authorities because of the shoddy work. If your dentist now thinks this was poor work, Sears should compensate you for your current dental costs and if it was on your Sears card you'll have the records. I'm not a fan of a compensation culture, but there's a time and a place to complain.

[azewewish.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, that's some freaky shit right there. Thank God you went in when you did.

GREEN PUS, BARBARA, OMFG!!!!!!!

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

I KNOW! I love horrible and gross things, but this was testing even me. *shivers*

[caras-galadhon.livejournal.com]

You know, the more detailed version is even grosser than the shorter, emailed one you gave me. *shudder* I'm so sorry you were in such pain, and holy crap, bubbling volcano of green pus! Thank goodness the pain is so, so much less now. I'm telling you, Barb, this was no way to share your puppy's pain! *hugs tight*

[mooms.livejournal.com]

I couldn't resist clicking on gory dental details either, although I have a dental phobia and have had a few root canals myself. Nearly passed out reading, but like watching a car crash, couldn't look away!

I am so pleased for you that you are pain free at last and hope that all goes well Friday.

Now I need to lie down! :)

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

Argh. Sorry about that. I am not fond of dentists either. The only one I had who put me at ease was the dentist I had when I was living in Germany. He was our neighbor and a quiet, gentle man.

[moondreamer1.livejournal.com]

Let's hear it for pain free even at the cost of (actually pretty cool sounding as long as it's not mine) green pus! Everyone I talk to says an infected tooth is the worst pain imaginable and no drug will cut through it.

Talk about timing - yours was good.

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

It it horrific pain, and I had a high pain tolerance (once broke my wrist and didn't find out until months later, it was never in a cast and I never took meds for it). The awful thing about it is that it travels to all the teeth around it, shoots up through the bones in your face, stabs into your eye and ear.

It's...not nice at all. Thank goodness I went in on Wednesday.

[heathencorp.livejournal.com]

Oh goddess. I had an abscessed tooth about two years ago and if your pain was like that, I'm absolutely amazed you could drive yourself to the dentist-- I couldn't even see straight, it hurt so bad.

Did they fill you full of shots? When the took my tooth, I had the shots, but I could still feel all the pulling and hear all the cracking. I look back on it the way someone might look back on surviving torture during wartime-- horrified and terrified and a little proud...

I'm gad you're feeling better, and be sure you eat a lot of yogurt while you're on antibiotics. And good luck on the rest of the fixing!

~:)

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

I had an abcess before, and this was about 100 times worse. The night before, the pain was bad enough to make my eye water, and driving into work, I was blinking back tears.

I got two shots of novacaine, which was way less than the four or five I had when I had to have a tooth pulled. I think it was because he was going to cut off the crown first and take a look. I suspect that I would have had more if he was going to do the extraction.

I actually read up on extractions, and novacaine is excellent at blocking the neurotransmitters for pain. However, it does dick about the ones for pressure, which is why you can feel that.

Thanks for the well wishes.

[empy.livejournal.com]

Ow, ow, ow, ick. D: That's horrifying.

*hugs* Here's hoping for a speedy recovery and for the pain to go away double-quick.

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

Thanks. The eyes on that little critter...I think the pain might have made mine look like that.

[ribby.livejournal.com]

Oh my... that's *awful*, and I don't gross out easily. Yikes! I hope tomorrow is better... but it sounds like you've got a good dentist (or at least, she's got a good husband!)

*hugs tight and sends chocolate mousse, easy to swallow!*

~Kris

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

A good dentist who is married to a good dentist. ^_^

Mmmm... Chocolate mousse.... YUM!

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

OHMYFUCKINGGOD.

Dude. I have had bad dental experiences before, but I think you just won.

*empathy* :(

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much.

Also, I love the new icon and the haikus you've been writing and don't think I was with it enough to offer condolences last week.

*sends you love*

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

Thank you! *hugs and love*

[seleneheart]

*shudders* That's not something you want to play around with!! I'm glad you got it sorted though.

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

Not at all. Evil tooth!

[gotham-syren.livejournal.com]

Holy moly, I can't believe you just went through all this! It makes my head spin to think about how much it must have hurt with that kind of infection. Hope that you were able to take it easy on yourself today, and good luck at the dentist tomorrow. Yuuuuuuuck.

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

That icon is so totally appropriate. ^_^

Thanks for the good thoughts

[kitzen-kat.livejournal.com]

Holy guacamole! That is beyond gross *and* painful. You poor thing. *gentle hugs*

[savageseraph.livejournal.com]

Thanks! *hugs back*