Toothless wonder...

The tooth saga continues. I had a consultation with the endodontist and scheduled the root canal for Thursday of this past week. He did say there was a slight chance that the root was fractured but he would not be able to tell until he "got in there". So, 4 needles to numb my mouth and lots of drilling later, I heard him say "Dr. E" and I panicked because I *know* that Dr. E is an oral surgeon (some of my friends have sent their kids to Dr. E for wisdom teeth removal. Then the endodontist stopped and told me that my tooth root was fractured on both sides (distal and lingual) so he was stopping the procedure and referring me to the oral surgeon to have my tooth extracted. WTactualF!

I was stunned and shocked. Only *really* old people lose their teeth. Ok, really I know this is not the case but that is all I could think at the time. Old people who do not take care of their teeth! Yes, I have a lot of fillings but that is because I have weak tooth enamel. I brush my teeth religiously! The cavities that I have had have always been on the chewing surfaces, not between my teeth so it is not a flossing issue. I guess I should have been more diligent about wearing my night guard since I clench my teeth hard at night. Would that have prevented this one from fracturing?!

So, he put a temporary filling in and sent me (conveniently) across the hall to the oral surgeon's office. I could not get an appointment until June 6 - 11 days from Thursday and here I was, with a temporary filling that had a 2 week lifespan! And the June 6 appointment is only a CONSULTATION! I asked to be put on a cancellation list and fortunately they called me back the next day so now I get to go in on Tuesday for my consultation.

And of course there is the vanity factor too. I will have a f*cking HOLE in my smile. Yes, a hole! Yes, it is near the back but it will still be visible when I smile. It seems that implants are the standard treatment for this but they are a h*ll of a lot of money.  In the meantime, I will have a hole in my smile while we go back home on vacation. OMG, I will have a hole in my smile.

The good news is that I hope to lose a pound or two (or 10) while all this goes on because my mouth still hurts (apparently the ligaments around the tooth is what is hurting, not the nerve since he killed it). It hurts to chew most foods. Thankfully, I can suck on chocolate.

Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened

I went to a new dentist yesterday. I changed dentists because the dentist I had been seeing for 17 years brought in another dentist to help out and I cannot stand the guy and for the past several visits, he is the only dentist available.

Anyway, yesterday was a new patient visit for me where they reviewed my previous records and x-rays, looked at my teeth, took photos, and asked if I were having any problems. I had been experiencing some cold sensitivity on one tooth. Looks like the tooth is cracking (I *should* be wearing my night guard for clenching) so he said I would need a crown (no surprise, the other dentist had been trying to "sell" me on that for a while - even before I started having problems but just to replace the amalgam filling with a porcelain filling or full crown. However, after further investigation, he thinks I might need a root canal first so I have been referred to an endodontist.

I left the office and by the time I got to my car, I was in tears! Off all of the problems I have had since turning 50 (chronic pain from hip bursitis and arthritis, thyroid nodules with recommendation of having my remaining thyroid removed, acid reflux, etc), this problem with my teeth make me feel the OLDEST! Or maybe it was just the straw that broke the camel's back. I sat in my car and sobbed! Maybe I need to add emotional instability to the litany of old age problems?!

The only bright spot in all of this is that I am genetically pre-disposed to NOT have plaque build-up on my teeth so despite my infrequent flossing, my gums are healthy...for my age.