By The Looks Of Those X-rays, It's Not Going To Be Pretty

I went to the dentist today.  It's nevery been my favorite thing to do but it's usually tolerable.  I'm not one of those people who dreads it.  I kind of just suck it up and get it over with.  My teeth are important to me and I do what I can to take care of them - mostly because I don't want a mouthful of dirty, rotting, and painful teeth.

The cleaning went okay.  I admit there was good period of time when I got out of college and didn't go to the dentist.  My insurance at my old job didn't cover it and I was barely getting by on my small salary.  I didn't need a ton of dental bills piling up.

When I decided to use my good dental insurance here, my teeth weren't doing so well.  I had major buildup and the beginnings of gum disease.  I don't floss.  I've never been good at it.  So I actually had to do two cleanings in a row to help get my teeth healthy again.  And since then, it's been some effort but it's paid off.

Today when I went, she said it was looking good.  The gum disease was receding, almost gone and my teeth were well taken care of.  I've been flossing fairly regularly and brushing my teeth two to three times a day.  Now they feel a bit sore but all clean and shiny.

There's two not so good things though.  One - I have a small cavity.  Two - I have to go for a root canal consultation.

I know, I said my teeth looked good.

Well, overall, they do.  I've had very little dental work and the dentist remarked how strong and healthy they were.  The small cavity was actually there last year when they took my X-rays but it was so minute that they didn't catch it. 

The root canal consultation is because I've had this overly sensitive tooth that has been bothering me for at least a year, which is essentially what prompted me to go back to the dentist in the first place.  At first, it seemed sensitive to anything - heat, cold, pressure, sweets, etc.  So it was hard to narrow down the issue.  Even last year, they couldn't find anything glaringly wrong with it, except maybe a dark spot at the tip of the tooth, up inside my gums.  They didn't seem too worried so we applied some sort of enamel cover and decided to see how it went.

Well, the extreme heat sensitive isn't there anymore.  It's mostly cold and air.  I can't rinse my mouth after brushing my teeth with cold water because it hurts and I can't eat like lunchmeat or cold hot dogs (I know, whatever!  I like them!) because the extreme concentrated cold hurts.

They took another X-ray and saw that same dark spot at the tip of the tooth.  They banged on the tooth with one of their instruments and it seems fine.  They don't see a crack or cavity and as a matter of fact, the dentist doesn't understand why this tooth would be a problem since it's pretty much had no dental work in the past.

So I have to go for this consultation and I'm probably going to have to do it before I go to Hawaii.  They say the pressure on the plane can affect a sensitive tooth so there's a good chance I might have to get the procedure done within the next few weeks.  The cavity will be filled on June 16th and since it's in between my teeth, they're going to have to drill.

And that leads me to my problems - I'm terrified of needles.  Everyone assures me, "Oh, he's [the dentist] great at giving shots. You don't even feel it.  You don't even know it happened."  But it's not the pain or the feeling it or anything like that.  It's just knowing that the needles is within five feet of me and is going to be inserted into one of the most sensitive parts of my body.  I could suck it up if they were drawing blood - I wouldn't like it and would probably have a small panic attack but I would suck it up.  But the needle in the mouth - makes me faint just thinking about it.

I'm hoping the root canal consultation will lead to nothing but a recommendation for a crown.  I'm hoping he will say, oh, the nerves a bit exposed but not damaged - let's just cover it up and be on with our day.  Because god forbid, if I have to get the root canal done, their probably going to need to sedate me.

They will be for my cavity filling.  And that is a 100% why I love my dentist office - they know I have a needle-phobia so instead of forcing the shot on me, they prescribed me some Valium and will give me nitrous oxide during the procedure.  And that is awesome!  I won't care about the needles if I'm high as a kite.

That just adds to the things I have to do before Hawaii.  Activities planning.  Clothes shopping.  Packing.  Haircut.  Root canal.

Awesome!