A Broken Tooth
Election Day Torture…
On Monday, I recognized that I had a filling missing on my lower row. Long ago, my molars received large fillings. I expected the work to include preparation for a crown, hopefully with no need to continue with a root canal.
I spent the afternoon Tuesday at the dentist. With the recent move, I have a new dentist and this was the 1st repair I needed.
Prior to starting the work, the dentist confirmed the required work and provided me an estimate. The work needed doing so no problem.
The first step was the Novocain. No problem, my tooth and jaw were numbed sufficiently.
The dentist then started to prepare her drill. The drill included a water flow which was not functioning. It took 10-15 minutes and some assistance to resolve the issue.
The work begins…
The dental assist started the process of making a temporary with the initial impression. Next using a plastic brace to prevent my teeth from closing, the drilling began. I figured this would help.
The drilling started with no problem. Until my forced open mouth and jaw needed relief. I started having pain in my jaw joint and took out the brace. A brief respite and the drilling restarted without the brace.
And now the water…
The tooth in question was the last molar on the lower right side. The most difficult tooth to work on. Most of the time I was able to keep my mouth open. Soon I began to feel like I was being water boarded as a steady stream of water drained into my throat. I had difficulty breathing and also gagged multiple almost continuous times.
It got to a point during one respite, I suggested I’d tell then whatever they wanted to know.
This continued a long time until they decided they were done.
An impression was made for the final crown.
and.
The dentist left to work with another patient.
The dental assistant completed the temporary, showed it to the dentist and got her approval. As the assistant prepared to place the temporary, it was dropped on the floor. She was unable to find it.
A new impression was needed to complete the temporary.
and
And two and half hours later we were done.
I was exhausted. The one positive was no need for a root canal.
Recent Comments