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Reader's Digest Condensed Version
My tooth is soooo much better and I am very thankful for it!
Long Version
Probably three years ago I started having some sporadic pain with a tooth on the lower right side. It was directly in front of a gap from a tooth I lost in 2004. I made an appointment to have it checked by our old dentist in Miamisburg.
The morning of the appointment I had no pain for the first time in several weeks. I kept the appointment and after X-rays and an exam the dentist could find nothing wrong with the tooth or the big molar behind the empty space.
Except for an occasional stabbing pain when I chewed something wrong the tooth seemed fine over the next couple of years.
This spring I started having sporadic pain again on that side. Most of the time I was not sure which tooth it was but I knew it was one of the two previously mentioned teeth. I made and appointment to have it checked out the last week of May while we were home for tent revival.
The dentist had the same verdict as before. Nothing visibly wrong. He tapped on every tooth in my head and I felt no discomfort at all much less pain. He did not think I was grinding my teeth but he said I may be clenching. He recommended that I wear a mouth guard at night to prevent further damage IF I was clenching at night.
In the weeks that followed the pain increased. I had a little let up in pain while in Montana a few weeks ago but the pain kicked in with a vengeance two weeks ago in Castle Rock. I was nearly out of my mind with pain for several days including several nights with no sleep to speak of. I was miserable. Have I told you that I have an extreme allergy to pain? Pain hurts me!
I already had a dentist appointment last Thursday to have my teeth cleaned and prepare for a crown on the other side. The crown was on a tooth I broke and had repaired almost four years ago. I told them to forget about the crown. I needed them to find out why I was out of my mind in pain.
The X-rays and exam showed nothing wrong and he was about to dismiss it again until I told him I went several days and nights without sleep and I was willing for him to pull every tooth on that side to escape the pain. After an intensive exam he discovered the back lower molar had a small crack in the filling. He drilled out the filling and discovered most of the tooth was dead and needed to be pulled or have a root canal.
Let's see, $150 to pull it or nearly $2000 for a root canal and crown? What shall we do? It seemed like a pretty easy decision for me. Pull that baby out and get rid of this pain for $150. The problem with that was if I pulled that lower molar I would have no teeth on the bottom on that side to chew with and the upper teeth would be useless.
After thinking it over I went for the root canal. The root canal was performed without a hitch and I immediately knew that was most of my problem. I have had some lingering soreness this week but I am about one million times better.
I am glad to have that behind me and $2000 is not a whole lot of money if you say it real fast! Thank you for praying for me.
Davy
The X-rays and exam showed nothing wrong and he was about to dismiss it again until I told him I went several days and nights without sleep and I was willing for him to pull every tooth on that side to escape the pain. After an intensive exam he discovered the back lower molar had a small crack in the filling. He drilled out the filling and discovered most of the tooth was dead and needed to be pulled or have a root canal.
Let's see, $150 to pull it or nearly $2000 for a root canal and crown? What shall we do? It seemed like a pretty easy decision for me. Pull that baby out and get rid of this pain for $150. The problem with that was if I pulled that lower molar I would have no teeth on the bottom on that side to chew with and the upper teeth would be useless.
After thinking it over I went for the root canal. The root canal was performed without a hitch and I immediately knew that was most of my problem. I have had some lingering soreness this week but I am about one million times better.
I am glad to have that behind me and $2000 is not a whole lot of money if you say it real fast! Thank you for praying for me.
Davy
