I'd been feeling slightly out of sorts lately. And that's bad - I need all the sorts I can get. Until yesterday it had been sort of an indeterminate out of sorts. Yesterday it crystallized. I had teeth problems. Or, more specifically, I was pretty sure I had a tooth problem. Wisdom, that is.
I've never had a cavity. Not one. Zip. Nada. Zero. So in general dentist visits don't bother me. However, specifically I hate pain. So that was Problem One. Problem Two was that I figured out that this was a tooth issue on Friday. Late. And by then I was in fairly significant pain. My regular dentist isn't open at all on Friday, and not too many are open after 6 pm. So my wife and I did the reasonable thing: we started calling random dentists from the phone book.
Wonder of wonders, we found one who performed emergency services. They mentioned they don't take checks, only cash or credit cards. And they weren't on any insurance plans. However, we were pretty desperate at that point (did I mention the hating pain thing?) so we set up an appointment for 7:45.
When we got there they had me fill out the requisite forms, I handed them my medication list, which I had the foresight to print out (it reads like a short novel, what with the medical mess I am), then they took an x-ray. Impacted Wisdom tooth. "Surrounded by a bony mass." Hmmmm.
They used a local anesthetic, and said they could do it with or without nitrous oxide. You guess which route the coward took. (Did I mention the pain, and the hating?) Originally the doc said this would be a quick and easy procedure. However, our good friend Mr. Bony Mass proved to be quite the obstacle. 90 minutes and many implements later (I'll have nightmares about some of those...) it finally came out - in pieces. I'll admit the procedure didn't hurt at the time, even though they pried my jaws open wider than anything I've seen since a National Geographic special where a python swallowed a rabbit, and used tools that, I'm sure, were developed to extract information from enemy agents rather than teeth.
Once the anesthetic wore off things got interesting, and not in a good way (you know, the pain, and the hate?). Even the hydrocodone they prescibed didn't dent it much.
Things are much better today. They stitched most of the hole closed, so there is little chance of a dry socket. The pain is significantly diminished, and I still have my good friend hydrocodone, along with some steroidal anti-inflammatories, to help.
Now I just need to find the rest of my sorts.
3 comments:
Sorry to hear about your bout with the wisdom teeth--been there, done that. I fully relate to the pain and the hate thing. The dentist managed to get two out relatively easily. I think I left the office with a footprint on my forehead and another on my chest from the third tooth (same bony mass deal). As far as the fourth one goes, it's all the wisdom I have left. If it becomes necessary to remove it, it's oral surgery for sure, with cutting into the jaw bone. No thanks.
I'll see if I can find any extra sorts to send your way. I don't remember being out of sorts, but then again, it's been awhile since I've looked for any. I may have been out of sorts and not known it!
Hope you're feeling better soon.
I skipped work today. I may try to go in tomorrow, strong emphasis on may.
I'm still short a few sorts.
I guess being short of sorts is better than sorting shorts--whatever!?
By the way, sicking out after having wisdom teeth pulled can hardly be termed "skipping" work.(Unless of course you also work for the FAA)
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