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things that are not groovy
So a few weeks ago, in what was almost certainly a coincidence, I had some chewy sourdough bread (a soup bowl, dontcha know) and experienced a sensation like pulling a muscle in my jaw. For the next day or so I felt a sort of twinge over in the lower right corner, where all my sorrows have taken place, and since I saw the orthodontist just a few days later, I mentioned it to him, even though it was feeling a little better by then. He took a look and said that tooth has been pretty traumatized over the past couple of years, so let's keep an eye on it and on the gum, shall we.
That tooth, as you may recall, was found to have a crack in it back in the original excitement of teeth having cracks in them, but the onlay took care of it, which was not the case with the tooth next to it - which is why I only had the one root canal and crown at the time.
Over the past few weeks, I've been keeping a general eye on that tooth; it kind of feels like there's something caught between it and its neighbor, or between the tooth and the gum, but there's nothing caught there, and by late last week I notice that the gum is pretty swollen. It's not red and scary-looking, but it's definitely not like the corresponding area on the left side, and when I prod very gently at it, I suspect it is infected, for reasons I'll leave to your imagination. It still doesn't hurt.
I do a little googling and e-mail careful descriptions to the orthodontist and the dentist both, to get an opinion from someone other than Dr. Google. The orthodontist replies to say he'd feel better if he could see it in person, and I should come in as soon as possible. And when I do, he says it doesn't make sense that I should have an abscess there (a word he doesn't like to use because it freaks people out), because everywhere else my gums are perfect and a young healthy patient shouldn't blah blah blah, so because he can't explain it he's even more concerned, and he wants me to see a dentist and get an x-ray right away. Off I go to the dentist, where the x-ray shows a big ol' abscess but no cavity, and simple diagnostics seem to indicate that two of three nerves in that tooth are deader than dead, and what didn't hurt when I went in hurt plenty when I came out. :-(
So now I'm set up with antibiotics and yogurt and the fervent hope that when this tooth is taken care of, I will be done having trouble with these $%#!%@ teeth.
That tooth, as you may recall, was found to have a crack in it back in the original excitement of teeth having cracks in them, but the onlay took care of it, which was not the case with the tooth next to it - which is why I only had the one root canal and crown at the time.
Over the past few weeks, I've been keeping a general eye on that tooth; it kind of feels like there's something caught between it and its neighbor, or between the tooth and the gum, but there's nothing caught there, and by late last week I notice that the gum is pretty swollen. It's not red and scary-looking, but it's definitely not like the corresponding area on the left side, and when I prod very gently at it, I suspect it is infected, for reasons I'll leave to your imagination. It still doesn't hurt.
I do a little googling and e-mail careful descriptions to the orthodontist and the dentist both, to get an opinion from someone other than Dr. Google. The orthodontist replies to say he'd feel better if he could see it in person, and I should come in as soon as possible. And when I do, he says it doesn't make sense that I should have an abscess there (a word he doesn't like to use because it freaks people out), because everywhere else my gums are perfect and a young healthy patient shouldn't blah blah blah, so because he can't explain it he's even more concerned, and he wants me to see a dentist and get an x-ray right away. Off I go to the dentist, where the x-ray shows a big ol' abscess but no cavity, and simple diagnostics seem to indicate that two of three nerves in that tooth are deader than dead, and what didn't hurt when I went in hurt plenty when I came out. :-(
So now I'm set up with antibiotics and yogurt and the fervent hope that when this tooth is taken care of, I will be done having trouble with these $%#!%@ teeth.
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Even though bits of it were better than last time, though, no, it was no fun.
I am full of advil and feel like my jaw is all bruisey, but there is no bruise to be seen. Wah.