you can't handle the tooth

Three weeks ago I went to the dentist for my semi-annual cleaning and check-up. I, unlike most people, love going to the dentist. Especially my dentist because his hygienists are all nice and don't hurt my teeth. Also, he has a television on every ceiling and you put on headphones and what whatever channel you want to. Bliss. Well, this visit didn't go as well as usual. It turns out that the tooth around an old filling had cracked, and there was a little decay underneath the filling. I went back in two days later, Dr. J cleared out the filling, and, unfortunately, found the decay went down right to the top of the nerve. The decision? I needed to come back the next day for a root canal. Super fun for me, right?

Well, I went back in and tried to watch The Sword and the Stone and not pay attention to the fact that Dr. J was drilling the nerve out of my tooth. It was probably a good thing that I had headphones on so that I didn't hear the "oops" when the drill broke off in my tooth. Not to worry, said Dr. J, because that happens all the time. Oh, really? Thankfully, though, I left with no pain and the anesthetic that had numbed my entire face wore off in record time.

Alls well that ends well, I thought to myself. How blessed was I that I had gone through a root canal and even two days later had no pain. Oh, sad, naive little me.

The root canal was on a Monday, and the pain set in on Thursday morning. By Friday afternoon I couldn't even move without pain shooting, um, all through my head. In order to not crumble to the ground in pain I had to sit very, very still. And even then sometimes it shot through me so severely that I thought I would be a happier person if I could just chop that side of my face off. Maybe the problem could be solved by just ripping the tooth out, but because every part of the left side of my face hurt, it should probably all go. And the intense pain in my ear, the pain that was so intense I couldn't even put a phone up to that ear? Yeah, that was a lot of fun. I called Dr. J and he called in a prescription for antibiotics and pain meds. I called Dr. J and he called in a prescription for antibiotics and pain meds.

Flash forward four days, to the following Tuesday. The pain had taken on the unique characteristic of hiding all morning, and then springing forth with a vengeance at 2:30 p.m. Like clockwork. 2:30 p.m. It has been kind of freakish. I went back to see Dr. J and he told me that an infection had developed under the side of the tooth with the blade, but, uh, not to worry. Just to call him if the pain didn't go away in 24 hours. So, the next afternoon I called and said it was still horrible and he sent me to see an actual root canal specialist. What a novel idea to go to a specialist! To the specialist I went, and after many painful tests, all of which included pain, he decided that what I had was an infection. Shut right up. You don't say. He prescribed a more powerful antibiotic, and here I am today, six days away from getting on a plane, flying for 24 hours, and then spending three weeks in Taiwan and China. The pain is still strong enough to immobilize me at moments. It's a shame that I still don't feel any better. Maybe someday.

On a side note, I'm sitting here in my living room hoping that Somebody calls me. I know that I'm supposed to call him, but doing that involves possibly speaking Chinese if one of his parents answers the phone. Yeah. I'm not sure how long I can wait around for him to call, though, because I certainly don't want to go to bed without talking to him. Huh. Dilemmas are the worst.

On a much blonder note, today, for the first time I can remember, I left the hair salon absolutely loving the new, blonder me. I have liked my hair the times I’ve gone darker, but never the times I went blonder. Usually I get all freaked out that it is too blond. Today, though, it is perfect, and I love it.