Naturally the biggest dentalphobe in the entire known world has also inherited the most rotten teeth in the history of all humankind.
Let me explain. Yesterday afternoon as I was happily nibbling away at my favorite Trader Joe’s treat, peanut butter filled pretzels, which, by the way, I highly recommend, I felt a sharp particle caught in one of my lower rear teeth. Using my tongue, I tried to rid my tooth of the offending object when I realized that I was feeling something far too sharp to be a piece of pretzel.
I ran to the closest mirror to investigate and discovered one of my biggest fears — a cracked tooth. I immediately got on the phone and called my dental office where the guy at the front desk knows
me by my first name. No joke. After I identified myself and told him about my cracked tooth, he told me I better come in right away. Grand! JUST how I wanted to spend my afternoon.
So I packed both girls in the car and made the 30-minute drive to the dental office. After five minutes in my favorite chair, I was informed that my tooth was indeed cracked. And since it’s a wisdom tooth, I get the grand prize — a referral to
the oral surgeon. Woohoo! JUST what I wanted for Christmas, my four
wisdom teeth. Joy to the world!
Now, if you’ve been hanging out on my blog for long, you have no doubt read about my fear of dentists and basically anything involving having a long needle embedded anywhere in my person. In fact, there is a series of posts neatly filed under the category of Dental Saga that are pretty entertaining if I do say so myself. If you’re looking for something to read this afternoon, there ya go. And that only chronicles the work done on one quadrant of my mouth. I went on to have work done in every other corner of my mouth, and by the time we were done with that, it was time to start going around again. It’s just a never-ending party in my mouth, no presents please.
I have had so much dental work done, in fact, that as I was leaving the dental office, I asked for a print-out of my entire history with this practice. I made a bet with my friend at the front desk that I probably have had 30 fillings since I started there. He laughed and said he thought that was "a bit lofty".
Never one to back down from a challenge, I went out to my car and painstakingly went over the entire record and counted, get this, EXACTLY THIRTY FILLINGS (well, two were inlays and one was a root canal, if you must be precise) in the last five years.
Is that not the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard? This dentist will be retiring early and resting on his laurels after he’s done with me. (Please tell me that we will be done at some point. There is an end to this madness, right?)
I called my friend at the front desk from my car and informed him that not only was my guess reasonable, it was 100% accurate. He grudgingly admitted that it was indeed eerie, both the accuracy of my guess as well as the fact that ANYONE IN REASONABLY GOOD HEALTH COULD POSSIBLY HAVE HAD 30 FILLINGS IN FIVE YEARS!!
So, next stop, oral surgeon. I can’t wait. Merry Christmas!
26 Responses
I must be a real dweeb. Half of one of my molars completely fell out back in September and it’s still sitting that way. The tooth was like WAY over-filled so it was basically half the filling that fell out.
Yeah, it zings me once in awhile but not too often. Until I’m in total and utter agony (which will probably be Christmas Eve at 8pm) I figure I’ll just wait before heading to the dentist.
I admire you that even though you’re a dental-phobe, you still hike off to the dentist the minute something happens with a tooth. I’m impressed!! Truly!! 🙂
~HomeKeeper
I am so, so sorry. Poor C and A seem to have inherited M’s poor teeth, so they know us by name at the pediatric dentist’s. At age five, C has had five fillings (and is on deck for another two once the teeth finish coming in, yes you heard me, cavities in teeth that have not even finished coming in!), and we are a no juice, no candy, brush your teeth three times a day family. Dontcha just love genetics?
I’m sorry, I wasn’t first to post today. I guess I’m a little slow on the drawl :o)
I’m so sorry about your teeth!! That stinks! I’m amazed that they haven’t pulled out your wisdom teeth before now. Having your widom teeth out is so much easier than all the other stuff you’ve been through. They knock you out for that procedure! I would much rather be knocked out than hear the drilling and pulling. You won’t feel a thing. You get some good drugs and in a few days you’ll feel right as rain. And guess what, no filling in those teeth! Hang in there and chew softly.
Georgia Mom
Put teabags on the wound left when they remove your wisdom teeth. I had that done when I was in college and actually recall it as a pleasant experience because it meant I got to be taken care of by my Mommy again for a day or two.
I too have had multiple fillings in the last two years. I do not speak of it, though. It is not to be spoken of.
I feel your pain. And I’m sorry. 🙂
oh so sorry!!! yuck yuck yuck!!!
Sooo sorry to hear about more dental work. Maybe you should buy yourself a present while you’re shopping with girlymama today.
Have they ever figured out why you have so many problems with your teeth? My mom has teeth with as many issues as you have but they know she had some virus as a child that is likely the cause of her teeth problems.
I am going shopping today, too and may have to buy myself a present after reading more bad news for your poor teeth. (Isn’t that supportive of me?)
What a bummer. My mouth is a mess too, but we haven’t started working on it, due to the whole gestation thing I have going on. When I went for a visit early in the pregnancy (first one in years) the dentist said it was up to me to keep things from getting worse between then and the spring. I’m pretty sure I’m failing. I’m sure to have my own tales of dental woe in time.
SO, riddle me this, batman. i haven’t gone to the dentist in *counts* like, 13 years. i know i have cavities, and i’m paranoid they’ll try and pull the teeth. i’ve heard they do everything possible to NOT pull them, though. i’m assuming since you’ve had all of these fillings, that this is somewhat true? lol.
dude, i have dental insurance. there’s no reason i can’t go. i just need to find a place open on the weekends!!
I feel your dental pain. I am like you. I brush, floss, rine, repeat, and STILL I get cavities. And it brings me no comfort to know that the dentists kids will go to Harvard thanks to my mouth. No, it doesn’t.
You and Shortman can convalesce together. He’s having his date with the Oral Surgeon on 11/21. Yes, the day before Thanksgiving, how cruel can a mother be? But hey, he doesn’t like turkey anyway. He can have the mashed potatoes.
And me? I hate the dentist’s office more than anything and yet, after that 4 quadrant root scraping fiasco of a few years ago? I started going 4 times/year! For cleanings.
I feel your pain. I’m also “blessed” with bad teeth.
well, the good news is you get an oral surgeon! I was attacked back in two thousand and one of my teeth was broken. It was a molar, and such a severe crack that the dentist had to dig it out in his office. NIGHTMARE!
You poor thing though! truly, how horrible… For my birthday last year I got Brakes… Adulthood sucks sometimes:)
Anna – Haha. Well, Hubs doesn’t pamper. He had his wisdom teeth out last year with just Novocaine. He’s encouraging me to do the same. WHA!!!!!???
Oh, ouch! I feel so sorry for all that you’ve gone through. I always seem to have a dental saga too – just had a replacement crown and old filling replaced. I loathe the smell of dentist offices. At least with the removal of wisdom teeth you get to be put under sedation and hopefully pampered by your husband afterwards!
one of my teeth broke a couple of days before Declan was born. I haven’t gone in to have it fixed. Obviously, it doesn’t hurt or anything… but now I’m wondering if it’s more serious than I thought…
As for the fillings, you only have so many teeth they can fill, so yeah, it will end eventually *snort*
Blessings,
Karla
As one who is as afraid as you are, I can tell you I had my wisdom teeth out ONE AT A TIME on three separate occasions. And you know what? NO BIG DEAL. You go to sleep, you wake up, you look stupid. It’s over.
Honestly? Fear NOTHING. It’s much less traumatic than you think.
Oh I hate that! The two words ‘oral surgeon’ just make me cringe. Maybe they will put you out on some good pain killing sleep inducing stuff! As I was crunching on a frozen Halloween leftover Milky Way last week I thought about the last time I cracked a tooth and just decided it wasn’t worth the chance so no more frozen calories for me!
Oral Surgeon? ;(
Sorry to hear about your visit to the dentist. I actually just called today to get a dentist appt because a tooth is killing me. Not to be mean, but I hope I get better news, although I am thinking not!! I despise the dentist and would rather go to any other doctor even my GYN first! Merry Christmas to both of us!
Mel
Remember the story about how when the oral surgeon, who may I add is the oral surgeon for the Philadelphia Flyers, was pulling my wisdom teeth, he had to place his knee in the middle of my chest in order to pull just a little more to get my tooth out that had it’s roots wrapped around my jawbone? Try not to think about that when getting yours pulled.
I’m here for you, my friend!!
Ugh. I know how you feel. I think every single one of my teeth has been filled, drilled or ravaged. YUCK.
Ick. Yeah. Dentists. I actually had about 3 or 4 fillings that started giving me trouble last year, and I was just sooooo tired of the needles that I decided to just ignore them. But they still bother me and worse, I’ll have to pay full price now to have the re-fixed. Oh well.
How well do you respond to novacaine? It takes a lot to get me numbed up and my nerves are in weird places as well. The dentist kept missing them. 🙁
*sigh* Can’t we just find a way to use lasers or something?
UGH! Dentist! Should be a four letter word! But it can’t, cuz it is 7, but it has the same effect as some of the worst words ever. On me at least 😉
I had to be knocked out to get my wisdom teeth done. I tend to hyperventilate if I have my mouth open that long! Plus it hurts my jaw.
And yes, maybe I am a baby, but I know it hurts and why would ya do it *without* being knocked out is my question!! Sheesh.
Ugh. You poor thing! Teeth really suck sometimes. Hang in there—there can’t be much left!
I feel for you. I’d probably be the same way if I had to have that much work done in so short a time.
I’m always nervous going to the dentist. But once he starts to work I literally, almost fall asleep in the chair. Weird.
Hey you could always get dentures! Just kidding!