Oh, My Aching Teeth

See that awesome x-ray in the picture? Yep, those are my teeth. By looking at that screen, you can tell I have had a lot of work done on my teeth...not a little, but A LOT!! No I am not proud of it, not at all. I blame my parents for my horrible teeth - really, I do because I think the genetic makeup of your teeth are hereditary (I won't tell you how many cavities my two oldest boys have had filled - remember, it's hereditary. I feel so bad for passing on that bad gene!). People have said to me often, "You have such nice teeth!" Yeah, well they may look nice cosmetically, but inside they are horrible. You may be wondering...well, does she brush her teeth twice a day? The answer is yes. You may also be wondering...does she floss everyday? Again, the answer is yes. Okay, so I wasn't always the best at flossing until a dental hygienist once told me that if you were stuck in the middle of no where and had to choose between either brushing or flossing - if you could only pick one...that flossing would be the better choice. That little tip has always stuck in my head since I heard it. You may also be thinking...does she drink pop religiously? The answer is no. I do occasionally, but I am not an addict to pop. An addict to sweets maybe, but not just in particular pop. ;) On to the story...

One day I was brushing my teeth and out of no where a chunk of a tooth came out on the lower left. So beyond not cool. Where did that come from? Wow, my teeth are literally crumbling...nothing to brag about - that's for sure. So I calmly showed it to Curtis and he said, "You better make an appointment." I go to the dentist faithfully every six months...I am not a slacker with that even though going to the dentist is a fear I have lately (too many bad experiences...because of all of the serious work). Again, see the picture above. So, I make an appointment, go and have to get a crown on the cracked tooth. It wasn't bad. After all, I had had six crowns done previous to that one. It was a piece of cake crown and the numbness wore off really quickly which I liked. This crown took place on a Thursday. The next day, Friday my upper left was achy. I just figured it was because my mouth had been pried open from the day before or from the rubber dam. The next day the ache was worse. I texted my dentist (who I think is a perfectionist of a dentist - very thorough and caring of a guy) and told him my situation. He prescribed me an antibiotic because my gums were swollen and inflamed. I told him I thought it was maybe some food stuck or something and it had created an infection. Well, I got my antibiotics, and the next day I knew which tooth it was. My top back left. It already had a deep filling in it. Swell, just swell. So I called and scheduled an appointment. They could get me in the next day. At this point, I was in agony. I made it to the next day and got the root canal done and the crown (now I have eight crowns - lets not talk about how much all of this cost because it makes me sick). The tooth was so infected and awful. The root canal took three hours. Not comfortable, not comfortable and all. Luckily I survived. I wasn't sure I would, but I did. Seriously, I would have rather been in labor than gone through that...no joke! That night was the worst night of my life. The most pain I had ever been in EVER! Nothing would numb the pain. I slept a total of one hour that night. I was walking in circles, pacing in AGONY. Lying down made it worse. Like I said, WORST. NIGHT. EVER. Curtis didn't know what to do for me. He did take the next day off from work so I could sleep - good thing the pain lessened so I could.

 I kept thinking to myself, "Be grateful you didn't lose a limb at Boston. You be grateful you aren't a pioneer in this situation. You be grateful the next time you have no pain." All I can say is that I really feel for people who are in constant pain whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. I hope this taught me to have more empathy towards those who are suffering.

 My infection is slowly going away with the antibiotics and I still take my 600 mg of ibuprofen more often that I should, but I am on the mend. Time does heal. And for all of you reading this who only have had a few cavities here and there filled  - BE GRATEFUL!!! And, I'm totally jealous of you!!!!;) And I wish Curtis were a dentist...to save us some money or  I at least wish someone in my extended family were a dentist. ;) Good thing I am brainwashing my two older boys. ;) I always tell them I need one of them to be a dentist, and the other to be a doctor. Still trying to decide on what I want Christian to be when he grows up. ;)