It's official ... I need a root canal

That big dark shadow on the premolar on the right is my cavity, or as I like to call it, Carlsbad Cavern.  You can see how significant the cavity is by comparing it to normal-sized fillings like those in my first and second molars. 

My dentist a few weeks ago was nonplussed when he saw the x-ray of this tooth, and he gave me a referral to "the nice root canal guy".  I saw the Nice Root Canal Guy this morning, and he had no doubt in his mind whatsoever that I would need a root canal.  The bigger question was whether I had enough intact tooth left to save.  In part, he won't know the answer to that question until he gets in there with the drills and probes and all the other things that one uses to rip the pulp out of living teeth.  Good times.

The Nice Root Canal Guy was, in fact, very nice, and although he did some very painful things to test tooth enervation and the level of my gums relative to Carlsbad Cavern, it is not enough to ruin our relationship. 

I had to laugh, though.  When I was scheduling this appointment I had to wait 3 weeks to get an opening, and then two days before my appointment they wanted to postpone my appointment still further.  Today, once the Nice Root Canal Guy got a look at the giant hole in my head, he was suddenly possessed with a sense of urgency, and I have to come back for the root canal as soon as possible.  Apparently it has been an amazing fluke that I have not experienced any real pain or discomfort up to now (that is, until the Nice Root Canal Guy started in on my teeth), but I really am a ticking time bomb. 

So not only do I need a root canal, I need one Right Away.  And I get to pay $1,100 for the privilege.  I was not mentally or financially prepared to drop a grand on my mouth next week, and I have to confess the whole appointment left me a little shaken.  On the good side, it was a beautiful sunny day, so I walked back to my office at Bay and King Streets from Bloor and Cumberland Streets (about 6 subway stops' distance), so I got extra steps in. 

I am going to look on the bright side of this.  The Nice Root Canal Guy seems very nice, and I consider my tooth to be half-full, rather than half-empty.  Plus, I will lose at least 1/10th of an ounce from the root canal itself, so there's weight loss built into the procedure.  Put that way, it's a win-win. 

Moment of Clarity at the Dentist Today

Photo courtesy Dzzi, licenced CC-BY-SA

I had a dentist appointment today.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it has been 22 years since my last dental appointment.  So you can imagine my nerves going into the dentist's office this morning.  When I last went to the dentist Bush I was President of the United States, Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister of Canada and Good Vibrations from Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was the #1 song. ... and now I officially feel old.

Anyhow, it has been more than 2 decades since I last permitted a stranger to root around in my mouth, and I was expecting the worst.  I will skip to the end for just a second to eliminate the suspense - - my new dentist is a very nice man, the tooth I knew had a big hole in it has a big hole in it, and I have two small cavities on my upper and lower left wisdom teeth, but everything else looks great. Everything went better than expected.

The best part of the whole process?  Filling out the new patient intake form.  You know, the one with all the questions like "are you allergic to any medications?" [sulfa] and "do you have a family history of heart disease, cancer or diabetes?" [yes, yes and yes!]  My favourite question?  "have you experienced any changes in your health in the past year?"  My answer: "Yes.  I am much healthier than last year."

And it is true.  I love that!  It made my whole day.