Release the PressureUnder the pressure of the cares and sorrows of our mortal condition, men have at all times, and in all countries, called in some physical aid to their moral consolations -- wine, beer, opium, brandy, or tobacco. Friday, February 11, 2000
I've been having some tooth pain building up over the week, and today I decided that I needed to do something about it. I'd been fooling myself before, thinking that an earache was making my teeth hurt, perhaps. Instead it was the other way around! So I called Dr. I----'s office. Oops! She's off on Fridays. I called her home number and discussed the situation with her. We decided that I needed to be referred to the endodontist Dr. B----, where I had my root canal procedure last year. I didn't want to dose myself with pain pills all weekend, be seen by Dr. I---, then be sent on to the endodontist anyway, with all that time wasted! At first the receptionist was reluctant to take me! She proposed an appointment for week from today. But when I said I really couldn't wait that long, and that I'd have to find someone who could see me sooner, she conferred with the doctor and scheduled me for later this afternoon. I left work before Chip arrived; he'd been spending the morning with his friend Buck Naked, still visiting from North Carolina this week.
I drove home, parked, and took the bus downtown. I like female dentists! They usually are calm; they listen to me. Maybe their small hands are also an advantage! Dr. B---- did some probing and testing with ice, to see where the problem was, and looked at the x-rays the assistant had just snapped. I was able to feel the ice, but it took a few seconds. The verdict: she would drill through the crown on the problem tooth to relieve the pressure. I'd need antibiotics, too, since she suspected the beginnings of an abscess. We waited until my mouth was nice and numb -- I made it clear that I didn't mind waiting. The assistant laughed when I said that it was strange how your mouth is always the most numb when you are leaving the dentist's office. Dr. B---- drilled, and cleaned out some of the canals. It wasn't too bad. Next time, in a month, I'll be in the chair for a complete procedure, scheduled for an hour and a half. It's expensive, but I've chosen not to go to the dental service that's part of my health coverage. I got the antibiotics perscription filled before I went home.
I was still in some pain this evening! I bailed on dancing, although the band, Swing Session, was one I've been wanting to see. I reposed myself on the couch and watched television, including most of "Hannah and her Sisters." I used to love that movie, and now it creeps me out! I look at the apartment (Mia Farrow's real apartment) and the kids running around, and I wonder if one of them is Soon-ye. I took a narcotic pill left over from when I had my wisdom teeth out. Now I remember why I didn't take them then (besides not needing to) -- the nausea that's a common side effect hit me. After recovering from that, I put myself to bed.
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