Wednesday 28 May 2008

So, I got the pliers out and....

...well, only kidding. Just.


After good experience at the dentist yesterday when he finished off the first root canal with no problems (this was the one that had been very traumatic whe he was doing the procedure), the pain in the other tooth came back yesterday. I'd finally had enough and got an appointment for 4.00pm today.


It wasn't that I wanted the root canal done, obviously, but the constant rollercoaster of emotions, with me plumbing the depths of terror, finally got too much. I just couldn't go on any longer.


There were a few very minor issues. I still needed more local than you could imagine, and at one point I had a little pain. But it was 'far away' if you see what I mean, not agonsing. M simply (!) gave me even more local and that really was the matter dealt with, apart from one more part. He had found a fourth canal and when he was withdrawing one of the tools it 'ripped' out a bit of the nerve below where the nerve channel n narrows and then open out again. This can happen sometimes. I didn't like it, but it wasn't too bad. M dropped some more anaesthetic into the 4 chambers and then everything really was fine.

This time it *only* took 2 1/4 hours.


So, was there actually a problem? Was a root canal needed? Yes to both. When M reached the top of the pulp cavity he discovered blood - my understanding, remembered through a haze of fear remember, is that the top of the pulp cavity was dead/dying and this is what was causing the pain. In other words, it was only ever going to get worse. And, again, although with hindsight it would have been better to get this over and done with on Sunday, there had been more reason not to.


I'm glad it's over. And I now know that it really is possible to be 'rigid with fear.'

3 comments:

  1. My dear, I hope the pain is really over and wish you pain free enjoyment of the summer. I, too, need more anesthetic than other people -- I don't knock out or go under or not feel pain -- and I'm glad the dentist finally just DOSED YOU already. Some of us aren't like everyone else, and we simply need what we need. I had to undergo minor surgery feeling the doctor stitching me. It's a distant pain, true, but you have the right to feel NOTHING.

    Hope this is the end!!

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  2. I hope a line can be drawn under this really soon, for your sake my dear. x K

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  3. Then that's good news, right? Because this means it's nothing to do with the nerves, or the blood vessels wrapping around the nerve, right?

    Some people simply require more anaesthetic. People with red hair, in particular, require 20% more anaesthetic. It could be that you have inherited something along these lines.

    Glad that they're getting this resolved!

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