Finished up the root canal retreatment today. I got up and drove to North Phoenix in time to be early for my appointment. I started to read a very interesting article about the Arizona Southern Baptist Foundation, but then the dentist started working and I didn't get to finish it. Some half-hearted googling has come up empty. I would like to finish that article.
So, the dentist starts drilling and I closed my eyes, and everything was fine. There was no novacaine, but since that root's already gone, all novacaine would've done was make my face droopy and weird...
And then it hurt. And then it hurt again. And the dentist asked if it was "tender" and I affirmed. He suggested I might prefer if he refrained from doing that again, and I agreed with him rather enthusiastically.
X-rays, work, more x-rays... I closed my eyes some more while I thought he was finishing up and there was this... smell.
I opened my eyes and there was SMOKE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH. The dentist had something up inside my head and THERE WAS SMOKE. The dentist set my damned HEAD on FIRE on PURPOSE without warning me. I think the least you can do if you're going to set someone's head on fire is let them prepare a little mentally first.
And then... he did it again. WITHOUT WARNING. Yeah, cauterizing some wound, probably very effective on whatever nastiness was left lingering up in there, or something, whatever. HE SET MY HEAD ON FIRE AND HE DID NOT TELL ME FIRST.
The tooth is all patched up. And I left work early so I could go home and take the good drugs.
I know most people complain about root canals, and I never thought they were that bad. I mean, sure your jaw tends to be sore afterwards, and sometimes I get some unsightly bruising on my face from how my mouth is a small work environment, but I never really felt worse after a root canal.
And you feel the slightest twinge of any sensation within three inches of where the tooth is while they're doing it, you just have to ask for more drugs. If that doesn't work, wait for a break in the action and purse your lips until they make with the drugs. Root canals in process should be entirely, eerily sensationless.
Let me tell you, the thing that is worse and keeps getting worse after? Is whatever he did that involved setting a small fire up INSIDE MY HEAD. That? seems to be getting worse by the minute. While I wait for the drugs to kick in, I'm going to go see if Dr Google can tell me WHY the dentist had to set me on fire and also whether it's supposed to keep hurting after. I feel like the answer has to be "Yes. The tissue was all burnt up and for many people, that's uncomfortable or irritating for awhile."
