I just got home and had to write a post. How many of you out there have had bad dental experiences before? I honestly had not had any that were too bad until today. At all the rest pale in comparison...
Last Tuesday, I had a normal x-ray and exam where I was informed that I would need a crown on one of my composite teeth (one of the big ones in the back.) I was prepared for this, because I could tell something was wrong, even though I had no pain in that tooth at all. So today, I went in to get it taken care of. I believe I had the most inexperienced hygenist in the office. She asked ME what I needed done. She didn't even know what tooth was supposed to be "crowned."
She then proceeded to polish my teeth, with stuff that tasted like baking soda and fish oil. Usually, I don't mind the cleaning because I like the minty stuff. Or even bubble gum! Nope, not here. She flossed my teeth so roughly that I thought she was dragging a dish towel though my teeth instead of floss. She had to go get another hygenist to help her get the things she would need for the crown.
My dentist is a very sweet Indian woman. She calls me "sweet pea" and "baby girl," which made me chuckle, because that's what i call my puppy. What she didn't make clear last time was that I needed my wisdom teeth pulled before she could do this crown. But I got the hard part over with today. They drilled away the tooth (except the bottom) and re-built it with composite stuff, which I assume will come off later when the porcelain venier is ready. She did such a good job drilling that she even drilled into my toungue. (I tend to uncontrollably swallow during procedures like this, I don't know why! But at least I don't gag! I found myself almost in tears, longing for my KC dentist, Dr. Peppes, who was the best dentist I have ever had and ran the cleanest and most professional clinic I have ever seen.
After all was said and done, i got the good news that all of this stuff I just went through might actually be a root canal, but she wasn't sure. If I have any shooting pain through the tooth tonight, she will re-evaluate!?! So does that mean that everything I just did (and payed for) was all for nothing?
And then there's those wisdom teeth, which MUST come out within the next couple weeks so we can complete the crown (if indeed, it is a crown). It sure is dental season in our neck of the woods. Matt is due to get his wisdom teeth pulled as well.
Have you ever tried to eat pineapple with half of your mouth numb? It's an interesting sensation. Half of your mouth is full of wonderful flavor and the other half tastes like dry cotton. It sure did feel good to get the yucky dental taste out of at least half of my mouth though.
On a much happier note, I have a brand new cubicle at work! It is much more spacious and quiet (because it is not near the server room, which has air conditioners running constantly). I have a larger desk, which will be great for taking tests in my classes. (My proctor is one of my co-workers, so I will take the tests at the office.)
Also, I ROCKED at night skiing! We did 4 runs in a little over 2 hours, which is great for me, because our run is pretty long. There were not very many people on the slopes, so I was really relaxed. I thought I would fall a lot because I was so tired from a week of school and work, but I only fell once at the very end. It felt great to be out on the mountains at night (with them all lit up, of course) and the pines smelled so good. It wasn't even that cold! What a great way to top off the week.
Last Tuesday, I had a normal x-ray and exam where I was informed that I would need a crown on one of my composite teeth (one of the big ones in the back.) I was prepared for this, because I could tell something was wrong, even though I had no pain in that tooth at all. So today, I went in to get it taken care of. I believe I had the most inexperienced hygenist in the office. She asked ME what I needed done. She didn't even know what tooth was supposed to be "crowned."
She then proceeded to polish my teeth, with stuff that tasted like baking soda and fish oil. Usually, I don't mind the cleaning because I like the minty stuff. Or even bubble gum! Nope, not here. She flossed my teeth so roughly that I thought she was dragging a dish towel though my teeth instead of floss. She had to go get another hygenist to help her get the things she would need for the crown.
My dentist is a very sweet Indian woman. She calls me "sweet pea" and "baby girl," which made me chuckle, because that's what i call my puppy. What she didn't make clear last time was that I needed my wisdom teeth pulled before she could do this crown. But I got the hard part over with today. They drilled away the tooth (except the bottom) and re-built it with composite stuff, which I assume will come off later when the porcelain venier is ready. She did such a good job drilling that she even drilled into my toungue. (I tend to uncontrollably swallow during procedures like this, I don't know why! But at least I don't gag! I found myself almost in tears, longing for my KC dentist, Dr. Peppes, who was the best dentist I have ever had and ran the cleanest and most professional clinic I have ever seen.
After all was said and done, i got the good news that all of this stuff I just went through might actually be a root canal, but she wasn't sure. If I have any shooting pain through the tooth tonight, she will re-evaluate!?! So does that mean that everything I just did (and payed for) was all for nothing?
And then there's those wisdom teeth, which MUST come out within the next couple weeks so we can complete the crown (if indeed, it is a crown). It sure is dental season in our neck of the woods. Matt is due to get his wisdom teeth pulled as well.
Have you ever tried to eat pineapple with half of your mouth numb? It's an interesting sensation. Half of your mouth is full of wonderful flavor and the other half tastes like dry cotton. It sure did feel good to get the yucky dental taste out of at least half of my mouth though.
On a much happier note, I have a brand new cubicle at work! It is much more spacious and quiet (because it is not near the server room, which has air conditioners running constantly). I have a larger desk, which will be great for taking tests in my classes. (My proctor is one of my co-workers, so I will take the tests at the office.)
Also, I ROCKED at night skiing! We did 4 runs in a little over 2 hours, which is great for me, because our run is pretty long. There were not very many people on the slopes, so I was really relaxed. I thought I would fall a lot because I was so tired from a week of school and work, but I only fell once at the very end. It felt great to be out on the mountains at night (with them all lit up, of course) and the pines smelled so good. It wasn't even that cold! What a great way to top off the week.
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