Like Pullin' Teeth

Last July, I experienced a fractured molar while on vacation, and had it removed by a local dentist in Burns Lake BC. I wouldn't call it a particularly pleasant or well-timed procedure, but worse still, I also experienced what is called a "dry socket", which was incredibly uncomfortable. Thankfully my own dental clinic was able to sort me out with some sutures, antibiotics and painkillers.

But when I returned to have my teeth cleaned in the fall, Dr. D noticed a bump on my gums and gave me an antiseptic rinse. A week later it was still there, so he threaded a tiny tracer filament into the space around my root canal and took an x-ray.

Suspecting a potential infection in the root canal site, he sent me to an endodontist, a dentist specializing in tooth interiors. It was nearly seven weeks before I could get in to see him but in mid-December I did, and his amazing 3D scan of the problematic area and his own experience confirmed what Dr. D had suspected: a fracture in my tooth's roots, below the gumline, which would require yet another extraction.

Last Tuesday after work I went in to have the tooth pulled, mostly because it was the first date they offered, but also because my compressed schedule gave me the following day off. I didn't settle into my dental chair until nearly 30 mins into my appointment, but in my experience, that is part and parcel for scheduling such things at the end of an undoubtedly busy day.

I will spare you the gory details, but Dr. D described it as a "complex extraction." The tooth required sectioning, same as the last one, but there were also breaks when removing the larger pieces, which required multiple x-rays to confirm so shards left behind (bless his thoroughness!), and one more trip below my gumline than he had even anticipated.

In the end it required 2 hrs 45 min in the chair and 4-5 shots of freezing to get the job done. I was given clear instructions from the dentist, hygienist and reception staff on how to avoid another dry socket or other complications (no straws, smoking, seeds, nuts, or hard foods like chips) as well as prescriptions for antibiotics and two painkillers, including T3s.

The trouble is, by the time I got to the closest pharmacy, they had closed 20 mins earlier. Google implied the one at Safeway was open til 10 pm, but this turned out to be untrue. I needed groceries and to stock up on softer foods anyways, so I loaded my cart before leaving. When I checked out, I felt pretty miserable though as a) the freezing had worn off and b) I hadn't eaten since lunch. 

I chugged probably a cup-and-a-half of protein smoothie right there in the parking lot, and once home, my incredibly supportive family sorted out the unpacking while I got my first round of meds arranged.

My discomfort was pronounced enough to keep me way from work Thursday as well, as I filled my time with icing my upper jaw, eating smooth peanut butter sandwiches on white bread and watching the first three seasons of Shoresy, which will likely get its own post shortly.

By Friday I was still out of sorts but able to get to work and even sort out a few nerdy obligations that evening (character creation for an RPG, finalizing a list for a skirmish game, and a bit of painting). I was well enough on the weekend to replace the downstairs toilet line as well as the deadbolts on the front and back doors.

In a week or so, the implant clinic should call me to book a consultation. Though expensive, an implant is probably the best means of plugging the new hole in my head, as it does not require maintenance the way a denture appliance will, or necessitate the shaving of my neighbouring teeth to accommodate a bridge across. With two extractions within 6 months, my chiclets are feeling increasingly fragile and valuable to me.

In all honestly though, I am willing to do whatever it takes to avoid another week like this past one! I will be much happier if my future Extractions are limited to Chris Hemsworth movies.