Got hit with a toothache during the week. I was pretty busy juggling a bunch of things, so I just tried to brush it off. But when the weekend came, and I finally had some chill time, I realized it really hurt a lot. As I was munching on food, I slowly checked and figured the top right molar was the troublemaker. I quickly swallowed my breakfast and called the local dentist, begging for help. They said they were fully booked, but I could come in and wait. 🦷
‘The X-ray looks fine, but I see some inflammation between the back of the molar and the gum bone. It should be alright in a few days, but if not, you might need a root canal.’
Listening to all that, I thought, maybe no big treatment is needed. But then,
‘The anesthesia shot will sting a bit.’
The fourth shot in the gum above the aching molar was so painful that tears welled up in my eyes. If human pain were rated from 1 as the mildest to 10 as the worst, this felt way over a 7 for sure. 😢
‘Let’s treat the inflamed area.’
Dental treatment can be pretty extreme because teeth are rock-hard compared to soft skin. The main tools are drills and chisels. The sound of them grinding and scraping around the teeth is exaggerated due to bone conduction, making it sound even scarier. I’m terrified. If the drill slips even a little, it feels like it could pierce through my jaw, or if the chisel skids, my cheek could get ripped apart. 😬
‘Scrape, scrape’
‘Scrape, scrape’
‘Grind, grind’
What on earth are they scraping away now? Molar? Gum bone? Honestly, it didn’t matter, and I didn’t care. I just wanted it to be over. All I needed was to end this humiliating scene of lying there with my mouth wide open, drooling. This was the most embarrassing procedure next to a colonoscopy. 🤦♂️
‘Actually, the upper left gum bone is in worse shape. See the X-ray here?’
‘Why are you telling me this when I’m just relieved the treatment is over? Are you predicting my left side will start hurting too?’ I wanted to say, but held back and dashed off to grab lunch before the anesthesia wore off. 🍽️
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