Friday, April 2, 2010

Toothaches and Allergies and Coke Bottle Glasses


I went to the dentist Wednesday for my routine cleaning and exam. Everything felt great in my mouth and I told them so as I plopped down into the chair. The hygienist informed me that my right back molar was likely going to require a crown at some point because a very large filling (and probably pretty old) was starting to deteriorate and it would be too hard to try and put a new filling in there, hence, the crown. Hey, this happens. I already have three of them due to the same reason. Also, they reminded me, the tooth next to it may flare up at any time because the root canal done on it years ago wasn't done very well. When/if it flares up, I'll get to go to a specialist so they can repair the damage. But, anyway, all of this was stuff to worry about another day. Or, so I thought!
Why IS it that your teeth feel fine when you go to the dentist but then you get a toothache? This is what is going on with me now. The problem is, I am not sure which tooth it is, the root canal tooth or the huge old cavity tooth. In any case, my mouth started throbbing but good Wednesday night. My typical pain killing plan of action, Aleve, did nothing to alleviate the discomfort. Thankfully, Mr. B has a stash of REAL pain killers left over from various back problems he's had. I took a Percocet and it knocked me out. I woke up yesterday feeling a lot better; no pain at all (albeit I did wake up an hour and a half later than I usually do).
I decided to go to one of those eye vision places to get a pair of cheap glasses since my good pair broke almost two years ago and I've been wearing a pair that I got when I was still married to my first husband. As an aside, cheap glasses do not compute for someone who is as nearsighted as I am because I have to get the high index lenses plus get the edges of the lenses brushed so I don't look as though I'm wearing Coke bottles and my head doesn't continually drop forward due to the incredible weight.
Anyway, I walked into the glasses store and encountered two of the slowest customer service employees I've ever met in my life. Both of them were old (as in "older than me"). The first one, a man, got off subject and started asking me questions about my contact lenses (this when I said I only wear glasses in the evening when I take my contact lenses out). He wanted to know how long I wear them, how long they last (meaning weeks), and why do I take them out when I take them out? Add to this irrelevant conversation the fact it took him three times as long as what I consider normal to get words out of his mouth and he kept squinting at me and holding his head as if he were about ready to drop dead of something, well, I started to get a tad antsy.
One personality trait I'm trying to develop in myself is patience. Seriously; it's on my "To Do" list to work on my impatience/hot temper flare ups. Well, yesterday was an AFOG moment, let me assure you, what with Old Geezer Dude going on about contact lenses when I was there to get glasses (HELLO); then, his counterpart, Old Geezer Broad took forever to type in my order once we'd finally settled on the glasses (and the sunglasses, thrown in for free). By this time, my mouth was back in full throb mode and it was taking the entire measure of my resolve not to blow my top.
After I left, I drove straight home (even though I'd planned on running several more errands). I contemplated popping another Percocet but decided I'd wait to see if I could tough it out. I did call the dentist office to make an appointment for Monday morning to get this checked out (they are closed today for Good Friday; I figured I could tough it out over the weekend, especially since I've got "The Stash" if I need it). Amazingly enough, the toothache went away for about three hours. I mean, it vanished. I was pretty jazzed until it returned for a command performance right around the time Mr. B got home from work. He was probably wishing I'd popped that Percocet because I was fairly grouchy.
Anyway, the bottom line is, I took another P-Pill last night before bed and, as of 10:15 am, I'm doing ok but I can sense that the pain is lurking, waiting for the effect of the P-Pill to wear off. I'm sort of house bound now because I don't want to be driving while this is in my system. I don't feel impaired so much as I feel a bit ditzy. So, happy Easter weekend. Yey.
On top of it all, my allergies are bothering me. My ears hurt and I feel like there are bugs crawling on me (I have no idea why I get this particular reaction to seasonal crap, but, I do). Oh, and it's now tick season and I keep thinking I'm seeing ticks everywhere (which doesn't help with the creepy crawly feeling).
One final note before I sign off from my little bitch fest here; I have NO idea what is going on with Pete, but, the entire time I've been writing this, he's been out in the sun room "talking". He hasn't shut up. I can see Lily laying on the couch with her eyes scrunched closed as if she's trying to sleep and tune him out; he's just going on and on in that weird Maine Coon way; something between a meow and a coo. It's hard to describe. In the meantime, The Little Kids are tearing around the house like the little hell on wheels that they are and Lucy is outside pacing because she wants back INSIDE.
Later.
Mrs. B




4 comments:

Analee said...

i know this would be a little drive for you, but... my uncle is an optician. he has a shop in downtown pinehurst, which is a really neat-o place to visit.
http://www.eyemaxopticalofpinehurst.com

i can assure you that you'd get the best glasses ever from him! (on a side note, my aunt is a CPA so he's a "widow" this time of year too! ha!)

Analee said...

hey, also, maybe your tooth problem is related to your allergies. you know when your sinuses flair up, they can affect your tooth roots (just irritate them). that happens to me when i have a cold and/or start to get a sinus infection.

just a thought. just hoping you don't need more tooth work. a sinus infection is a lot easier to deal with and fix! hope you feel better soon.

Mrs. B said...

Thanks, Analee; I'll keep him in mind for the future.

You know, you're right about the sinus/allergies potentially being the culprit for my tooth problems. I remember I had this issue two years ago. This might also explain why it comes and goes. Like, right now, I don't feel anything.

However, I think I will have that crown put on just to be safe. I'd sure hate for the cavity to fall out while we are on our cruise! And, I will have to do it sooner or later, anyway.

Mrs. B said...

I meant have the filling fall out. Duh. Still got some effect from that P-Pill, I think :-)