Maquinna's Poop du Jour

Rooting for a Cure

Root canal. The very phrase sparks shivers up the spines of the uninitiated, and the unfortunate few who have had bad experiences. Yesterday I went for RC #5 (and the second in the last few months), owing to a situation where I developed extreme sensitivity on one side of my mouth. Somehow two teeth had developed cracks and I couldn't even chew on that side any more. The first root canal didn't complete the job, so I got in the chair again yesterday for the second one.

First, the good news. It does appear that the root canal has taken care of the heat/cold/sweet sensitivity problem. I can swish ice cold water around my entire mouth now without feeling like someone is stabbing my brain with an ice pick.

The bad news: I can't even close my mouth or bite down. I've never had a problem with a crown before, and this one seems to fit like a glove too, but for some reason all the gums around it have swollen right up and any pressure on it is excruciating.

Before you start making rash assumptions about my dental upkeep, you should know I'm a religious twice-a-day brusher AND flosser who gets check ups every six months on schedule and never misses a cleaning. A few sad brushes with fate - including dodging a snowball in ninth grade only to land face-first into a frozen metal stair rail - have landed me in the dentist chair for numerous repair jobs. Call it bad luck, I guess.

In the meantime, I apologize to all of you for being such a sourpuss. I have a propensity for crankiness as it is, but I'm really trying not to let this take me there. Bear with me.

posted by Maquinna @ 12:36 p.m.