When in Doubt, Yank 'Em Out!

Is there anything more painful than a toothache? Okay, maybe a gunshot wound, but, thankfully, having never experienced being shot I can’t really make a valid comparison. Childbirth? Being of the wrong gender, I am legally not allowed to comment. How about having an angry ex-(anyone) rearing back and kicking you squarely in the lower region naughty parts? Having HAD experience with that, I can honestly say that, while having your family jewels rearranged is quite painful, a prolonged toothache is worse. How much worse? Bad enough to pay someone (a large chunk of cash) to knock you out under anesthesia and then take a sharp carving implement and have at the insides of your mouth. Turning you into something that resembles this:

WHEN IN DOUBT, YANK ‘EM OUT!



It all started with a little ache in the lower left side of my mouth. Being an avid tooth-brusher and compulsive flosser, as well as a regular dental checkup kind of guy, I figured the pain would go away, like one hopes an annoying neighbor will. Sadly, that is the wrong strategy to use for both toothaches and neighbors, so I paid a visit to my dentist. He probed and poked, x-rayed and consulted until he reached suitable recompense, then announced that I had a fractured tooth and that I should…

“Yes, yes?” I said, nodding hopefully, knowing that relief was just a few magical dental moves away.

“Wait,” my (not usually sadistic) dentist said.

“Huh?” said I.

“It’s fractured. Can’t fill it, can’t extract it, so just wait until…”

“Yes? Until…?”

“Until it either fractures some more or you need a root canal.”

After one more “huh?” and a few “what the…?'s”, my dentist smiled, nodded, and left me with drool on my chin and a still sensitive tooth in need of…what?

Patience.

So I waited, continued to eat my almonds and enjoy my dietary life as usual, while favoring that fractured side of my mouth. This went on for months and months, until…

AAARRRGGGOOOOOOOOCCCHHHHH!

The fracture fractured some more, creating enough pain to motivate me to make another visit to my dentist, who, after more adequate probing and x-raying to satisfy his curiosity and my deductible, announced:

“Looks like you may need a root canal.”

Through a mouthful of fingers, cotton, and that annoying little sucking machine, I said, “Warrgllehuhphmmm?”

My dentist smiled, nodded, added up my bill and decided to take one more x-ray, then shuffled me off to another practitioner of dental maneuvers: an endodontist, who specialized, I was told, in root canals, more probing, vague announcements, and, of course, additional x-ray taking. The biggest difference I noticed was the endodontist charges more and it takes longer to get an appointment. But if you tell them that you are in extreme pain, they will smile, recheck their appointment book, then tell you that whining won’t make the pain go away so take some Advil and practice…

Patience.

And that’s what I did, finally getting the pleasure of having a higher paid sadist probe my fractured tooth, while feeling the stirring of another tooth announce its painful presence on the other side of my mouth. So I said:

“What the heck, doc, it’s only money, right? Take a look at that other guy while you’re at it.”

My endodontist nodded, grunted, probed, ordered and received additional x-rays, probed some more then pondered and professed:

“You need two root canals. How much money do you have?”

My mouth stuffed with the expensive hands of a specialist, cotton, a dental assistant, and that annoying little sucky thing that sometimes gets stuck in the back of your throat, making you want to vomit and choke at the same time, I said, “Whadrrrgfhrrfertwwwooo?”

My sadistic little endodontist nodded, smiled, and left the room to order more x-rays. Leaving me to, you guessed it, practice…

Patience.

Finally the day arrived when I had my root canal exploratory exam that would let me know if I could save the fractured tooth, have the root canal, then be able to have a crown installed. The crown, of course, would be done by yet another dental practitioner and cost several arms, a leg, and the promise of donating various organs to science and x-ray development costs.

His hands deep inside my mouth, which was benumbed by enough Novocain to curtail the charge of a rabid rhinoceros, my endodontist announced:

“Tsk, tsk, bad news. Fracture is too deep, no root canal, have to have it extracted. I must leave now because you are no longer a viable money stream, but before you go let’s take a few more x-rays just to be sure.”

With that he left, leaving me with a numb face, two still very throbbing teeth, and an appointment with another dental professional.

While all this was going on, over the course of several months, I favored one side of my mouth over the other, effectively adding additional stress to that side, effectively causing the tooth that wasn’t yet fractured to SPLIT IN HALF!! This caused me enormous pain, and more trips to dental professionals, along with, you guessed it:

MORE X-RAYS!!

Finally leading me to this past Friday, where, after all three geniuses of the dental community, otherwise known as the Mike Foster Dental Retirement Fund Group, decided it was best that I had both fractured and root-befouled teeth extracted.

I, of course, had to find yet another dental practitioner, who, of course, took several more x-rays, and then, naturally, checked the balance of my dental coverage to make sure he charged enough, and then, thankfully, mercifully, at long last:

REMOVED MY TWO THROBBING TEETH!

Making my pain not necessarily go away, but at least be replaced by another pain, a healing, slightly bloody, cheek-puffing pain that while still nowhere near where I want to be pain-wise, at least was better than what I had been feeling for the past half-year.

The good news is I am feeling better every day, those two annoying teeth are gone (along with several painful extractions from my wallet and checking accounts), and I am well on my way to the road to recovery.

Hmmm, maybe just one more x-ray?


Until next time…

peace,

Mike

The Secrets of Flossing

Habits often get a bad rap. Most of us, when someone mentions a habit, automatically think that they are talking about a bad habit. And, sadly, there are way too many bad habits that affect us in unhealthy ways. Smoking, excessive drinking, overeating, biting your fingernails, watching too much daytime TV talk shows, or even checking your blog stats every hour on the hour (I promise, I am working on it!). You get the picture.

But I am also pleased to report that, while we all are challenged with the ongoing struggles to overcome our bad habits, a good many of us also practice good habits. Here at livelife365 (this blog and my video site ), I am all about good habits; like daily exercise, healthy eating, positive reaffirmation, personal accountability, and balancing one’s life.

Psssst…want to know about a fast and easy habit that, when done correctly and daily, can add years to your life and save you money?

I’m talking about flossing.

For those of you visiting from another planet (Welcome!) or just recently rescued from a lifetime of living in the jungle or on a deserted island, flossing (from the ADA ) “ …removes food trapped between the teeth and removes the film of bacteria that forms there before it has a chance to harden into plaque. Toothbrush bristles alone cannot clean effectively between these tight spaces.”

If this still seems like an alien concept to you, watch this video. In it, I demonstrate how to correctly floss your teeth in one minute…give or take a few seconds.



I floss my teeth every day. It’s a good habit to get into. One of the many good habits that I encourage myself (and you) to practice to ensure long-term health benefits.

I am amazed by how many people that do not floss at all, let alone daily. And as the above video demonstrates, it only takes, literally, a minute out of your busy schedule.

Hey, calm down there, tiger! Why so adamant, huh?

Deep breath, Mike. Ahhh…okay, much better now.

Why am I so adamant about flossing your teeth every day?

Here are some of these amazing benefits of daily flossing, right from the dentist’s mouth:

* helps remove debris and the plaque that collects between your teeth. This helps clean hard-to-reach tooth surfaces and reduces the likelihood of gum disease and tooth decay.
* makes your breath smell better
* polishes your teeth (when you don’t floss, you only clean 60% of your teeth)
* may reduce the risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart attack
* saves you money, in the long run, by reducing medical and dental costs

I’m going to let you in on another little secret. For years, I did not floss my teeth. I’m not talking about skipping a few days here and there--I did not floss at all. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I wasn’t even going to the dentist for my regular checkups and cleanings. When I finally dragged my sorry self back into the dental hygienist’s chair, I was given not only a painful and bloody reminder of tooth and gum neglect, but an educational lecture, spoken from the heart (my hygienist, by the way, is a very talented saint), that changed my life.

Since that day, I’ve now become a flossing freak, a tooth and gum advocate, and a regular visitor to the dentist’s office.

Just like trying to do all that you can to find that thirty minutes each day to exercise, adding more fruit and veggies to your diet, or opting to pick up a book rather than the TV remote, dedicating ONE MINUTE of each day to flossing will enrich and change your life for the better.

Your dentist will be thrilled.
Your teeth and gums will be ecstatic.
And there’s a very good chance that you will add a few more happy, healthy years to your life.

Until next time…

peace,

Mike