Yesterday, as if things could not get worse with this whole tooth situation which has dragged on now for well over 8 weeks, I ate the temporary crown that my dentist put on my poor tooth. So, around 430pm, I was sneakily enjoying a twix bar when the crown came out. Oh gross, I thought. It was only 430pm, so I call my dentist’s office. You guessed it – this is the office that is open 7-4pm for 4 days week and then closed. It is a wonder anyone gets any care. So, I called the dental emergency number to ask what I should do. After all, it felt very weird without a crown. The dentist advised me to put it back in with some toothpaste or adhesive from Wal-Mart. What!? Really!? Okay…. So I put it back in but had no idea how loose it was.
When I got home, I had one bite of something and discovered the crown was gone. No where to be found so the obvious conclusion was – Yep, I ate it. Great! This is going to be great as it goes down. Needless to say, it was weird to not have a temporary crown on and feel the exposed canals and the tooth. It did not hurt but it sure felt strange and I felt empty.
At 7am, I was surprised when the dental office actually answered its phones. That pleasant surprise led to an 8am visit to the dentist and they redid a temporary for me. I have come to several conclusions about this place and this entire incident – One, I really liked my dental care with the military when everything was done in one visit. None of this go back and see them 5 times. Two, I really prefer to have doctors and providers who are open 5 days a week and if necessary, do an emergency clinic on weekends. I remember, in Germany, a military dentist did an after -hours look at my filling – he had worked on it the day before. He had me to come to his house and took a look and saw it was infected. He took care of me right away. Now, that’s service! Three, next time I ever have to have root canals or more complicated than a filling done, I am going to ask for a referral for an endodontist. This is their specialty and while they may cost more, in the long run, it costs you less. I only stuck with these yahoos because I did not want X-rays done – well, a little radiation never harmed a fetus in the second and third trimester and this might have been the time to let those fears go in favor of better oral care.
My next appointment and hopefully last is on Monday morning. Stay tuned for another fun and pain-filled blog. ‘Til then, if you have a temporary, try not to eat it.
