To long for the dentist

Image by Sammy-Sander from Pixabay

Two weeks ago, I tried out a proper toothache for the first time. It was just as enjoyable as it sounds. I don’t know why it is perceived worse than for example a pain in a leg or an arm? I’ve had my fair share of those, and I don’t recall it to ever being as bad. Maybe it is because pain in your teeth is inside your head, and if you ask anyone where they “are” in their body, I guess that many would consider their brain as the most important part of the machinery where your soul resides. And in that case, the closer any physical pain gets to the perceived center of your soul, the more painful it becomes? You can’t hide from it or think about something else when you have a migraine.

Maybe this is why I feel that the past week has been quite difficult to focus over long periods of time.  When you have a discrepancy of any kind in your teeth or mouth, it is all but impossible not to feel it with your tongue constantly. Pair it with pain and you are just like the cat and the laser pointer with regards to focus. And the more I focus on not to think about my broken tooth and pain, the more aware I become. Try the thought experiment: “You can think about exactly what you want, except a pink flying elephant.” How did that go?

Anyways, I quickly went to the dentist and got it examined, and an infection in the roots was identified. Happy times! They put me on antibiotics immediately and I started to feel my improvement every day. Penicillin is an amazing drug for sure! Now I just had to wait and let the antibiotics do their duty.

Unfortunately, after just one week I was having Monday dinner – soup and soft bread – and then suddenly I felt a clear crunching sound in one of my I bigger teeth. That infected tooth had just decided to split itself - crack. I talked with my dentist again ASAP and we concluded that even though it can be considered urgent, we could wait until Friday. Do note that one must be careful when dealing with infections. Such nasty stuff can perhaps get into the bloodstream and end up in other places where you seriously do not want it. Fortunately, I was far ahead in my antibiotics treatment so it was more or less business as usual. So, the doctors told me not to worry. It is all about comfort then.

At the time of this writing, my broken tooth is still clinging on to the soft parts in my mouth. And I don’t think I have ever been feeling my way around with my tongue as much as now. Just like a kid waiting for Santa, I am waiting eagerly to go to my dentist and start filling up my root canals. That last part sounds utterly insane, but apparently if you change your perspective, things can be interpreted quite differently. Like having a tooth-ache.

I hope this post makes at least some sense, but I am so tired now that my head is nodding on my keyboard. So sorry about any potential linguistic shortcomings. But a habit is a habit. It is Thursday and a post must come out one way or another.