Yesterday was not fun.

Short version: I have a new root canal. I have no more pain.

Long version: After seeing my regular dentist on Wednesday, I scheduled the root canal for Friday at 12:30. On Thursday, they called me and asked if I could take an earlier appointment at 10:45. I said OK. It was a long drive up to that part of Orlando, so we left yesterday morning around 9:30 since we didn't really know where we were going. It took a bit under an hour, so I was signing into the office at 10:25. It was a nice office, and we were amused that they were running the movie Princess Bride in the waiting room. The movie was just starting up, but about 10 minutes into it, the guy to Mark's right decided to watch something else on his phone or other handheld device. He turned it up ten times louder than the TV and did NOT use ear plugs. I have never seen anybody be that rude in a waiting area before.

I waited until 11ish before my name was called. She asked me for the paperwork I got from the regular dentist, and that's when I realized I had left it all out in the car. That was embarrassing. After sitting in the office for nearly 40 minutes without the papers, I then had to make THEM wait while I went out to the car to get them. OK, they now had the stapled packet I had been given on Wednesday, but it didn't include the proper referral so the visit would not be covered by insurance. What? I told them I didn't realize a referral wasn't stapled there because they actually said, "Be sure to take this referral and these xrays with you to your appointment." Then they handed me the stapled packet which had copies of the xrays in it and some generic paper including this dentist's name and number. I thought that was the referral. So, I told them to call the other office and get it faxed over. They smiled and nodded and told me to have a seat and wait.

That process took over an hour. Finally it was about noon when they called me back to the chair. I sat and sat and sat. I texted Mark a few times. I checked Facebook. About 12:20 the paperwork came through, so I signed all the papers, paid my $20 copay, and finally the doctor came in to give me the shots. It was now 12:30, my original appointment time. Ironic.

The doctor gave me SEVEN shots, but only two hurt. It was weird, but the two that hurt weren't from feeling the needle go in or anything. It seemed to set off the tooth and give me the big toothache feeling I had earlier in the week that precipitated this whole thing. At any rate, the doctor seemed surprised by my reaction. After the shots, he gave me another few minutes to let the novocaine work before he started.

I must say, that if I'm counting correctly, this has to be my 9th root canal. It was by far the best and easiest. The doctor did know what he was doing. I was done and in the car at 1:30 and it had not hurt a bit. Those seven shots did their job! I have only a temporary filling in there, so I'm not allowed to chew on that side or eat anything hard or chewy until I get a permanent filling put in by my regular dentist. I also was advised to take 800 mg of ibuprofen every six hours or as needed for pain. I took a dose when I got home and again after dinner. This morning, it doesn't seem like I will need any.

Except for the extraordinarily long wait to get the process started and my own adrenalin pumping from dread of what was going to happen, it was an easy root canal by a skilled dentist; however, there was a new wrinkle thrown into the mix. Halfway through the procedure, the dentist stopped and started to talk to me. They had to take all the stuff out of my mouth so I could talk back because I had to make decisions.

Apparently, there were a few problems and I had to decide what to do. I have a "three-tooth-bridge" on this side. He drilled down into the bridge to do the work. He said it might damage/crack/destroy the bridge and it would have to be replaced. I knew that going into it. What I didn't know was that there was a huge cavity in the tooth hidden from xrays by the bridge. He found it, cleaned it, and hoped he got it all. He couldn't tell if he got it all because the bridge hides it. So my options were, stop the root canal, go to my regular dentist, have her remove the bridge, look at the tooth to see if he got the whole thing, put in a filling, and make a new bridge. OR continue with the root canal and hope for the best. I asked him if I would be in pain when I left the office if he didn't finish the job today, and he said yes. So then there was no option. I didn't want to go out in pain. Who would? I told him to finish the root canal and hope for the best. I have to go back to the dentist anyway to get a permanent filling put in since I only have a temporary one right now. I can talk to her then about other options, but at least the tooth is dead and should give me no trouble for awhile. I might yet lose the tooth, he said, if he didn't get all the decay. It might spread and get down into the bone. Then I'd feel pain again and lose the tooth. I'm taking that chance. We'll see. Meanwhile, I'm pain free and that's a nice place to be.

The High Holiday season really gets rolling tonight. It's Selichot, the time to start singing the holiday melodies and start asking God and our friends and family for forgiveness. We are going to the late night service at SOJC tonight. It starts at 9:15 with some refreshments and a study session lead by the Rabbi. Another synagogue is joining us, so it should be interesting. As the High Holiday season begins, it's traditional to ask for forgiveness, so let me say right now to anyone reading this blog that if I have in anyway offended you, or upset you, or done anything to you that I should not have, please accept my most sincere apologies. I would never want to do that to anyone. Please forgive me.

L'Shana Tovah to all!