Well damn! That’s because it is! lol. I had a dental appointment for my broken tooth at 10:30am. I knew it was bad because 1/2 the tooth could wiggle back and forth, while the other half remained stationary. mmmmmm. And I was told I needed a crown on that tooth five years ago. (When I got the root canal in Jan. 04) Since I’ve had 3 kids in braces, the idea of me getting some of the crowns I need (5) is not something that I consider.
So, to make a long story longer….my dentist is still on her maternity leave…til Monday. Damnit! My tooth couldn’t have waited 5 measly days to break? Little bastard. So who do I get? I get a new young doc. Who is prepared to send me home with a broken tooth. Huh? “How will I eat?”
So he tells me…”What I could do is see how far the break goes down and if it’s not far we can try and fill it. Or we can just fill it temporarily til Monday when your doctor comes back”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
drill, drill, wiggle, drill, tap, grind. “Nope, the break goes all the way into the canal. It needs to come out” And it this point he has drilled the entire CROWN off the tooth!
I’m then informed that he doesn’t have much experience with extractions, so his colleague will do it. She has done many more. (So I’m sitting there wondering….is “many more” like…..100 rather than 50? Or like 5 rather than 2?) Wellllll guess who comes in? The young chick from my last visit. It’s almost like some weird dental karma is hunting me down. I couldn’t believe it. So she tells me she can take the tooth out but since it’s a ‘prior root canal tooth’ that there may be difficulty. But she can do it. Hmmmmm.
So I’m prepped, 5 shots in the roof of my mouth. Which, by the way, frickin hurts. And four shots in the gums. One in the tooth. Then the fun begins! I’ve haven’t felt that much pressure since I had a c-section. Swear-to-God. First off there’s this tool they use. I think it’s called the tool of death and misery, severe pain and torture. I don’t know what it’s called. The ‘I owe a lot on my dental school loans and I’m going to take it out on you – bitch’…tool. (It actually feels like an auger might feel if it were drilling into your bone. The tool separates the tooth bone from the jaw I think)
So this young doc is practically standing on my chest trying to pull my tooth out. And then using that frickin auger thing. It is so much pressure, I shit you not, that my head is literally vibrating off the headrest. She was pushing and pulling so hard, that the hat on my head was sliding over my NOSE as my head tried to sink into the chair. My feet were pulled up and feet bracing where your back would normally be in the chair. All the dentist could say was ‘breathe, breathe’. (I’m thinking….just let me frickin’ die already! lol)
By the way, I have EXTREMELY high pain tolerance. But…THIRTY minutes of this and the pulling….she gets 5 pieces of the tooth out. Yes, pieces. And looks at me and says…”I’m sorry I have to send you to an oral surgeon.”
WHAT YOU TALKIN BOUT DENTIST?
Now, one might assume that considering the ordeal that I had just been through. Someone there might have, oh, as a courtesy?, arranged an appointment with an oral surgeon for me? Hummmm? Nope. They send me home with 4 referrals. One guy only works Monday and Wednesday (it was Thursday) and the other two are on vacation. One left, he’s on lunch for the next hour. Shane and I called EVERYONE in the phone book. Even an oral surgeon named ACHOO! I SWEAR to God, his first name was Achoo! (bless you.) Yes, I was so desperate that I was willing to see a surgeon named ACHOO! (bless you.)
I finally get through to the 4th referral and the receptionist is named Sheila! Yea! A first name buddy ! She got me in, and $650, a couple stitches, a bone graft and two hours later I was home! (the bone graft was for incase within a couple years I decide I want an implant, there will be new ‘bone’ there and it will also aid the teeth on either side to NOT shift until I figure out what I’m going to do.) $2900. implant (yeah that’s one tooth), OR $2400 bridge. OR $200 for a partial that has one measly tooth on it. How silly that must look. ha ha ha. But I’ll get that little snaggletooth partial until I can afford the creme-de-la-creme implant. LoL!
Oh, and to show what a wonder wife I am? On the way home I dropped off my prescriptions AND picked up a birthday cake for Shane….all with a hunk of gauze in my mouth and greatly resembling Dick Clark on New Year’s Rockin Eve. (now please, I’m not making fun of anyone who’s had a stroke…it’s ONLY being said to give you a visual!) What time did I finally get home? 6:15pm. Now. If you’ll excusssse me, there’s a vicodin callin my name….Sheeeila!
I'm Sheila. In addition to raising 1 husband and 3 teens, I've founded 
Holy crap, Sheila!! That’s awful. Take some major meds and pass out, please!
Alyson (New England Living)’s last blog post..A Little Bit of old England in New England
Oh Sheila. That is a miserable experience. I hope you are feeling much better today and I think you need to find a different dental practice.
My mouth is hurting for you! I hope you got some rest & feel better today!
AmyG’s last blog post..There is finally going to be a trial!
You poor girl, Sheila! I hate going to the dentist. But I bet you are glad that it is over. Your mouth must really be hurting. Go take that vicodin and rest.
Cascia @ Healthy Moms’s last blog post..Spotlight Blog – All About Parenting
i just threw up!
Oh man, you are sending me into alternate paroxysms of pain and laughter! I have birthed three children, but wisdom tooth extraction about killed me. Nice to “meet” you, over from “Suburb Sanity.”
2nd Cup Linda’s last blog post..What I Haven’t Done
Ouch! I agree with Debbie, I’d be looking for a new dentist.
Cara’s last blog post..Friday Top Ten – A Ski Bum
Oh no- what a day you had. I hope the vicodin helped.
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Oh.My.GOD!!! That’s TERRIBLE!! I read that whole post with my finger in my mouth holding together my teeth! I would’ve FREAKED OUT if that happened to me!! I’ve only had one cavity my entire life *knock on wood* so there is no way I would’ve dealt with that. Especially after they said they couldn’t get it all out!! AAAAAAAHHH!
BTW, “What you talking about Dentist?” – HILARIOUS!!!
I feel your pain! I’ve written a lot about dental visits on my blog, too…and I get a good number of searches on the piece I titled “How to survive your root canal”–so obviously a lot of people want to know how to do that!!! HAHA! I’ve had 13 root canals, obviously an unlucky number! I had a bone infection on an old one in March of last year, and it was horrific.
Sending you positive, healing vibes!
DaisyDeadhead’s last blog post..Two from Disraeli Gears
Oy…I’m scared to go to the dentist. My tooth has been bugging me just like yours. You are super mom to do all that after that experience. Hope you’re taken care of this weekend.
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OMG that’s awful. I think I’d rather have the c-section. What a nightmare. Really the dentist scares the shit out of me. At least it’s out. Medicate, baby. Medicate the hell out of yourself.
mrsbear’s last blog post..Insert Guilt Here – Spin Cycle
Do you know hoe much I hate the dentist? No? Well it is A LOT. Everything that can go wrong at the dentist alwaaaaays does when I am in that chair.
Oh! And I paid the big bucks for the implant!
It failed! 3000 dollars down the drain.
Enjoy your vicodin!
Jenni Jiggety’s last blog post..Shey [B] Camera Strap Slip Cover GIVEAWAY!
Ahhh, vicodin, yessss. I think that little pinkish-red hole looks kinda cute, next to all those perfect chompers.
Jannie’s last blog post..Notes to self
I’m sorry you had to go through all day. It must have felt like torture. I’ve never been fond of dentists.
Rach (Heart of Rachel)’s last blog post..Photo Hunt :: Aftermath
Umm..OUCH! I remember when I had my wisdom teeth pulled. One of them was cracked and it took two trips to remove it all. Thank god for Percocet. I think tooth pain is probably the worst. 2900 for one tooth! I should have become a dentist.
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ouch!! What a horrible experience. sorry you had to go through that. Take that vicodin and relax…….
Newlyweds’s last blog post..Weekly Shopping Trip
That sounds awful. I hate the dentist! Hope you’re feeling better now.
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I googled (lol) tooth extraction day by day healing process and I eventually was linked back to this site.
I FEEL YOUR PAIN. Exact same thing happened to me not three days ago! (I look like a chipmunk as I type this). I wasn’t completely numb during the first dentist, so as he broke my tooth into pieces to pull it out, I felt EVERY NERVE. AHHH trauma to the max.
I really hope childbirth is less painful! (I’m only in college, no babies yet).
I enjoyed reading this so much! I just had my 11th tooth extraction last Friday. Goodbye already root canaled tooth #30. I had tooth #20 (previously root-canaled and crowned) pulled just 10 days ago. Stitches haven’t even dissolved yet. So here I sit, trying to drink down some Carnation instant breakfast and keep it from going to either side of my mouth in the process. Taking only Ibuprofen for pain since all narcotics give me a migraine and make me throw up. Makes me sick just thinking of the thousands of dollars I’ve wasted on orthodontics, root canals and crowns just to end up toothless before I’m 50! I’ve spent a literal fortune of dental visits, special toothpaste, fluoride treatments, etc. all pointless. And yes- tooth pain is the worst. I was in more pain following this last extraction than I was following spinal surgery to fuse L5-S1. Also, didn’t have any anesthesia during childbirth 21 years ago. But tooth pain? O M G !!!!!! Worst pain there is.
glad to see the visual pictorial and isn’t it crazy how hard it is to find an oral surgeon to help you out when you’re in alot of pain.
My dentist informed me that he doesn’t pull teeth. I should have switched dentist when he told me that. My tooth became infected and inflamed and I had the darndest time finding an oral surgeon to pull my tooth. I went through the phone book and finally found a regular dentist who would pull it after I was on antibiotics for 5 days. I couldn’t take painkillers because they kept making puke. You know how hard it is to drive the kids to school while trying not to puke or pass out. ( lucky for me its only 5 blocks but it was snowy and feezing out.)I was worried, heard horror stories of teeth breaking apart during extraction and was hoping that wouldn’t happen.(Unfortunate for you it worked out that way) Anyways he pulled it and now i’m trying to make sure I dont get a dry socket. Which is why I was looking at your post. I was trying to figure out how long healing would take. Thanks for the pictures.
That was the funniest horror story I’ve ever read!! OMG, bless your heart…ACHOO!!!
I just had a tooth pulled and was looking for pictures of what the hole should look like now. I found this blog, and now, not only am I reassured about my own healing process, I have a great new blog to read! You’re awesome!
I just had a tooth extracted 4 days ago– I loved reading this article! Very funny stuff. I can relate on the pressure, among other discomforts. Luckily for me they managed to pull the sucker out in about 4 pieces and drilled the bottom of the roots to dust in about 25 minutes. Mind you it was the “most challenging extraction of the month,” it went okay. Still waiting for the swelling to go down, but I haven’t felt any pain since the shots! Now to save up for the bridge (or implant!). Cheers!