My dentist's office called after a routine cleaning and x-ray. Could I, they wondered, come back? Tomorrow. I got the sense if I said, "I can rush over now," they'd have replied. "Good, hurry." It was a matter of tone.
The news was bad. An enormous cavity, growing hidden beside my upper right wisdom tooth. Maybe even invading the jaw bone. Requiring a root canal and crown. Probably lose the wisdom tooth too.
"I like how you're so grim," I told the dentist, after he explained the situation. "It shows you care."
Off to the endodontist. Two hours in the chair for the root canal. Honestly, it didn't hurt — well, my left arm did, quite a lot, fallout from my ripped-up left shoulder. Holding it still for so long. I'd occasionally extend it, taking care not to upset a tray of tools or grope the dental hygienist.
Then there was the enforced silence. Although, being me, I still tried to speak, with a dental dam plus dental instruments in my mouth. I wanted to tell the endodontist how important Chicago is to the history of fluoridation. The initial experiments held in Evanston in 1946, with Oak Park as the control. Because he's a tooth guy. He'd be interested. Shutting up is an art form I struggle to master.
But that isn't the most embarrassing part.
The root canal was the first act. My next step was back to the dentist, to create a crown to go over the afflicted tooth, shaved down to a stump.
More than three hours in that chair, including the wait while the crown was being sculpted by a high-tech medical printer. When I could speak again, this is what I said:
"You know what I was thinking for the past two hours? And this will sound like I'm blowing smoke ... but I was thinking about how lucky I am to have access to high quality medical care like this."
I really said that. And I meant it. Some 100 million Americans don't routinely see a dentist, usually because of the cost. Half the world's population suffers from untreated oral diseases, according to the World Health Organization.
A reminder. You know what's much worse than a root canal? Not having a root canal.
Honestly, the root canal/crown was plenty to hone my medical gratitude. But life has a way of laying it on. A couple weeks later, I went to get an MRI on the shoulder that has hurt me since I tripped and fell on a train platform in Portugal. I was hoping the doctor would say it was strained, perhaps prescribe warm healing oils be massaged into the area while listening to whale song.
Badly torn rotator cuff. Which I could ignore, going to physical therapy, building up the muscles around the torn and useless muscle.
Or I could have repaired by arthroscopic surgery. Cut a few holes in my arm, poke in a camera, set some anchors in the bone, sew the muscle back in place, out in an hour. Not even a night's stay in the hospital.
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Hope your surgery and recovery go as smoothly and painlessly as possible.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Neil.
ReplyDeleteSpeedy recovery, Neil. See you soon.
ReplyDeleteYup, best to just deal with problems before they become bigger problems. My mom needed a knee replacement but opted for cleaning up a torn meniscus. She eventually got the knee replacement, but needed a hip replacement down the road because she'd been walking so awkwardly to accommodate the knee, she wore down her hip. Recovery from knee surgery was no big whoop. Recovery from hip surgery was a much bigger deal for her. Hope all goes well for you. Enjoy the recovery and the time it brings you. P.S. Mom had a shoulder replaced, too. (I joke that she's halfway through her major-joint replacement punch card.) Folks warned her off of doing a shoulder replacement, but that recovery was the easiest of the three.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your root canal. Luckily, I have never had that procedure. But a few hours from now I am off to see my dentist. The procedure is just routine cleaning. The pain will come from paying the annual in house insurance premium. It's ridiculous that original Medicare does not cover dental, vision, and hearing. But that's a conversation for another time. Good luck with your shoulder surgery. A friend had that a year ago. She was diligent about PT and recovery still took longer than expected.
ReplyDeleteYou are quite right, Lynne. We need nationalized insurance. Medicare and the gap is so costly, etc. Then the drug plans. And so tricky, Plan G plan this or that. But then Med. adv. is cheaper but has bad coverage.
DeleteI'm stuck in the past as far as music goes; the sixties and seventies are my jam. For some reason, your piece today immediately reminded me of Joni Mitchell's big yellow taxi.
ReplyDeleteDon't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
Best wishes. It is amazing how medical science extends and improves our lives. Surgery, therapy, new parts, vaccines, scans, tests, medicines. All the research and effort to keep us going. Its fascinating and affirming.
ReplyDeleteYes but people are living longer just to constantly end up with more tests, constant dr. appts.
DeleteI’ve had four root canals and soon on my way for a fifth this morning. It’s the pain you feel before realizing you have severe decay that’s the worst. The root canal is a relief - especially with multiple shots of novocaine.
ReplyDeleteHoping you have a swift and pain free recovery.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sound and level headed decision. Exactly what I would expect of you.
ReplyDeleteFirst, you are to be congratulated on still having your wisdom teeth at a, let us say, mature age. Mine were gone at about age 18. I don’t think I was any wiser for the experience.
ReplyDeleteSurely it was the endodontist that did the root canal, and your own dentist who made the crown, and not vice versa?
Right you are. I just screwed up who did what. God, embarrassing. I've got a lot on my plate. Fixed now. Thanks for pointing it out.
ReplyDeletedon't be so hard on yourself, Mr. S. and if you can't write on the blog for a while, don't
DeleteWishing you a speedy & uneventful recovery! I agree with your gratitude to be able to get things taken care of.
ReplyDeleteAn ounce of prevention...
ReplyDeleteExactly the right attitude. And even luckier to be in Chicago, where all this high tech care is easily available. If you've done a column on the Evanston vs. Oak Park fluoridation I'd love to see it resurrected.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have, thought (at the risk of a book plug) I do tell it in "Every Goddamn Day."
DeleteHave a speedy and complete recovery!
ReplyDeleteYou will be back pitching (great stories) in no time. Heal well.
ReplyDeleteYou've had some rough luck, healthwise lately, Mr. S. Best wishes to you. Mrs. S will have to help you clean up. Sad about your Mom. So true on dental health.
ReplyDeleteA good dentist can be a life-saver. Literally. Years ago, I had an abscessed tooth and the decay and the poison were spreading into my jawbone. Worst pain of my life. I remember screaming into a pillow and banging my head on the wall.
ReplyDeleteWhen my dentist saw me, he rushed me into the chair immediately. Told me that another day or two and the toxins could have entered my bloodstream, spread to my brain, and killed me dead. It didn't help when his receptionist and bookkeeper remarked that such things happened routinely back in the day, and that her father had died that way.
My dentist was a good guy, and he gave us "senior discounts." But when he lost his wife, he went off the rails. After one too many rants about Obama and Obamacare while in the chair, I found somebody else. Skinny Irish guy with white hair, and one of the most highly-rated tooth guys in the city.
Been going to him for a dozen years now. I've had some two-hour and three-hour sessions in the chair, and he does root canals...I've had a few.. He sends the crown impressions to a dental lab. They lost one once, and I had to do it all over again.
My guy has done five implants, with the outside help of an oral surgeon. The pain is mostly in the wallet. I could have bought a couple of nice cars for all that money.
The pain of dental work is vastly preferable to the pain of NO dental work.I just lie back and relax as best I can, and let him work his magic. My wife told me that he once said I was one of his best patients. Maybe because by now,, I know the drill. (sorry)
You can take some ibuprofen till you get to the dentist or oral surgeon.
DeleteGrizz, get dental insur. It will help some.
DeleteI need it more than ever now. Just came back from a cleaning and X-rays. Need a filling and TWO crowns replaced. It's either pony up three grand or eventually lose two teeth...or have implants. Been there five times already. Start to finish takes about eight months for each, and is even more costly. So this is the easy way out. Yeah, right...
DeleteAt almost eighty, I'm sinking big money into repairs that will all go up in smoke in a few more years, when I'm cremated. My question is this: Shouldn't crowns last more than ten lousy years? I'm a very unhappy Grizzster right now. My life is already a mess at the moment. Worst summer of my life. This was the last thing I needed.
I had left side rotator cuff repair several years ago. The post op sling wearing and therapy were totally worth the time and effort. Also, I found that wearing a sling in public brings out the best in other people, who were anxious to help me. That was the best part, seeing how kind people want to be.
ReplyDeleteI had left side rotator cuff repair several years ago. The post op sling wearing and therapy were totally worth the time and effort. Also, I found that wearing a sling in public brings out the best in other people, who were anxious to help me. That was the best part, seeing how kind people want to be.
ReplyDeleteSending good thoughts your way for a thorough and speedy recovery. Your daily insights into the world will be missed. Hopefully, you will be able to occasionally post on your ".com" site.
ReplyDeleteDue to the severity of injuries, I will not be commenting for 3 months. See you at 🎃 Halloween.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing and best wishes for positive outcomes. "Do the things you can" is great advice. You've got this!
ReplyDeleteMy comment on modern art is a day late. And it’s not even my comment. It’s Winston Churchill’s. When he viewed a portrait of himself that he detested, he said that it was “a remarkable example of modern art” that “certainly combines force with candour.” His wife later had the painting destroyed.
ReplyDeleteWhat’s not too late, I hope, is my sincerest wishes for a successful surgery and for a speedy and perfect recovery.
GL on your surgery
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Mr. S. I was in a similar situation not long ago; slipped on a wet sidewalk in Edinburgh and tore my meniscus, subsequently developed osteoarthritis, and...a year or so later I've got a new knee. Hope you have a speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the surgery and the recovery! And never neglect dental work. I did for a few years and paid the price.
ReplyDeleteWishing you good luck and speedy recovery. You will be missed!!
ReplyDelete