Sounds dramatic right? Give me a root canal or give me death! But I meant it. I have NEVER in my life been in pain like I was from this tooth. Backstory: 9 months ago I broke my back molar eating some delicious homemade granola. Being the genius I am, I decided to get a dental "fix it" kit from the grocery store and just patch up the tooth myself in the hopes that it could just hold off until we move back to the US and I can go to my dentist.......who I love. This plan worked for about 7 months, but then the pain started. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, so I just thought that I could endure a bit of pain until I could find a dentist and sort out what what needed to be done.
Four weeks later my little bit of pain turned into unbearable pain and desperation. Thanks to a friend from Road Runners I was put in contact with a dentist and went the private route to have my tooth fixed. At this point in time I was taking loads of ibuprofen and paracetamol 4 times a day and waking in the middle of the night for another dose. The pain I felt made my 2 C-sections feel like minor scratches. I have never been so excited in my life to go to the Dentist, at last, and put an end to the pain.
When I arrived at the Dentist she took an x-ray of the tooth. When the Dentist had a look at the tooth she asked me if I was experiencing pain in the tooth next to it? No. The pain though constant was more severe when she tapped the broken tooth. "Hmmm, " she responded, "I am surprised that you don't have pain in this tooth." Apparently the tooth next to that I had received a root canal on when I was 17 had a pocket of infection at the base of the root and as the Dentist pointed out a piece of metal broken off in the root. This tooth had caused me major problems when the root canal was originally performed and ended in a swollen face, drain inserted into the gums, and a trip to the endodontist to re-do the original job done by the dentist. This job she told me will have to be outsourced to an endodontist. Nice right? Why didn't any of my past US dentists who had full mouth e-rays mention this to me? No one wants to own up to the fact that someone has made a mistake because it could possibly cost them some money. In the end, who pays for the mistakes? The people who go on walking around with a piece of broken off file in their root because no one will point out that someone else did a really bad job. Despite this bad experience with the Dentist at 16, I have still never had pain like I had this go around.
The Dentists didn't have the time to perform the root canal, so she scheduled an appointment for a couple weeks later when we were home from Spain. I went on some antibiotics and carried on with the pain medication until she could do the work. When the Dentist began drilling into the tooth she stopped, looked at me, and said "Oh, you are going to feel so much better!" True words. She could see how unnerved the nerve was and thought that she could just pluck the nerve right out. I don't know how it all works, but that's what she said. The good news is that I am now pain free. I have been very frustrated because the pain did not only keep me from being able to perform simple daily activities, but it also kept me from running for 4 weeks. Now I go back to square 1. Short distances and slow speeds, but at least I am healthy now and can work my way back.
There is nothing like having a bout of poor health or pain to make you appreciate a healthy body. I am grateful for a healthy body. Now, it is time to get back running!
