novocaine

Last week out of the blue I had a monster toothache flare up. I really was in agony, the throbbing got so intense that I was on the brink of tears at time. At home I took a few anti-inflammatories and kept an icepack to my face to alleviate some of the pain, but my 7am dentist appointment the next morning couldn't come fast enough.

Thank god I was able to get an appointment though. I had tried to call them several times while at work and the call dropped and never connected every time. For a dentists' office that sends a snail-mail reminder, an email, a phone call and text message to remind you of an appointment, it was baffling not being able to call them. I decided to try their appointment request online, and about an hour later they emailed me back with a 7am or noon appointment. (Turns out their phones were down that day for some reason, but it was so frustrating to not be able to call them the one time i really really needed to see them.)

Anyway, 7am arrives and I am in the dentist chair, miserable and still holding the icepack to my face. The dentist figured the pain could be from one thing or another. Either the nerve was infected and created and abscess that would require a root canal specialist, or the nerve was just beat up from my bite and the whole area around the tooth was bruised. But to even figure it out they would have to do a bite adjustment. If the pain increased I needed the specialist, if it decreased I had the bruise. Before they started the bite adjustment though, my dentist said I probably couldn't take all the work they would have to so they were going to give me some Novocaine to help then get to work.

My reaction to the Novocaine? "Yay!" Apparently, that is not a normal response.

PS: I had the bruise. Yay again!