I hate having teeth. A sort of rambling vent.

[mrs.jacinthe]

I've mentioned here before that I have SUPREMELY BAD dental anxiety, right?  Well, last dentist visit, it turns out that I needed a root canal.  So today I went to the endodontist to get it fixed.  They give me the happy gas, so the actual fix was no problem, but do you know what they gave me for pain?  NOTHING.  A piece of paper with "800mg Ibuprofen every 8 hours.  650mg Tylenol every 8 hours.  Alternate medications every 4 hours."  THIS IS NOT HELPFUL.  MY FACE HURTS.    Why no good drugs?

In other news, this is like the 4th dentist in a row to tell me I have beautiful teeth.  This one was like "they're like ... Hollywood level perfect."  Uhhhh, thanks?  LOL.  I felt a little like a horse - am I worth more because of my nice teeth?

(Also, @juno - the infection from flossing too aggressively actually started this whole mess.  So you do, in fact, know someone with a flossing injury.  That resulted in a damn root canal.)

[simpsongal]

Dang, I'm sorry. I have my dad's awful, soft teeth. He actually had half of his teeth ripped out IN HIS 40'S.

I've had about 30+ cavities filled.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Mar 2, 2015 13:40:33 GMT -5 @juno said:

I'm sorry. Maybe call them back and tell them you are in pain and would like something stronger?

He said in-office to give it 24-hours for a pain reaction.  Apparently there's a 2-10% chance it could hurt WORSE tomorrow.  And if it does, it signals an actual inflammatory reaction and I have to go back.  I guess that's why they want to do NSAIDs first - to try to keep that under control and/or establish a pain baseline? 

[bunnymendelbaum]

Mar 2, 2015 13:41:07 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Dang, I'm sorry. I have my dad's awful, soft teeth. He actually had half of his teeth ripped out IN HIS 40'S.

I've had about 30+ cavities filled.

I have my dad's awful teeth too.

I am dreading going to the dentist, but DHs new job comes with pretty good dental insurance. I'm going to have to go. I want to cry just thinking about all the work I probably need. I'm already working on a speech to tell the dentist & hygienist so they don't lecture me too much about my teeth. 

Mrs. J - so sorry you are in pain!

[simpsongal]

Mar 2, 2015 14:01:00 GMT -5 bunnymendelbaum said:

Mar 2, 2015 13:41:07 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Dang, I'm sorry. I have my dad's awful, soft teeth. He actually had half of his teeth ripped out IN HIS 40'S.

I've had about 30+ cavities filled.

I have my dad's awful teeth too.

I am dreading going to the dentist, but DHs new job comes with pretty good dental insurance. I'm going to have to go. I want to cry just thinking about all the work I probably need. I'm already working on a speech to tell the dentist & hygienist so they don't lecture me too much about my teeth. 

Mrs. J - so sorry you are in pain!

This makes me RAGE.  Every f'ing time I get a tutorial on proper flossing.  I floss every night and I do it the correct way, using Glide.  I hate how dentists and hygienists assume you don't brush/floss enough or correctly b/c you have cavities.

I haven't been to the dentist in almost 2 years.  I usually go every 6 months but pregnancy, baby, and an insurance change got in the way. I go next week and I'm not expecting a good report

[bunnymendelbaum]

Mar 2, 2015 14:06:07 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

This makes me RAGE.  Every f'ing time I get a tutorial on proper flossing.  I floss every night and I do it the correct way, using Glide.  I hate how dentists and hygienists assume you don't brush/floss enough or correctly b/c you have cavities.

I haven't been to the dentist in almost 2 years.  I usually go every 6 months but pregnancy, baby, and an insurance change got in the way. I go next week and I'm not expecting a good report

I just want to go in like: "Listen, I know teeth are your LYFE. But they are not mine. Do you want me to come over to your house and tell you how shit it is?"

[mrs.jacinthe]

Mar 2, 2015 14:06:07 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Mar 2, 2015 14:01:00 GMT -5 bunnymendelbaum said:

I have my dad's awful teeth too.

I am dreading going to the dentist, but DHs new job comes with pretty good dental insurance. I'm going to have to go. I want to cry just thinking about all the work I probably need. I'm already working on a speech to tell the dentist & hygienist so they don't lecture me too much about my teeth. 

Mrs. J - so sorry you are in pain!

This makes me RAGE.  Every f'ing time I get a tutorial on proper flossing.  I floss every night and I do it the correct way, using Glide.  I hate how dentists and hygienists assume you don't brush/floss enough or correctly b/c you have cavities.

I haven't been to the dentist in almost 2 years.  I usually go every 6 months but pregnancy, baby, and an insurance change got in the way. I go next week and I'm not expecting a good report

I get a lot of lectures because I'm naturally plaque-prone AND I have a permanent retainer on the bottom, so I get a lot of plaque build up.  Two times ago, the lady was all "WELL, IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THIS AS IT HAPPENS, WE'LL HAVE TO REFER YOU TO A PERIODONTIST FOR IN-DEPTH TREATMENT."  I cried.  For reals.  I already get nervous and anxious about going in for my 2x yearly cleaning.  I brush/floss daily and that area is a struggle b/c it's hard to floss and the retainer is like a damn plaque magnet.  There's NOTHING ELSE I CAN DO.  This last time I got a different hygienist and it was night/day.  She was encouraging and reassuring and I do NOT have to see the periodontist.

[emoflamingo]

Between pregnancies and not flossing, I'm surprised my teeth haven't fallen out of my head. But for real, I try my best and if it comes down to flossing and having clean underwear, well... sorry, Mr. Dentist, you can make some more money out of me.

I'm sorry you're in pain mrs.jacinthe. Is it something you can ice? Frozen peas or corn work best, from my experience with having wisdom teeth cut out.

[bunnymendelbaum]

Mar 2, 2015 14:09:37 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

Mar 2, 2015 14:06:07 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

This makes me RAGE.  Every f'ing time I get a tutorial on proper flossing.  I floss every night and I do it the correct way, using Glide.  I hate how dentists and hygienists assume you don't brush/floss enough or correctly b/c you have cavities.

I haven't been to the dentist in almost 2 years.  I usually go every 6 months but pregnancy, baby, and an insurance change got in the way. I go next week and I'm not expecting a good report

I get a lot of lectures because I'm naturally plaque-prone AND I have a permanent retainer on the bottom, so I get a lot of plaque build up.  Two times ago, the lady was all "WELL, IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THIS AS IT HAPPENS, WE'LL HAVE TO REFER YOU TO A PERIODONTIST FOR IN-DEPTH TREATMENT."  I cried.  For reals.  I already get nervous and anxious about going in for my 2x yearly cleaning.  I brush/floss daily and that area is a struggle b/c it's hard to floss and the retainer is like a damn plaque magnet.  There's NOTHING ELSE I CAN DO.  This last time I got a different hygienist and it was night/day.  She was encouraging and reassuring and I do NOT have to see the periodontist.

Has anyone mentioned taking the permanent retainer out?  I have one too behind on my front lower 5 teeth, and it is impossible to floss behind. One of my teeth there is starting to look like shit.

[simpsongal]

I can't imagine working around a permanent retainer. Although I sort of wish I had one b/c I stopped wearing my last Invisalign trays after 10 years, and my stupid bottom teeth crossed again. FML.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Mar 2, 2015 14:14:00 GMT -5 bunnymendelbaum said:

Mar 2, 2015 14:09:37 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

I get a lot of lectures because I'm naturally plaque-prone AND I have a permanent retainer on the bottom, so I get a lot of plaque build up.  Two times ago, the lady was all "WELL, IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THIS AS IT HAPPENS, WE'LL HAVE TO REFER YOU TO A PERIODONTIST FOR IN-DEPTH TREATMENT."  I cried.  For reals.  I already get nervous and anxious about going in for my 2x yearly cleaning.  I brush/floss daily and that area is a struggle b/c it's hard to floss and the retainer is like a damn plaque magnet.  There's NOTHING ELSE I CAN DO.  This last time I got a different hygienist and it was night/day.  She was encouraging and reassuring and I do NOT have to see the periodontist.

Has anyone mentioned taking the permanent retainer out?  I have one too behind on my front lower 5 teeth, and it is impossible to floss behind. One of my teeth there is starting to look like shit.

It's been mentioned as an option, but most of them indicate that it's better to keep it in until it falls out or breaks.  I've been fortunate so far that those teeth are quite healthy, except for the plaque issue.

[wawa]

Mar 2, 2015 14:34:23 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

Mar 2, 2015 14:14:00 GMT -5 bunnymendelbaum said:

Has anyone mentioned taking the permanent retainer out?  I have one too behind on my front lower 5 teeth, and it is impossible to floss behind. One of my teeth there is starting to look like shit.

It's been mentioned as an option, but most of them indicate that it's better to keep it in until it falls out or breaks.  I've been fortunate so far that those teeth are quite healthy, except for the plaque issue.

dont' take it out if it's not causing serious problems.  I took mine out on the recommendation of my dentist and all my goddamn bottom teeth promptly shifted all over the place.  2nd from the right is slowly moving completely behind everybody else.

My dentist sucked. Took me a while to realize just how much...but yeah, that was just the first of several bad ideas on his part.

Although I did have a rather enjoyable grownup AHA! moment when it occurred to me to be all like, "no, I don't floss regularly.  Sorry.  Get to scrapin' sister." like, full on "I do what I want" cartman style.  I am a grownup - I don't have to answer to my dentist like a misbehaving child and I refuse to allow the dynamic to be like that.  I am, however, occasionally full of attitude.  So I can see that this doesn't work so well for people less assholish than I am deep down.

I'm sorry your face hurts. 

[emoflamingo]

Mar 2, 2015 14:51:06 GMT -5 wawa said:

Mar 2, 2015 14:34:23 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

It's been mentioned as an option, but most of them indicate that it's better to keep it in until it falls out or breaks.  I've been fortunate so far that those teeth are quite healthy, except for the plaque issue.

dont' take it out if it's not causing serious problems.  I took mine out on the recommendation of my dentist and all my goddamn bottom teeth promptly shifted all over the place.  2nd from the right is slowly moving completely behind everybody else.

My dentist sucked. Took me a while to realize just how much...but yeah, that was just the first of several bad ideas on his part.

Although I did have a rather enjoyable grownup AHA! moment when it occurred to me to be all like, "no, I don't floss regularly.  Sorry.  Get to scrapin' sister." like, full on "I do what I want" cartman style.  I am a grownup - I don't have to answer to my dentist like a misbehaving child and I refuse to allow the dynamic to be like that.  I am, however, occasionally full of attitude.  So I can see that this doesn't work so well for people less assholish than I am deep down.

I'm sorry your face hurts. 

I think I started just responding "when I have time." Because flossing is only jumping over some of my to-do list items if I got a hunk of something stuck between two teeth where I have a crown and it's irritating me to the point that I can't concentrate on anything else.

[pamela]

Mar 2, 2015 14:09:37 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

Mar 2, 2015 14:06:07 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

This makes me RAGE.  Every f'ing time I get a tutorial on proper flossing.  I floss every night and I do it the correct way, using Glide.  I hate how dentists and hygienists assume you don't brush/floss enough or correctly b/c you have cavities.

I haven't been to the dentist in almost 2 years.  I usually go every 6 months but pregnancy, baby, and an insurance change got in the way. I go next week and I'm not expecting a good report

I get a lot of lectures because I'm naturally plaque-prone AND I have a permanent retainer on the bottom, so I get a lot of plaque build up.  Two times ago, the lady was all "WELL, IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THIS AS IT HAPPENS, WE'LL HAVE TO REFER YOU TO A PERIODONTIST FOR IN-DEPTH TREATMENT."  I cried.  For reals.  I already get nervous and anxious about going in for my 2x yearly cleaning.  I brush/floss daily and that area is a struggle b/c it's hard to floss and the retainer is like a damn plaque magnet.  There's NOTHING ELSE I CAN DO.  This last time I got a different hygienist and it was night/day.  She was encouraging and reassuring and I do NOT have to see the periodontist.

Look into Livionex (Google it).  It's a tooth gel that breaks down the bond between plaque and your teeth.  Seriously amazing. Expensive, but if it saves dental bills and pain, worth it to me.  It is even supposed to get below the gumline build up. It definitely helped me. 

[mrs.jacinthe]

Mar 2, 2015 21:26:53 GMT -5 pamela said:

Mar 2, 2015 14:09:37 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

I get a lot of lectures because I'm naturally plaque-prone AND I have a permanent retainer on the bottom, so I get a lot of plaque build up.  Two times ago, the lady was all "WELL, IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THIS AS IT HAPPENS, WE'LL HAVE TO REFER YOU TO A PERIODONTIST FOR IN-DEPTH TREATMENT."  I cried.  For reals.  I already get nervous and anxious about going in for my 2x yearly cleaning.  I brush/floss daily and that area is a struggle b/c it's hard to floss and the retainer is like a damn plaque magnet.  There's NOTHING ELSE I CAN DO.  This last time I got a different hygienist and it was night/day.  She was encouraging and reassuring and I do NOT have to see the periodontist.

Look into Livionex (Google it).  It's a tooth gel that breaks down the bond between plaque and your teeth.  Seriously amazing. Expensive, but if it saves dental bills and pain, worth it to me.  It is even supposed to get below the gumline build up. It definitely helped me. 

That sounds awesome!!!  I checked out the website and I'd totally buy it if I could.  I'm allergic to peppermint (or mint of any kind, really) so I can't use it, but if they ever come out with a cinnamon flavor (or something else) I'd be down, for sure.

[pamela]

Mar 2, 2015 21:33:48 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

Mar 2, 2015 21:26:53 GMT -5 pamela said:

Look into Livionex (Google it).  It's a tooth gel that breaks down the bond between plaque and your teeth.  Seriously amazing. Expensive, but if it saves dental bills and pain, worth it to me.  It is even supposed to get below the gumline build up. It definitely helped me. 

That sounds awesome!!!  I checked out the website and I'd totally buy it if I could.  I'm allergic to peppermint (or mint of any kind, really) so I can't use it, but if they ever come out with a cinnamon flavor (or something else) I'd be down, for sure.

Oh that sucks.  You should give them the suggestion.