Dental Woes

Last Wednesday night I was cleaning up after Movie Night when I spotted a vanilla Tootsie Roll left in the Halloween candy I had put out as part of the refreshments. I unwrapped it, popped it in my mouth and chewed for a bit when I came across a hard piece. I thought it was just the end piece of the candy where air had gotten to it. That thought lasted for about 30 seconds when my tongue touched up against my tooth and it felt wrong, very very wrong. I tentatively explored around the tooth and sure enough the hard piece of candy that I had just tossed into the trash can was in reality my filling that I had gotten the last time I had gone to the dentist.  Which was when I had lived in Japan about 15 years ago. There wasn't any pain but I hurriedly put some stuff in a basket and placed the basket in the AV Room. I wanted to get home as quickly as possible because I had visions of impending wracking pain. I didn't want to be on the road when such pain visited me. I got home, called M to let her know what had happened. She sent me the phone number for Delta Dental so I could call them the next day to sort out finding me a dentist.
Ironically, I had decided on Monday that I would look for a dentist on Thursday. One of my New Year resolutions for this year was to go the dentist, since the year is quickly fading into last year, I thought I needed to get a start on this resolution before it became yet another one crumpled up and discarded in the corner. I began to ponder the timing and wondered whether I cursed myself or had a premonition?
 I have had a couple of other examples of this very same thing. One time, I decided to wear my bicycle helmet while cycling on a hot summer day. I tended to be pretty bad about wearing a helmet on hot days because it got hot and itchy. Actually, I am pretty bad about wanting to wear a helmet on any day. But on this day I decided to give it a go and snapped the helmet strap under my chin. That ride happened to be  the one and only time that I had a bike wreck where I actually bang my head. Hmmmm?
Then one morning I happened to purchase a first aid-kit on impulse before I went up to the Aiea Loop for a run. I ran Aiea Loop on a regular basis. All was business as usual but then I tripped over a root and found myself splayed out with the wind knocked out of me, my ankle twisted and abrasions on my knees, elbow and chin. I was able to hobble to my car and with the newly purchashed first aid kit I was cancel out the visions contracting leptosprirosus drifting through my head. Again, hmmmm? Am I psychic? Dunno! Anyway back to the story.
The next morning I call Delta Care and get a number for a dentist. I call and get an appointment with Dr.David Pham with the Valencia Dental Group. I gave them the heads up that they had a high maintenance patient on their hands. The receptionist told me that the team was really good with putting people at ease. Buoyed a bit with this information, I  very carefully consumed lunch before I turned up for my afternoon appointment. When Dr. Pham came in to exam me,  I recounted my dental nightmare at the tender age of 5.
I went to Dr. Derryberry for a tooth extraction on my first ever visit to the dentist. He didn't numb me enough and when my cries of pain and panic couldn't be controlled, he told me that little girls like me had mothers that left them forever. Six months after my visit, Dr. Derryberry was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Dr. Pham asked "You remember that experience from when you were 5?" I returned "Yes, of course, it was a lasting impression." I was left with a lasting near debilitating fear of dentists. As a result, I have only been to the dentist a handful of times in my life.
They asked what I kind of filling I had had and if I still had it. No, I answered, it was in the trash but what I had before was like the one behind it. I thought what I had was a crown but was quickly disabused of this thought and informed that I had an en lay which is not as complete as the crown. Once the Dr. got inside my mouth he said that the work from my Japanese dentist was quite good and that he took a fairly conservative approach to dental care. He then told me that I had a really small mouth and that they had to squeeze the child size mouth opener into my mouth. I amused myself for a bit with future comebacks to "You have a big mouth."
The doctor excited, the account manager entered, this little trip was going to cost me $800 out of pocket. I wondered what the insurance was paying and she said about $500 which made me instantly glad that I had at least some coverage. Ouch. After signing waivers the accounts manager exited and the dentist returned. We were ready to get serious. He drilled a bit and cleaned a bit, and told me that he wanted to put a temporary on because it wasn't clear if I would need a root canal or not, so please come back in a week to ten days or if you have a lot of pain sooner. I made an appointment for Monday, November 7.
Then this morning as I was eating a cranberry scone for breakfast, I pulled out a tough cranberry which I quickly determined was not a cranberry but rather the temporary. Grrrr....I called the dental office and it turns out that they can fit me in at 1:00. Oh, how nice. I go get a cup of coffee and realize after a few sips that I need a straw because it is sensitive. Dr. Pham welcomed me back and asked how I was, I responded that I have spent my last two days off visiting him. He said that he would give me Saturday and Sunday off. Funny guy. Numbed up, he tells me that it will take about 15 minutes for the new en lay to be cemented and then polished. All is going well but then I start feeling a bit of pain along my gum line, I try to ignore it but then he pings me again and I jerk. He jerks and we all have to settle down before he can continue. Then it is over and I go out to the receptionist who wants to make an appointment for a full work up. I must have looked shell shocked enough for her to ask if I wanted to have a month off. I quickly jumped on that and we set up an appointment for the 3rd Thursday in December. Merry Christmas to me. Woohoo!!!