Root Canal and other Daily Things

Today I started my day off with a 9am root canal. I went to see the dentist this summer sometime (or maybe it was even earlier in the year - I know it was 2008 for sure though) and he told me I needed some fillings replaced, etc. He submitted the work needed to my insurance company and I got an estimated statement of $300 for my part of the bill if I got all the work done. Matt and I consulted and decided I would wait until after school was over to get my teeth fixed because of the money commitment. That backfired. I began having some pain a couple of weeks ago and figured out I had an infection in one of my teeth. I got an antibiotic from the dentist, went to see him, and was referred to the endodontist for my root canal. I am TERRIFIED of the dentist and any procedures that might take place in the dental chair. I was not excited about the root canal, but i'm not crazy enough to think that my tooth will get better.

The dentist put some topical numbing stuff on my tooth and gums before he inserted the needle into my cheek for the local anesthetic and I thought that was mighty kind of him. That did not stop me from freaking out though. When he turned the drill on, I started to cry. It was very odd. They put this plastic covering over my mouth that I assume was open at the back so he could get to my one tooth without the others interferring. Maybe it was to keep the tooth dust from going down my throat. All I know is that "balloon" covering my mouth combined with the sound of the drill freaked me out. I didn't cry long and I didn't hyperventillate, so that was good. However, I did leak a few tears before I got myself under control. I even got to see the root that they pulled out. It was COOL and tiny. Way more tiny than I could have ever imagined. The whole thing only took about 10 mintues once he started drilling. It wasn't too bad, although I hope I can avoid another root canal in the future.

I do get to have a return appointment on December 5th to put in a permanent spacer where they took out the root. They put in something to sterilize the area for now since I did have an infection in there earlier. Then they will put permanant place holders in and my main dentist will cover the holes with something more permanant too. The whole process is three visits. I could have taken care of this all in one visit if I had just gone back to the dentist earlier in the year. I have learned my lesson. Oh, and the root canal costs about $1000. However, the antibiotic and Motrin 800mg that I got from the pharmacy today cost $0.78 together. That was so cool. The pharmacy lady told me how much and I said "For Real?" It was pretty funny.

I ended my day today by being inducted into the International Honors Society for Nursing called Sigma Theta Tau. It was a neat ceremony and it didn't last too long. Oh, and the snacks afterwards were great. They had fresh fruit skewers that were awesome. I didn't realize you could get watermelon and pineapple that tasted so good in November.

The middle of my day today was spent studying, napping, and watching The Lion King with Will. He loves that movie and goes around saying "Duba" which means Simba all the time. If he dosen't have his Lion King book he gets really upset. He actually watched The Lion King twice today. I'm such a bad mom. I put Will in front of the TV and turn on a movie he likes. This morning Glen Beck, an LDS conservative talk radio guy, was talking about how we need to turn off the TV and spend time with our kids. Obviously I didn't take his advice today. In my defense, I had lots of homework, some of which I got done while Will was watching The Lion King the second time. The first time I laid down for a rest while Will watched the movie. The second time he sat next to me on our bed while I did homework and he colored and watched it. There was some child/parent interaction. I even danced with him during the Hakuna Matata song. That boy loves to dance.