Dentistry Update
Posted on September 3, 2009 Posted by John Scalzi 26 Comments
For those of you what don’t follow me on Twitter:
Tooth not cracked after all; what looked like a crack to me turned out to be a discolored filling. The source of the pain is gum inflammation; yes, I brush and floss, but apparently I’m not flossing deep enough, which is a lesson to all y’all. So rather than a root canal, which I was sort of expecting, I received a dental cleaning and had the infected gums packed with antibiotics, which is without a doubt the worst-tasting thing to happen to me this year. Antibiotics thusly packed in, I was told not to floss for twenty four hours, which was the first and I expect the very last time I will ever have a dentist make such a command to me. Now back home with horribly bad antibiotic breath. Be glad you’re not near me.
That is all.
Oh Scalzi we are always glad to be not near you. Just kidding hope you feel better.
Did the doctor say anything about red vines? Or red vines AND mr. pibb?
If you haven’t already done so, try a Reach Access flosser. The cheapo manual version is great for deep flossing. There’s a powered version, too, but I already own too many appliances that need batteries.
Hmm, I had a tooth that hurt when drinking cold things so I went to the dentist. Took xrays to look for cracks, nothing.
Damned thing split down the side after another month or so.
Yep, antibiotics definitely rock! A few years ago, I was travelling in Montana when one of my molars became infected. After a call to my dentist in Cincinnati, he phoned in a scrip to a Billings pharmacy for Vicoprofen (basically Advil laced with Vicodin) and Amoxycillin. I quickly found I didn’t need the Vicoprofen, as the pain went away within hours of taking the Amoxycillin.
This is a perfect opportunity for you to breathe heavily in the cats’ faces and make up for all the kibble-and-tuna breath they’ve inflicted on you over the years.
MaryL: Inflicted? I think gifted is what you meant to type. The Tormentor only wishes he be lucky enough to have tuna breath.
Been there – the antibiotic-packed-gums thing. Didn’t make any new friends during that time, nor did I make any of my existing friends very happy to be around me :P
Feel better soon!
I mentioned this on twitter, but I thought I’d post it here, too, so more people could see it. There are many, many anecdotal stories about people who have cured their sensitive, bleeding gums by taking fish oil. I myself got lectures from my dentist twice annually about flossing more and better until one day I decided to try taking fish oil for unrelated reasons. A month later I went to the dentist and they couldn’t believe the change in my gums. Now every time I go in, they’re eager to hear about how the fish oil thing is going. LOL. It’s a bit early to say, but it looks like some of the recession is reversing and the periodontal pockets shrinking, which is NOT supposed to happen. There’s a tiny bit in the scientific literature about this, but the interesting thing is that fish oil is very good for heart patients, and there’s a strong correlation between heart health and gum health. Many scientists now believe that bad gums can *cause* heart disease, so by taking care of our gums we may also be saving ourselves from heart problems later.
The other thing I’ve been doing for my gums and teeth is eating xylitol and using Dr. Ellie’s system of teeth cleaning. You can check it out at askdrellie.blogspot.com. It’s a minimally invasive dentistry approach that (apropos of what John wrote about being poor and not being able to afford dental care) she devised originally to help employees at her husband’s restaurant avoid expensive dental care. It addresses the flora balance in the mouth and requires no flossing. I have also seen improvements in my gums from using this system.
So glad to hear your tooth isn’t damaged, John. I hope you feel better quick.
This is why I like to keep a supply of miracle fruit tablets: they can sometimes make awful-tasting things palatable. (That, and they’re pretty awesome in general)
All those posts and it turns out you’re just not flossing well? Major anti-climax.
Many commiserations, pity parties and back-pats to you, sir. As Hallmark would say, “Get Well Soon!”
You DO know bad breath was the first sympton of the creepy alien stuff in DREAMCATCHER, right?
Glad to know it’s just gum problems, John. Hey, look at it this way–at least you don’t have (most) roofers teeth and breath. Heh.
Your teeth are absolutely fascinating. :)
When you get into your fifties, you get crowns which are harder to schedule. But now I’m reading your Hugo winner and a blog about bad chocolate. You seem to fault the marshmallow or gelatinous part of the bad chocolate. I think everything might have been OK if the “weed-killer” smell hadn’t been there. I think that indicated “foreign born” preservatives. I will eat the chocolate covered marshmallow thingys at last resort and I think they and Peeps (which I adore) taste better stale.
dpb:
Yeah, but you know, personally, I’d rather have an anti-climax than a root canal.
All in all, still a major victory for modern dental science. Bad breath for a few days and a slightly more aggressive tooth care regimen are a minor price to pay for not having your teeth yanked out with pliers.
Does your dentist have surgically-lengthened fingers like the Augmented-D2 types in Japan? Well, mine does, so lali dada . . .
I frigging LOVE that your “cat” comments on your blog. LOVE IT!
I know my dentist recommended I swish salt water(about 1/2 teaspoon per glass) once or twice a week as a preventive measure.Works like a charm, to date.
Do yourself an inexpensive favor – buy and use a Sonicare after flossing. No matter how much time I spent on my teeth and gums my dentist was never happy at cleaning time. Got the Sonicare and within a year cleaning was taking half the time (and half the bleeding). Dentist is happy (makes the same money for half the work) and tells me to keep it up. FWIW.
“the worst-tasting thing to happen to me this year.”
You haven’t had any calves’ liver in 2009, have you?
I’m glad to hear you’re not going to have a root canal, Mr. Scalzi *cringe at memory*
And how long will it be before Krissy consents to letting you kiss her again?