A Little Education in Life Can Sure Come in Handy

The crunching sound and feeling of something caving in were a clear sign.

I had cracked a tooth. Way in the back. Number 18 on the Universal Numbering System. You could look it up like I did. I was eating ice cream. Don’t ask. My dentist quickly diagnosed the tooth as needing a root canal and crown.

That meant a trip to a specialist because, while my dentist could do the crown, root canals are farmed out. Dentistry has, like the medical field, specialized. Dentists like mine now focus on the basics like cleanings, fillings, and crowns but turn anything more involved over to specialists. I knew that but I wonder if most people know that.

An endodontist in Rochester could get me in that afternoon. Well, OK. I had this procedure once before and it was fine. This one went well despite the fact that I couldn’t feel the left side of my head for hours. It was noted that the tooth was split in half the long way which is not good. I have a history of broken teeth. I must have a strong bite.

Sometimes information needs to be absorbed under duress but showing me a laminated drawing of the nerve about to be destroyed was really not necessary. After the procedure I was shown the same drawing in discussing a related infection under the tooth that would need to be watched. It took another trip to Rochester to have them order an antibiotic.

Oh, Never Mind

When I went back to my dentist, he determined that the tooth had split too far and was not salvageable. It would need to be pulled. What? So the root canal was unnecessary and I had to go to Hastings for the extraction. I was mulling this over as that dentist sang along to the overhead oldies while stitching me up. I wondered how many of these he does a day. I get an implant in October.

I’m actually thankful. I’ve had my whole set of teeth, wisdoms included, until now. Maybe that’s why I don’t know much about dentistry. Don’t be jealous. I have several crowns, cracked teeth, a well chewed tongue, TMJ and I’m a grinder. But this was my first pulled tooth. I used to be told how lucky I was to have all my teeth. Now it’s, “Oh, you have all your teeth! You poor thing.” One thing is certain. I now know a lot more about tooth extraction and replacement.

In my youth our family climbed the endless steep staircase up to Dr. Strandemo’s office on the corner of Third Street and East Avenue. We trusted him because we just had to. We had no easy way to research dentists and dental procedures like we can now. Plus, he was a Norwegian.

My tooth story is not over. It was not elective surgery. It had to be done. My knee replacement a year ago was elective so there was time to prepare with information the hospital provided and from my own research. Being shown a drawing of a knee when on the operating table is probably not helpful.

Just the Facts, Ma’am

Worse things than a bad tooth are going to happen to us all. Unexpectedly. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some basic understanding beforehand? Maybe we would then better understand medical and dental services and those miracle drug ads. These services have gotten much better over time although now it seems like there’s too much information.

While we’re at it, how about local businesses providing more detail on what they do, including defining terms we need to know? I look at YouTube videos on how to fix something and a lot of times they convince me that I must never attempt this in my lifetime. So if I’d rather hire it done, I want to be able to search local services for detailed examples of what they do and forthright reasons why I should consider them.

We can never know everything and we shouldn’t have to. The internet seems to be the common denominator for everything now and many local businesses already have a lot of useful information out there. We just need to know how to find it and use it.

I wondered if there are any suggestions out there on how to chew on one side of my mouth. Yep, there are. Lots of them. Even YouTube videos.

A Little Education in Life Can Sure Come in Handy

The crunching sound and feeling of something caving in were a clear sign.

I had cracked a tooth. Way in the back. Number 18 on the Universal Numbering System. You could look it up like I did. I was eating ice cream. Don’t ask. My dentist quickly diagnosed the tooth as needing a root canal and crown.

That meant a trip to a specialist because, while my dentist could do the crown, root canals are farmed out. Dentistry has, like the medical field, specialized. Dentists like mine now focus on the basics like cleanings, fillings, and crowns but turn anything more involved over to specialists. I knew that but I wonder if most people know that.

An endodontist in Rochester could get me in that afternoon. Well, OK. I had this procedure once before and it was fine. This one went well despite the fact that I couldn’t feel the left side of my head for hours. It was noted that the tooth was split in half the long way which is not good. I have a history of broken teeth. I must have a strong bite.

Sometimes information needs to be absorbed under duress but showing me a laminated drawing of the nerve about to be destroyed was really not necessary. After the procedure I was shown the same drawing in discussing a related infection under the tooth that would need to be watched. It took another trip to Rochester to have them order an antibiotic.

Oh, Never Mind

When I went back to my dentist, he determined that the tooth had split too far and was not salvageable. It would need to be pulled. What? So the root canal was unnecessary and I had to go to Hastings for the extraction. I was mulling this over as that dentist sang along to the overhead oldies while stitching me up. I wondered how many of these he does a day. I get an implant in October.

I’m actually thankful. I’ve had my whole set of teeth, wisdoms included, until now. Maybe that’s why I don’t know much about dentistry. Don’t be jealous. I have several crowns, cracked teeth, a well chewed tongue, TMJ and I’m a grinder. But this was my first pulled tooth. I used to be told how lucky I was to have all my teeth. Now it’s, “Oh, you have all your teeth! You poor thing.” One thing is certain. I now know a lot more about tooth extraction and replacement.

In my youth our family climbed the endless steep staircase up to Dr. Strandemo’s office on the corner of Third Street and East Avenue. We trusted him because we just had to. We had no easy way to research dentists and dental procedures like we can now. Plus, he was a Norwegian.

My tooth story is not over. It was not elective surgery. It had to be done. My knee replacement a year ago was elective so there was time to prepare with information the hospital provided and from my own research. Being shown a drawing of a knee when on the operating table is probably not helpful.

Just the Facts, Ma’am

Worse things than a bad tooth are going to happen to us all. Unexpectedly. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some basic understanding beforehand? Maybe we would then better understand medical and dental services and those miracle drug ads. These services have gotten much better over time although now it seems like there’s too much information.

While we’re at it, how about local businesses providing more detail on what they do, including defining terms we need to know? I look at YouTube videos on how to fix something and a lot of times they convince me that I must never attempt this in my lifetime. So if I’d rather hire it done, I want to be able to search local services for detailed examples of what they do and forthright reasons why I should consider them.

We can never know everything and we shouldn’t have to. The internet seems to be the common denominator for everything now and many local businesses already have a lot of useful information out there. We just need to know how to find it and use it.

I wondered if there are any suggestions out there on how to chew on one side of my mouth. Yep, there are. Lots of them. Even YouTube videos.