The Dentist Visit...From Hell!!

Can I get some help here? My tooth is KILLING ME!!

Now, as some of you may know from a previous post -- Ooh! My Toof! --, I was suffering from what I thought was a random toothache. But what you didn't know was that the pain plagued me for weeks, going from a simple annoyance to a full blown affliction, complete with headaches and sleepless nights. I couldn't take it anymore. The remedies of Anbesol and Orejel were no match for the pain, which was growing greater and greater by the day.

But the pain hit its peak this past Friday night when I was out with my friend Deo. We were in the East Village waiting for Deo’s friend Allen and his lady friend. I was soooo hungry! We stopped in at the Cheesesteak Factory. I ordered a chicken cheese steak sandwich with fries and a soda. It was a chance that I was taking because up until that point, I had been chewing on the opposite side of my mouth as well as indulging mostly in soft foods: mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sandwich wraps...even Jell-O! I was craving something that was, for this poor tooth, dangerous. I looked down at this sandwich. The hard bread was my enemy, but to hell with it – I was starving! I took a deep breath and I bit into the sandwich. Oh-My-God!!! All I could do was squeal in pain! It felt like an electric current was running through my body! I shut my eyes and took hold of the table to brace myself! The pain was incredible --*chuckling* -- but you know what – I was still hungry! So I scooped the chicken out of the sandwich, threw the bread away and went on to eat the chicken, smothered in onions and cheese and the fries. My stomach was full. I was happy.

But the ultimate pain came later on that night when I found that I couldn’t stand for more than a few minutes, while we were waiting for his friends show up to get into Libation (a hot new club on the Lower East Side that we had all been to once before. We had so much fun; we decided to try it again). We sat on a bench with the rain sprinkling down on us (thankfully Deo had his big golf umbrella to shelter us both) and I felt faint. Once his friends showed up, there was really just enough time for brief introductions. I really wasn’t up for clubbing so I just decided to hop in a cab and head home.

It was at that point that I decided the pain wasn’t worth it anymore. I was going to face my fear and get this tooth taken out!! I woke up fairly early yesterday and called the dental department at my doctor’s office building. Closed! I immediately started to panic! Oh no! I couldn’t go through another week with this pain. It was just then that I remembered there was a dentist’s office a few blocks away from my aunt's house. I walked into the office (it really wasn’t a doctor’s office per se, more like one of those store front operations that specialized in everything. Eye Care. Foot Care. Dental Care.) and was immediately greeted by a tall Amazonian woman that presented herself as something of a receptionist/office manager. But one thing was for sure, office managers do not dress like this! She was dressed head to toe in skin tight black with Christian Dior boots and a tiny diamond stud in her nose. I was immediately on the defensive. If she was the receptionist, who the hell was the dentist – Ozzie Osborne?

And what worried me a bit more was that most of the office spoke Russian. Now I’m totally fine with international relations and all, but not right before drilling a hole in my face!! After taking x-rays, the doctor told me that because of the way that the tooth was laying – the tooth being right below a nerve – I would need to have the impacted wisdom tooth removed and the gums sewn and it was going to require surgery. Surgery?! I don’t really know what I was expecting. I knew that the tooth had to come out, but just hearing that I was going to have surgery brought back bad memories (I was in the hospital for 10 days a few years ago and I remember feeling like I was losing my mind: Horrific pain and bad food?! Oh God! Not again!) I was nervous. I called my friend Deo and asked that he come and hold my hand. But other than him not wanting to get lost, considering that he walked the same route with me, which is exactly 6 straight blocks from my house just 48 hours before, I don’t know what his reasons were for politely bailing on me. So, I just decided to go it alone. I felt the need, right before sitting in the dentist’s chair, to call my mother. She didn’t pick up. Is this it? Am I going to have to leave my last Will and Testament on my mother’s cell phone answering machine? All I could muster was that I was going to have dental surgery and I’d call her later.

So, I took a deep breath and sat in the chair. I asked all the preliminary questions: Is there going to be a lot of bleeding? Is this going to hurt? Am I going to die? *nervous laughter* Then he whipped out what had to be the biggest needle I’ve ever seen, and I before I could flinch, he stuck it right in my gum! Seconds later, the pain was gone and all was right with the world! But things were just getting started. He tells me that there essentially will be no pain, just a lot of pressure. And that I may hear cracking sounds.


I sat there with my mouth open and I was completely vulnerable. Even though I didn't feel any pain I felt like if something went wrong, I would have no defense. There would be blood spewing everywhere. Can you imagine. Me: The Human Blood Disseminator! So through out this experience I found that I needed to keep my mind occupied. I hummed a tune (the nurse was there holding my hand and humming along with me! I really appreciated her doing that), I even tried to talk to the doctor, even though I'm sure he didn't understand a word I was saying. He just kept telling me that I was doing great. I just wanted to focus on something other than the huge metal tools going in and out of my mouth! At one point the nurse even came back with a new set of tools! (What in the hell was going on in there?) I heard cracking. I felt pulling. I saw intensity in the dentist's eyes. I tasted blood. I closed my eyes.

And before I knew it, I opened my eyes and was being told that I did great. He asked me if I wanted to see how everything looked and I nodded. I looked in my mouth and in place of the tooth that had been giving me so much pain, I saw a hole that was filled with blood. The pain was gone! Amazing! He suctioned the area and sutured the gums. Let the healing begin!

He gave me several prescriptions and sent me on my way. I felt good. I didn't want to be alone so I headed over to my aunt's house. She made me some chicken soup, gave me an ice-pack for my face and told me to lay down. It felt good to have someone there to take care of me. I slept like a baby. But once I woke up, all the good feelings I had earlier were gone. I was in soooo much pain and to make matters worse, I didn't get my prescriptions! I asked my aunt where I could go to get them, but when she told me where the "nearest" pharmacy was, I felt way too frail to take the walk. I took a cab home and called my older brother. I asked him to get the prescriptions for me. He came, got the prescription slips and headed off to the pharmacy. I was alone and in pain…so much pain in fact, that I was drawn to tears. Tears that seemed to flow as long and as strongly as the pain I was feeling. I was so glad to see my brother come back with everything. Vicodin, Penicillin, Ibuprofen and two Nutrament drinks. Strawberry.

I honestly don’t even remember much after drinking the Nutrament and taking the pills. I know that I slept better than I had in a long time. (Ahhh yes, Vicodin -- the drug of champions...like Wheaties!!) But I’m up now, I’m on drugs and I feel absolutely no pain! The side effect of this whole thing: The lower right side of my face is swollen. I look like I was in a fight...and they won! LOL With that said, I have to take an antibiotic for the next week, I've been restricted to a soup diet for the next couple of days and going to work is optional, but I am so glad that the tooth drama is over...
P.S. The dentist actually told me that the other third molars in my mouth may need to be removed at some point. Are you telling me I have to go through this again? **Scary Movie Music Plays**
To Be Continued...