This weekend I’ve had a very good reminder of how important it is for those of us lucky enough to have regular, low-barrier access to dental care to support services like Interfaith Health Clinic and Remote Area Medical (RAM), both of which offer free and/or low cost dental care to our uninsured neighbors and friends. I am very lucky and do have dental insurance thru my job, so generally, I am able to see a dentist when I need to. But that hasn’t been the case for the past few days… This has reminded me in a small way how scary and frustrating it must be for folks who live without access to dental care not just for a few days, but every day of the year.
+++++
At some point on Friday afternoon, a filling in one of my molars must have come out. I didn’t feel it come out and there was no pain….no pain that is, until Friday evening, when I realized there was now a big hole in one of my teeth, and I stuck my finger back there to survey the damage.
(Here’s the part where any of you who are “tooth squeamish, as Jon is, may want to change the channel.)
As soon as my pinkie touched this molar, about one third of the top and side of it simply fell off into my mouth. Having never before broken a tooth or experienced really bad tooth problems beyond the occasional cavity over the years that has required attention, this crumbling tooth scenario wasn’t something I expected. I couldn’t see what was left of my tooth myself, even with a mirror, but when I showed it to J, she sort of screamed. Apparently it looks as bad as it feels.
And it’s pretty much been all downhill from there…
My own dentist is older, and she only works part time now. It turns out that she doesn’t even have an emergency or after hours number available – something I never realized before because I had never tried her after hours until I dialed her up first thing Saturday morning, hoping she would see me.
When it became clear that my regular dentist would not be an option for my weekend tooth repair, I started asking friends for suggestions, plus using the yellow pages to try to find SOME dentist who would see me this weekend.
I called more than 10 dentists on Saturday, including Dentacare at the mall, and nobody could see me until after the weekend. Finally I gave up.
I asked Jon to go to Walgreens and get me some “temporary tooth repair” stuff I read about online after Googling “crumbling molar,” as well as some wax – the kind E wears on his braces, but was out of. He was able to find both items, so I set about following the directions on the tooth repair kit to try to fashion a makeshift repair ’til a dentist could see me.
No luck whatsoever. The stuff wouldn’t stick and as I poked at it gently trying to get it to do so, more of my tooth broke off. At that point I decided my best bet was to be as perfectly still as possible – no chewing or speaking – until Monday when I would try to get this dealt with.
So that’s what I’ve done.
It’s now early Monday morning and I am in pretty major misery. I think the tooth may be getting infected. I will be calling my dentist at 8am sharp, and if she can’t work me in immediately, I will start re-calling every other dentist on my list and simply begging. Only my begging will be hard to understand because this tooth being all swollen and jagged makes it hard for me to speak clearly.
“Schwapleeshe can I schkwomw to your offischwe and schwowe you my boschkwen tooph?!”
That’s what I will likely sound like to the person on the other end of the phone. However, I’m guessing dentists get many calls like this, and their office staff can translate pretty well.
+++++
Wish me luck.
Please consider joining me in making a gift this week to Remote Area Medical, which provides free dental care to those without other access.
Here’s some more info on this wonderful volunteer organization.
++++
UPDATE: Well, the tooth is a goner. It’s fractured into the root and just not salvageable. I saw my dentist first thing this morning, and post x-ray, it took her all of about 15 minutes to deliver the bad news, write me a prescription for antibiotics, and get me scheduled with the oral surgeon who will be relieving me of my poor, done-for molar on my lunch hour tomorrow. And then I assume we will discuss what options exist to replace said molar ASAP so that I can continue to eat, and also so my other teeth don’t all decide to kick off their shoes and spread out all over the place.
I’ve never really had much dental work done, aside from having my wisdom teeth out when E was a baby (shudder), and I’m trying not to be too freaked out about having a tooth extracted from way back in my jawbone. I mean, how bad can it be, right? It’s just one banged up tooth. I am optimistically planning to be back at work later that afternoon.
(That’s probably kind of dumb of me, isn’t it?)
People do this every day. Surely it can’t be too big of a deal. Not like having wisdom teeth out…right?
(I will admit to wishing I could be knocked out cold for the tooth removal instead of just being numbed up, but I guess that’s not an option…)
Good luck to you! Nothing worse than tooth problems. While the RAM dental and medical clinics are a wonderful, necessary event, they only come around once or twice a year. They set up at the Bristol Motor Speedway, about 5 miles from my house and people arrive the night before and sleep in their cars to get a spot in line the next morning.
The best dentist in your area for this type of thing is Dr. Michael Malloy at 4620 Broadway. I went to him with a broken tooth which happened on an out-of-state trip over a weekend. He came recommended to me through my husband’s family who have used him for years. I was so happy with his work I used him for the rest of my much needed dental work. I once had a root canal and a crown and was so painfree I returned to work right after the proceedure!
Give him a call if you haven’t found anyone yet, Tell him you are friends with Michael and Stacie Brown! Much luck!
Sorry misspelled his name… Molloy and his number is (865) 688-2045
What ever happened with your last health crisis (cataracts and retinal somethings)?
Good luck! Get yourself a good new dentist with a modern practice while you’re at it.
You’re going to need an extraction, then an implant, and when you see the price tag on that, you’re not going to be happy. I have decent dental insurance through my spouse and it only paid for part of the implant. Which, by the way, works PERFECTLY and is well worth the trouble. I turned down a bridge because for that, they have to damage healthy teeth to fix the broken/missing one — not a good idea.
You are SO naughty about health care!!!! No ophthalmologist, despite your lousy eyesight -an elderly dentist who didn’t catch that your filling/tooth was falling apart (assuming you went for your regular six month checkups!) — what else are you neglecting???
@jzzy55
I really like my dentist! She is really good. I just hadn’t ever had reason to know/find out that she’s hard to get hold of on weekends. Now that I am aware of this, well, I guess I need to discuss the issue with her.
As for my cataracts, the eye specialist has determined that they are this type: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1211609-overview
They are polar cataracts, and I’ve apparently had them since birth but they’ve just finally progressed to become problematic. I will have them removed in March or April. I have to get back to him on dates. The timing is tricky because I have to have one fixed at a time instead of both at once (not sure why), so that drags the whole recovery process out. I want to time the surgery so it’s least disruptive for Jon’s work (tax season) and some travel that I may have to do for my job in the spring. But yep, the eyeballs have to be fixed. As for the retinal scarring that the mall optometrist saw, the opthamologist said it’s definitely there but it looks like it’s been there for a long time, and was probably caused by something a long time ago and isn’t causing me any problems.
As for my dentist, she did see me right away this morning (Monday), but it turns out there’s nothing she can do. My tooth is apparently a goner. It’s broken and seems to be getting infected (nor surprising after three days like this). She says it looks like the filling was loose and stuff was getting down between the filling and tooth which weakened my tooth without me realizing it until the tooth broke. Dentist put me on antibiotics today and referred me to an oral surgeon who will remove the tooth at 12:30 tomorrow. I guess I have to read up on implants and such before the appt tomorrow. So you’re saying you are very glad you went with an implant over the other options when you had to have a molar taken out? I would assume that the implant or whatever is put in at a separate appointment? Yep, need to read up tonight.
I take good care of my teeth. Really! This is just some kind of oddball thing, I guess. I will concede to you that I have had a tendency to neglect some routine physical check ups and such, but not those involving my teeth
And I am trying to be much more diligent about all regular health care check ups and exams after a lifetime of being sloppy about it. I coasted by on luck for my whole life without any truly major health problems, but for a variety of reasons, my body is of late quite obviously trying to tell me something now that I am getting older, and I am listening. In fact, I have two doctor’s appts set up in the next 6 weeks just for check ups. Woohoo!
The tooth thing is a bummer, no doubt.
-Katie
Hi Katie,
They do one eye at a time so that when you leave the office/recover from one surgery, you can still see with the other eye. If they did both at the same time, you would have bandages/blurred vision in BOTH eyes (even for a short time) while you recovered, which would be very traumatic for most patients.
I’m glad to hear you are looking after it
Same thing happened to me last year. Yes, it is a trauma. My dentist does take emergency cases over the weekend and even holidays. Tooth was immediately fixed. But the story does not end here.
There was no pain, but x rays showed that there was some abcess and it was very close to the nerve. We made the decision that since there was no sensation, not to get a root canal. However, because a part of the wall of the tooth was broken, a crown was needed. It was an expensive repair even with dental insurance. I hope your insurance is better than mine because I don’t think it paid for a third of this.
This year, I started feeling a dull ache from the tooth. After some denial, lots of denial, the pain became bad enough that I could not ignore or deny any more. Went to the dentist, on New Year’s Day to find out that the tooth had become infected and hit the nerve. That meant a root canal through a crown. Emergency fee, going through the crown to clean out the filling, and remove the nerve. Temporary filling. Pain to hit the ceiling as the nerve ending was raw and sore. Then root canals filled at the endodontist and still the tooth has sensations from the surrounding nerves. Even more cost. Am waiting to for the tooth to calm down before some decision on a permanent cover to the crown is made, which means even more money.
But, yes, you should have a dentist to whom you can go if anything like this happens to you or your kids. If they lose a tooth through an accident or any other such issues. Good luck on the tooth. Hope it’s a less expensive, less extensive repair than mine.
Oof, I’m sorry. My DH has gone through an extraction and is facing an implant to replace same this year. At least for him, this has been a long, involved process — the extraction was last fall (or earlier in the year, honestly I forget), and it was necessary to let it sit for awhile to make sure everything was OK/healthy (though that was after an abcess, so you may be better situated than he), and even after that we delayed awhile as our dental insurance will only cover $1K per person per year, which believe me does not even get us close. For him, the implant involves a bone graft followed by the implantation stuff, which we are doing this year. We have been advised that the implant is a much better choice, though how workable it is apparently depends on the size and quality of your bone (men’s jaws are of course usually bigger than women’s, other things equal) and is easier in the bottom jaw (where pretty much all that is there is, you know, teeth and jaw bone and a supporting cast) than upper (where there are sinuses and other nearby neighbors who may object).
DH was definitely medicated/sedated for his extraction, though he was given the choice of having just novacaine (which he rejected).
Hubby and I have had extensive dental work, so we’ve both been down these roads before. The extraction shouldn’t be terrible, unless your roots are especially long. You should be able to go back to work afterwards, but you may not feel that great.
Hubby had a molar do the same thing last year and it was extracted by an emergency dentist with just novacaine. When we saw our regular dentist, we decided to hold off on an implant for a few years (we are living abroad and the process is long). Our dentist said as long as you aren’t bothered when you chew, then it isn’t critical to get an implant. His teeth haven’t shifted due to the molar being gone and he doesn’t seem to be suffering from it’s absence.
I would approach implants slowly and with a dentist I fully trust. They are expensive and time consuming.
Good luck!
My friend had an implant done by this office: http://www.kotsianasdds.com/ in Knoxville. Hers was a drawn out, complicated case but all has turned out well with Dr. Jim. Good luck!!
OK, I feel better now about your health. I know you had reasons for ignoring it. It seems (from my own anecdotal observations) that when women have babies in their forties it kind of (not illogically) fools them into thinking they’re still young when actually they’re hitting middle age, including menopause soon enough.
I have cataracts myself so I am aware that you can have them congenitally. I did too but no one ever told me until I was in my late 20s. A kindly (not) university health center doc (not the best) mentioned them. I hope you discuss the issue of possible retinal complications with your corneal surgeon. People with thin retinas or any sort of macular weakness are more likely to have retinal complications post cataract surgery than others.
Delighted to hear that the retinal scarring is from the past and not a current issue. Seems important to know what that was about though in case it’s avoidable or to recognize symptoms in the future…
Implants are a multi-step process. Not a procedure. A series of procedures spread out over a long time. My implant from start to finish took 15 months. That’s longer than most though.
FIrst the extraction. I found that to be not a big deal. Use the ice pack thingie (the one that goes around your head making you look like something out of an old-time movie) as directed, though. It works really well.
Then a break for healing the extraction site (several months).
Then they X-ray you to see whether or not you have enough jaw bone for the implant. If you don’t, you need a bone graft AND an implant (I had to have the graft, it was uncomfortable).
The implant is a titanium screw that goes way up into your jaw. I’m not gonna lie, there was some discomfort and soreness and it took about five days before I felt fairly normal and several weeks before my mouth was healed.
It takes some months for the implant site to heal over and (if you had a bone graft) for the graft to take.
When everything is ready, they re-open the gum that has grown over the bottom of the screw part of the implant that is protruding into your tooth area.
Then you get the fake tooth which involves their making a mold. SOME very modern practices have a machine on site that makes your new fake tooth in-office, but my dentist had one, decided it was inferior to what his dental lab produced, and went back to using molds and ordering the tooth from the lab.
If you have to wait for the new tooth, you’ll get a temporary fake tooth.
Then they stick the new fake tooth (a prosthetic tooth) onto the screw and voila, you have this lovely new tooth that holds the other ones in place and you can chomp on anything you want. I haven’t had a moment’s discomfort with the implant. It works perfectly. The only thing I have to do differently now is floss on both side walls of the fake tooth extra-carefully. The spaces between the fake tooth and my real teeth are wider than any others so that’s where large bits of food now get stuck. I use those little dental picks that look like trees.
Unfortunately the price tag for all this was close to $7500. I think insurance paid for maybe $3000.
I would only add that you begin taking lots of calcium and vitamin D. Having so many pregnancies, especially later in life, draws a great deal of calcium from your system to form the babies’ skeletons. It is quite common to be calcium depleted. It can take a year or so for the effects to show up. Act now, or you may end up with other teeth problems.
Also, I tend to agree with the poster who suggested you might need a new dentist. You may like the personality of the one you have, but the point of getting x rays every year and exams twice a year is to be on the alert for this sort of thing. It did NOT happen overnight. Sorry, but it’s true. You need a really alert dentist with modern methods.
@christine -
I think you’re right on both counts. And the oral surgeon who took the tooth out told me the same thing about pregnancies and teeth.
Katie
My hubby had an implant done after a molar had to be extracted. It took over a year for the whole process (including bone graft). It was about $5000 and not covered by insurance except for the extraction. It is guaranteed for 10 years.
We’ve looked all over for any dental insurance that would cover more of the cost of such a procedure with absolutely no luck. I’d like to know what company/plan covered $3000 of the cost :^)
I would also mention that you should be very careful not to eat any hard foods during the long healing process (like raw nuts or carrots or tortilla chips).