So ends the horrific wisdom tooth adventure...
I now have a swollen, hurty cheek and a partially broken jaw.
Yesterday, I went to a local charity care establishment to get the offensive tooth extracted. Good news is it's out and only cost me $2 plus script fees, bad news is it was definitely a $2 experience.
After 3 hours of waiting in a blank walled, over crowded, chock full of screaming children office smack in the heart of the most dangerous city in Jersey (and I believe the country), they took me in, jabbed me a dozen or so times with the anesthetic needle, and literally wrenched the broken tooth out.
The dentist left the door to the room open throughout the entire procedure, letting every passer-by poke their head in to discuss where all the girls in the office were going to lunch whilst I bled at the mouth. Muy unprofessional, if you ask me. She was very rough with me, to the point that I was shaking in fear that they were going to do some permanent damage to my mouth and/or upper teeth. Once the torture was through, the dentist showed me the xray they'd taken of the tooth prior to extraction and explained that upper wisdom teeth are fused to the jaw bone and sometimes small portions of the jaw get broken in the process of removing them. She then explained that a small part of my jaw had indeed been broken and that I shouldn't worry if I feel "little hard bits" beneath the gums where the tooth had just been. She gave me some antibiotics and assured me that so long as I don't "mess with it", it'll heal on it's own.
I went home and sobbed for a good hour.
Now, I have only been to the dentist a handful of times in my life (so I don't have a whole lot of room for comparison), but that whole experience left me feeling very unsettled. I kept having flashes of the abortion scene from Dirty Dancing running through my head. The pain for the remainder of the day was excruciating, I couldn't talk very well, I went through all the sterile gauze I was given in a flash due to heavy bleeding, and I STILL can barely chew food. I'm talking like oatmeal & scrambled eggs are hard to chew. All from one bloody tooth being removed.
This might not have fazed me quite so much if the last visit to the dentist prior to this hadn't been for the exact same issue - shattered upper wisdom needing to be removed. I recall the bleeding only lasting an hour or so, being able to eat a few hours afterward, and feeling a hell of alot less pain. Guess that's the difference between spending $200 as opposed to $2.
The moral of my story - I will NEVER EVER try to go wholesale on any kind of doctor or dentist visit again. Worst idea ever. I was in a pinch, broke, and insuranceless but goddamn that was just not worth saving money.
On the upswing: the countdown to the arrival of my visitor/road tripping partner/love is moving along quickly, preparations are beginning and plans being set. I am SOOOO very excited. 18 days to go!
I now have a swollen, hurty cheek and a partially broken jaw.
Yesterday, I went to a local charity care establishment to get the offensive tooth extracted. Good news is it's out and only cost me $2 plus script fees, bad news is it was definitely a $2 experience.
After 3 hours of waiting in a blank walled, over crowded, chock full of screaming children office smack in the heart of the most dangerous city in Jersey (and I believe the country), they took me in, jabbed me a dozen or so times with the anesthetic needle, and literally wrenched the broken tooth out.
The dentist left the door to the room open throughout the entire procedure, letting every passer-by poke their head in to discuss where all the girls in the office were going to lunch whilst I bled at the mouth. Muy unprofessional, if you ask me. She was very rough with me, to the point that I was shaking in fear that they were going to do some permanent damage to my mouth and/or upper teeth. Once the torture was through, the dentist showed me the xray they'd taken of the tooth prior to extraction and explained that upper wisdom teeth are fused to the jaw bone and sometimes small portions of the jaw get broken in the process of removing them. She then explained that a small part of my jaw had indeed been broken and that I shouldn't worry if I feel "little hard bits" beneath the gums where the tooth had just been. She gave me some antibiotics and assured me that so long as I don't "mess with it", it'll heal on it's own.
I went home and sobbed for a good hour.
Now, I have only been to the dentist a handful of times in my life (so I don't have a whole lot of room for comparison), but that whole experience left me feeling very unsettled. I kept having flashes of the abortion scene from Dirty Dancing running through my head. The pain for the remainder of the day was excruciating, I couldn't talk very well, I went through all the sterile gauze I was given in a flash due to heavy bleeding, and I STILL can barely chew food. I'm talking like oatmeal & scrambled eggs are hard to chew. All from one bloody tooth being removed.
This might not have fazed me quite so much if the last visit to the dentist prior to this hadn't been for the exact same issue - shattered upper wisdom needing to be removed. I recall the bleeding only lasting an hour or so, being able to eat a few hours afterward, and feeling a hell of alot less pain. Guess that's the difference between spending $200 as opposed to $2.
The moral of my story - I will NEVER EVER try to go wholesale on any kind of doctor or dentist visit again. Worst idea ever. I was in a pinch, broke, and insuranceless but goddamn that was just not worth saving money.
On the upswing: the countdown to the arrival of my visitor/road tripping partner/love is moving along quickly, preparations are beginning and plans being set. I am SOOOO very excited. 18 days to go!
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bill_the_cat:
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