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On toothaches, yeast infections and insomnia...
17 years ago
An artist with no deadlines is unemployed!
INCOMING RANT:
So about 4 years back I had a massive toothache - my wisdom tooth had become impacted under it's nearby molar buddy, causing said buddy to crack. It didn't hurt on it's own, so much as it was very painful to eat with (or you know, have hot or cold food with - and it was also developing a cavity at a very fast pace.
So I go to my dentist - now I should preface this by saying that this dentist has screwed my family before for money by performing procedures that were unnecessary, but I still went to him because he was the one I've always gone to.
He looks at my tooth, takes xrays and says "you have three choices - we can fill it, we can give you a root canal (which will be about $1000) or we can pull it - but I don't know how you'll be able to cope without a back molar." He also tells me at this time that I DON'T have wisdom teeth coming in like I should, so if he does pull my tooth it'll be "very hard" for me to eat.
So I ask him how much a filling will be, and he says "about 100 bucks".
So I schedule my appointment, come in, and he gives me a filling. Which takes a very long time (but the freezing didn't come out so no big deal). I also notice that when he uses the fast setter (the super heating gun to make the filling set) it really rather feels like he's burning me - even through the filling.
But I sit through it, and when I'm done, he says "well now, that was a 3-sided filling I just did there, and it may not stay in too well. You probably should have had a root canal done, but it was your choice..."
I don't know what he means, but appearently a 3 sided filling is 300 dollars, not 100. He also scheduled me to come in and get some more fillings put in - I was going to do one at a time, because of money issues, but my next visit he filled two of my teeth instead of just one and I had to borrow a huge amount of money from my mother just so I could leave the office. I swore I'd never come back.
Of course, I was terrified to chew on that side of my mouth because I might knock my big filling out. And the filling, it turns out, is right above the nerve on my tooth, and with only porcelin between that nerve and anything of any temperature - I STILL can't eat anything cold or hot without going into orbit.
The next year my (upper) wisdom teeth grew in - even thugh stupid rip-off dentist had told me I wasn't going to get Wisdom teeth. The one that was impacted grew in sideways and constantly cut the inside of my cheek. It and it's wise little brother turned out to be very hollow (I guess I didn't drink enough milk?) and both broke within a few weeks of breaking the skin and developed very painful cavities. I suffered as long as I could and eventually got them both pulled - but when I was favoring the one side of my mouth due to the cavity guess what I managed to do?
I knocked my filling loose. Awesome. Within a week the sharp edges of enamel that were holding the filling in place were chipped off, and I started to develop another cavity. Well I've been freaking, freaking broke and I tried to keep the bugger clean as long as possible to stave off an infection (which is really what makes a cavity so painful), but eventually it became infected.
So I eye up my fiance's antibiotics that he's had hanging around the house, and opt to take a few to get rid of the infection.
It works - but then I develop a yeast infection (like I always do when I take antibiotics). And then the toothache comes back. And I'm coming up on my period so my tits really hurt which means I'm not sleeping...basically at all.
I mean, AT ALL.
I don't want to take more antibiotics (even something prescribed to me) because I know it's not going to help the cootchie problem, I'm eating painkillers like candy, and I only get about 4 hours of sleep at a time because after the painkillers wear off my tooth sends me back into orbit.
The only thing that's really keeping me sane is the notion that somewhere, someone's got it so much worse it's not even funny. I mean, I could have lepersy, or 3rd degree burns, or AIDS or be stung by like a million bees, or you know, like tons of stuff.
Anyways, I just needed to get that off of my chest. Aaaaaaaand stuff.
So about 4 years back I had a massive toothache - my wisdom tooth had become impacted under it's nearby molar buddy, causing said buddy to crack. It didn't hurt on it's own, so much as it was very painful to eat with (or you know, have hot or cold food with - and it was also developing a cavity at a very fast pace.
So I go to my dentist - now I should preface this by saying that this dentist has screwed my family before for money by performing procedures that were unnecessary, but I still went to him because he was the one I've always gone to.
He looks at my tooth, takes xrays and says "you have three choices - we can fill it, we can give you a root canal (which will be about $1000) or we can pull it - but I don't know how you'll be able to cope without a back molar." He also tells me at this time that I DON'T have wisdom teeth coming in like I should, so if he does pull my tooth it'll be "very hard" for me to eat.
So I ask him how much a filling will be, and he says "about 100 bucks".
So I schedule my appointment, come in, and he gives me a filling. Which takes a very long time (but the freezing didn't come out so no big deal). I also notice that when he uses the fast setter (the super heating gun to make the filling set) it really rather feels like he's burning me - even through the filling.
But I sit through it, and when I'm done, he says "well now, that was a 3-sided filling I just did there, and it may not stay in too well. You probably should have had a root canal done, but it was your choice..."
I don't know what he means, but appearently a 3 sided filling is 300 dollars, not 100. He also scheduled me to come in and get some more fillings put in - I was going to do one at a time, because of money issues, but my next visit he filled two of my teeth instead of just one and I had to borrow a huge amount of money from my mother just so I could leave the office. I swore I'd never come back.
Of course, I was terrified to chew on that side of my mouth because I might knock my big filling out. And the filling, it turns out, is right above the nerve on my tooth, and with only porcelin between that nerve and anything of any temperature - I STILL can't eat anything cold or hot without going into orbit.
The next year my (upper) wisdom teeth grew in - even thugh stupid rip-off dentist had told me I wasn't going to get Wisdom teeth. The one that was impacted grew in sideways and constantly cut the inside of my cheek. It and it's wise little brother turned out to be very hollow (I guess I didn't drink enough milk?) and both broke within a few weeks of breaking the skin and developed very painful cavities. I suffered as long as I could and eventually got them both pulled - but when I was favoring the one side of my mouth due to the cavity guess what I managed to do?
I knocked my filling loose. Awesome. Within a week the sharp edges of enamel that were holding the filling in place were chipped off, and I started to develop another cavity. Well I've been freaking, freaking broke and I tried to keep the bugger clean as long as possible to stave off an infection (which is really what makes a cavity so painful), but eventually it became infected.
So I eye up my fiance's antibiotics that he's had hanging around the house, and opt to take a few to get rid of the infection.
It works - but then I develop a yeast infection (like I always do when I take antibiotics). And then the toothache comes back. And I'm coming up on my period so my tits really hurt which means I'm not sleeping...basically at all.
I mean, AT ALL.
I don't want to take more antibiotics (even something prescribed to me) because I know it's not going to help the cootchie problem, I'm eating painkillers like candy, and I only get about 4 hours of sleep at a time because after the painkillers wear off my tooth sends me back into orbit.
The only thing that's really keeping me sane is the notion that somewhere, someone's got it so much worse it's not even funny. I mean, I could have lepersy, or 3rd degree burns, or AIDS or be stung by like a million bees, or you know, like tons of stuff.
Anyways, I just needed to get that off of my chest. Aaaaaaaand stuff.
Also, quit whining about money!! If you don't invest on your health, how will you be able to work and MAKE money??
I already bashed him heavily on several sites that someone might use to find out his level of competance. So if people are researching him as a new dentist, they'll see my comments. There's not much else one can do without a lawyer. I don't even want to know how much THAT would cost.
Also money is money is money. I'm working on saving up enough that my health issues are less of a problem, but there's no point in going to a doctor for any of them until I've got enough to get my tooth pulled - since that will solve most of my problem in one fell swoop.
And you can work with a toothache. XD Heck you can work with a toothache and a yeast infection on 4 hours of sleep. I got a good nights sleep last night, so I'm not so bad off.
Something bugging you beyond my pathetic journalling? Usually you're not so vehement.
You're right, something is bugging me. 4 years without a job, a similar recent incident with my teeth (though not with incompetent doctors, rather with incompetent teeth!!) and mistreatment of furries (like you).
*SLURP*
But since this journal was a rant...
Over here, I can have not-so-expensive treatment; in fact, the local university's dentistry school offers FREE treatment! By undergraduate students, guided by lecturers or postgraduates. Catch is that they usually have a waiting list and they are closed in teh summer, also the treatmet takes considerably longer and the hours may not be as convenient (but without work that's not a problem! ).
But even if you have to pay, better treat them soon and then take good care. After my recent experience, which sent me to a hospital so that I'd have a quick (10 min) operation inside the mouth, I learned my lesson and I'll brush them often from now on!
It seems the antibiotics worked, so it's stopped being infected for now. I wish I had your luck - Though I am moving to a new place sometime in the future that happens to be right next to a uni that offers MD programs, so it might be good news in the future.
I'll be getting a full dentist checkup and whatnot in June sometime depending on sheduling. So I should be okay until then.
Er, about the sever consequences... I asked today and they rather occur in cases of many rotten teeth. Of course, an overall checkup is always a wise move.