If it's Friday, it must be nerve death

Just kidding, although it was touch 'n' go there for a minute.

Back from dentist, where I learned that half of all root canals are performed for reasons that have no assignable root cause**. Nerve is dying, but they can't pinpoint why. There's no gum disease. No tooth decay. Frex, sometimes the nerve beneath a crowned tooth will simply begin its journey to the Happy Chewing Place a little earlier than its brethren, even though the crown is secure and no cavity has formed in the remaining tooth.

I was apprised of these facts while dentist and I waited for the x-ray of my crowned tooth to develop. Dentist was simply warning me of Worst Case. I was pretty certain, though, that given how the year had been going so far, a root canal was in my future.

The happy news was, however, that the x-ray showed no ex-nerve tissue. Like hoosier_red, I am a jaw clencher and tooth grinder--I do wear a guard as needed--and it's possible that given the month I've had, I simply clenched too hard long enough for the little nerves to yell "STOP" in their little meepy voices. Or I could have had what my dentist referred to as a 'chewing accident', wherein something I chewed hit the crown from the wrong angle and irritated matters. That could take weeks to resolve.

It could also be that my bite is changing. I have a permanent retainer that doesn't seem to be retaining as well as it should. Dentist referred me to an orthodontist, who I'll be visiting the week after next. I am fairly certain there is a new permanent retainer in my future, because the tax refund will be showing up any day now and you know it would be wrong to do anything with that money that might be construed as Fun.

**'root cause'--that's a Quality joke. Ha. Ha.

If it's Friday, it must be nerve death

Just kidding, although it was touch 'n' go there for a minute.

Back from dentist, where I learned that half of all root canals are performed for reasons that have no assignable root cause**. Nerve is dying, but they can't pinpoint why. There's no gum disease. No tooth decay. Frex, sometimes the nerve beneath a crowned tooth will simply begin its journey to the Happy Chewing Place a little earlier than its brethren, even though the crown is secure and no cavity has formed in the remaining tooth.

I was apprised of these facts while dentist and I waited for the x-ray of my crowned tooth to develop. Dentist was simply warning me of Worst Case. I was pretty certain, though, that given how the year had been going so far, a root canal was in my future.

The happy news was, however, that the x-ray showed no ex-nerve tissue. Like hoosier_red, I am a jaw clencher and tooth grinder--I do wear a guard as needed--and it's possible that given the month I've had, I simply clenched too hard long enough for the little nerves to yell "STOP" in their little meepy voices. Or I could have had what my dentist referred to as a 'chewing accident', wherein something I chewed hit the crown from the wrong angle and irritated matters. That could take weeks to resolve.

It could also be that my bite is changing. I have a permanent retainer that doesn't seem to be retaining as well as it should. Dentist referred me to an orthodontist, who I'll be visiting the week after next. I am fairly certain there is a new permanent retainer in my future, because the tax refund will be showing up any day now and you know it would be wrong to do anything with that money that might be construed as Fun.

**'root cause'--that's a Quality joke. Ha. Ha.

First thing you do

...when you find out that your crown isn't loosening up is pick aaallll the Bit O' Honey pieces out of the community candy dish and have at it.

First thing you do

...when you find out that your crown isn't loosening up is pick aaallll the Bit O' Honey pieces out of the community candy dish and have at it.