"Dentist!"

It seemed suitable to give this post the title of one of my favorite songs from Little Shop of Horrors. It's also entirely possible that that very same song is the reason why I fear dentists. Oh, there are plenty of other reasons, but I'm not focused on those. And I'm sure they're out there somewhere, but I personally don't know anyone that's thrilled to go to the dentist, even if all the dentist says, "Looks great. See you in six months."

But those broken teeth of mine needed to be addressed. It was an "emergency" appointment that was set about three weeks from when I called. Nothing quite like a clinic that's overworked and understaffed. And when I initially called, it was the broken tooth to my lower left side that was the issue, causing so much swelling that it could be seen by looking at my cheek! Blessedly, antibiotics cleared that one up.

That's when the broken tooth along the upper front decided to start hurting. And hurting... and hurting... AND HURTING! More antibiotics and MANY more painkillers.

The thing about dental pain is how pervasive it is. It doesn't just hurt at the site of the problem. The pain radiates outward, causing severe pain all over your face and neck. I kept trying not to take 20 mg. of oxycodone every time I started to hurt, even though that would be the final dose in the end. A half-tablet taken every half hour, 5 mg... and 5 mg... and 5 mg... and 5 mg... It was stupid to take it this way. It made tracking when it was safe to take my next dose nearly impossible. Every four hours at the SOONEST! And, stupid me, I'd start the ritual all over again, thinking, This time it'll be different! This time a lower dose will work just fine! Nope.

I saw the dentist on the 3 November 2022. By then I had refined my pain management, taking 10 mg. every half hour and still landing on 20 mg. Because I'm, like, Einstein levels of brilliant. At night, my body was "flirting with a fever." No one would call 99.3 F (37.38 C) a real fever, but it was an indication that something was brewing, especially when my mean temp is lower than 98.6 F/37 C.

So the lovely dental assistant came in, took a couple of x-rays, and - 

Okay, when did x-ray machines become hand-held portable cameras? And does this speak to the speed of technology or to how infrequently I've gone to the dentist? What's more, the pictures were INSTANTLY on the laptop on the counter! I was like a Cro-Magnon man pulled into the future and seeing a wheel for the first time!

The doctor came in, looked at the x-rays, and informed me that the two teeth beside the broken tooth on the side were also beyond saving and preparing to shatter. After a quick chat, it was decided to remove four teeth. The shattered one up front and the three on the side.

LET THE NUMBING BEGIN!

I couldn't feel my left jaw, left side of my tongue, and the left corner of my lips. I also couldn't feel my right nostril, upper gums, and right side of my lips. But the infected tooth still hurt. GODS ABOVE AND BELOW, IT HURT!!! It hurt so much that I was sweating, moaning, and instinctively guarding my mouth with my hands! The doctor tried giving me more anesthetic, and while inserting the needle itself didn't hurt, the moment it got close to where the pain resided is when I cried out.

The doctor couldn't understand it... yet.

Deciding to give the lidocaine a little more time to take effect up front, he went after the side teeth. No problems there. All pressure, no pain. He stitched up the site and moved on to the front tooth.

Post tooth removal, he said that a lot of pus came out. The dental assistant added that when the dentist started applying pressure to get a hold of the tooth fragments, pus was being squeezed out of the sides. In other words, that tooth as SUPER infected! It explained why they couldn't numb it. And it continued to drain afterward. I know because the gauze they gave me to press against the site was decorated red and yellow.

Yes, I agree. EWWWWW!

So why bring this up in a blog about diabetes? To demonstrate that we are like walking, talking Petri dishes when it comes to infection. In rapid succession, I was now on my second round of 875 mg. amoxicillin. Despite this, I had an abscess growing beneath the tooth.

We become complacent when it comes to infection. That's because the most common infection is a break in the skin. You feel it, wash it, and maybe put a band-aid on it if it's still bleeding. But if you leave it uncovered... Well, whaddaya know! It gets infected. Some topical antibiotic and band-aids to cover it, and soon you're on the mend.

But what if you can't treat it topically? Like an abscessed tooth. We've come a long way in terms of medicine, so it has become less frequent, but even a dental infection can kill! Look it up if you don't believe me. Just type "dying from abscessed tooth" and marvel at the results. And common breaks in the skin that go untreated can become septic. Septicemia is when your blood is poisoned by bacteria. Or put it this way: your BLOOD becomes infected!

There is so much to worry about. It can be overwhelming. It can even be terrifying. But my goal isn't to turn you into quivering piles of jelly that hide from the world. My goal is to make you more vigilant. We're at a higher risk for infection, so be on the lookout for it. Be vigilant and you should be fine.

Or, you know, do like me and wait until the last minute to have your crumbling teeth looked at. "A lot of pus drained out when that tooth came out," is really the kind of thing you can bring up at parties and family dinners as a topic of conversation... if you don't want to be invited to future engagements.

Let's end on a laugh. There's a little band called Ninja Sex Party, and they have a perfectly 80's-sounding song called Mansion Party. You should give it a listen, if for no other reason than learning that a panda fighting pit is called a "Pandagon."

Seduction is like a game of Chess

And I'm the queen.

Wait -

NOTE: I chose this song because it's one of the safest NSP songs. No swearing and such. The ones I won't link, but are equally funny to me are: Courtship of the Mermaid (which was my introductory song to them), First Date, I Don't Know What We're Talking About, and Bedtime. Most have "colorful language" that would be unacceptable at work.