Tonight's picture was taken on October 19, 2004. Mattie was two years old and was attending his first preschool in Washington, DC. A preschool nightmare! The school set Mattie off, and he bit the director and a fellow student. Needless to say, it wasn't the right environment for Mattie, and therefore, he lasted there for maybe a month. Long enough to go on this preschool field trip to Butler's Orchard in Maryland. Because I knew the situation was volatile between the school and Mattie, I went as a chaperone on the field trip. This was the first photo I took of Mattie in this wonderful pumpkin patch.
Quote of the day: If suffering brought wisdom, the dentist's office would be full of luminous ideas. ~ Mason Cooley
I was supposed to go back to the dentist's office today for a consultation! I have to say I am SICK of the dentist and tooth pain. On April 17th of this year, I went to the dentist so he could remove one of my old silver fillings and replace it with a partial crown. He determined this had to be done, based on x-ray data! I had NO pain or issues with my tooth to warrant treatment, but I elected to do this based on his medical advice and my desire to maintain the health of my teeth.
I haven't been the same since April. It all started on April 17th, when he removed the old filling and put in a temporary partial crown. Then two weeks later, I went in for the permanent crown. After drilling out the temporary crown and replacing it with the permanent crown, the TROUBLE began. I haven't felt good since April, as I have been dealing with all sorts of pain and an inability to eat on the left side of my mouth. I was hoping the problem would go away with time, so literally I tried to put it out of my mind. Until two weeks ago, when I told my dentist about the issues I am having.
At that point on September 17th, I went back to the dentist. He took more x-rays, which all looked normal, and therefore he decided to remove the permanent crown with the hopes I was sensitive to the bonding agent. Right now I have a temporary crown in my mouth. However, the pain isn't better (constant aching and sensitivity to hot and cold fluids) and I refuse to get the permanent crown put in next week without this issue resolved.
Needless to say, the dentist called me today and told me not to come in. He feels he can't do anything for me and that I need to be evaluated by a specialist. Naturally!!! Why not add another specialist to my arsenal. So apparently I need an endodontist. I can assure you I never heard of such a professional. Therefore, I looked it up!
What's an endodontist? They typically have two to three years of advanced training beyond dental school, have incredible precision and hand-eye coordination, making them highly skilled in performing complex treatments. They use the most specialized and advanced technology to treat tooth pain and perform root canal treatment.
I am sure no dentist is going to confirm my suspicions, but I believe the drilling during the removal of the temporary crown to insert the permanent crown caused a trauma to my tooth. As I never had a nerve issue prior to his multiple procedures. I had all the best intentions of preserving the health of my teeth, but now I feel just the opposite occurred.
Which leads me to the conclusion I have about moms who lost a child to cancer. Many of us seem to have multiple neurological issues. Issues we did not have prior to our child's death. To some extent I am not surprised that I have this current tooth problem. As I think there are many physical side effects from surviving Mattie's cancer battle that can't be detected by the naked eye.
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