Wednesday, 30 March 2016

... and nothing but the tooth

OK, I give in. Yes, I've got toothache. I've tried denial, meditation and medication, but finally I've had to go and see the dentist. She's very nice, but she's still a dentist. Anyhoo, after a bit of prodding (her) and wincing (me), we have decided that Something Must Be Done. Options are (a) root canal treatment, which is protracted, painful and  might not work or (b) have the damn thing out.
Option b is preferable, but throws up further choices: a teeny denture, probably not worth it for one tooth; a bridge, which involves drilling into the two adjacent teeth, which seems rather invasive; (iii) an implant, which is going to cost upwards of £2,000 and is therefore definitely not going to happen.

The alternative, of course, is to leave a gap. The dentist has assured me this will be fine 'functionally': but will it make me look even stranger than I already do?  Should I stick a piece of black tape over the offending tooth to see what a space would look like?

The one option I don't have is to do nothing, so a further appointment has been made for three weeks' time (three weeks!) to do whatever I have decided by then.

I hate getting old.
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7 comments:

  1. Maggie May30 March 2016 at 21:37

    Julia, I totally sympathise as I have had to succumb to treatment too. I have a broken tooth with a big filling which is now very sensitive. After discussing the options my dentist advised a crown which is £222.50 on the NHS. I presume this is not an option for you? I HATE the dentist and will spend the next two weeks in a state of apprehension. If it's any help my husband has a denture with one tooth and it works well. Perhaps the least evasive of your options. Good luck.

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    1. Julia Thorley31 March 2016 at 11:00

      Thanks, Maggie. I think it's going to have to come out!

      Delete
  2. Rosemary Gemmell31 March 2016 at 12:49

    I also totally sympathise, Julia, as I put off dentist visits as long as possible. Have also had root canal treatment which worked very well, although now I'd probably have an offending tooth out if it can't be seen. Good luck!

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    1. Julia Thorley2 April 2016 at 08:52

      Yes, it's coming out. No one will be able to see unless they get VERY close.

      Delete
  3. Tyler Williford21 July 2016 at 02:17

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. Joanna5 August 2016 at 06:14

    I don't think a gap will be too noticeable, especially if it is one of your back molars. I'm going through something similar and I worry about chewing food with a gap in my molars, but I refuse to do a root canal and can't afford cosmetic treatments. We'll both be ok! That’s one thing for sure.

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    1. Julia Thorley14 August 2016 at 19:00

      Yes, Joanna. I've survived the extraction and my appetite is unaffected!

      Delete

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