Quack Doctors, Part II

The Three Stooges were masters of the Short, which were short films shown in movie theaters before the main feature back in the days before television became popular.  Although the Stooges stopped making new movies in the 1950s because the Hollywood studios thought the short comedy genre was dated, their shows continued to live on, and their slapstick humor can still be seen today on television, which was the very thing that originally put them out of business.  While they are funny, I sure wouldn't go to them for dental work.

 When it rains, it pours.  If a busted hot water heater and computer aren't enough for one week consider this.

When I was in bed last night, my jaw was killing me.  I had a real nasty toothache going on, but didn't do anything about it until I got up.  I was just too tired and lazy to get out of bed at 2:00 AM.  First thing in the morning I brushed my teeth and tried to floss them.  When I got near the sore spot, I practically went through the ceiling.  Guess what, it wasn't some food stuck between my teeth after all.

So onto step two.  I called out of work and called my family dentist.  I was just there a month ago for my six month checkup and he said everything was fine.  No, I don't go to Eastern Dental or some other mas production shop.  I have a 40 year old Jewish gentleman who practices alone in Bordentown.  Just him, the dental assistant and the receptionist.  Do to some prior experiences with this guy (like the time he informed me that he broke a dental drill off inside my tooth when he was attempting a root canal), I know he isn't the best dentist in the world, but how good to you have to be to do checkups and cleanings.  After the root canal from hell, I let him know that I prefer to go to a real endodontist for the heavy stuff.

So why go to this guy?  Because he gives you the personal attention you deserve and you can get an appointment right on the spot if you have a toothache.

Off to the family dentist.  He looks at the tooth and said it was fine a month ago.  He then X-rays it and says there is nothing wrong with the tooth.  I probably was grinding on it because I have been under a lot of stress lately.  He then said he will inspect the tooth by looking at it and poking on it.  He then found what he thought was the problem.  The tooth was fractured.  He said he was going to numb me up and drill it a little bit,  However after two shots of Novacane, my jaw refused to become numb.  That was actually a good thing, because it saved me from being drilled on by some Three Stooges guy with a dental license.

The family dentist got me an appointment latter in the day with my endodontist in Mt. Laurel.  She got the thing numb right away and did the root canal.  She said that this was a longstanding problem, that my tooth was infected and that the infection was so bad that it left the root of the tooth and went into the jaw.  She said that if the infection can be stopped, she can probably save the tooth.  (When she gets done, Three Stooges guy gets to put a crown on it.)  So she gave me a prescription for pennicilin and Percocet and sent me home.  I feel 100% better without the infected root pulp and nerve.  Also, I;m relieved knowing I probably won't get encephelitis from the infected tooth the other dentist missed.