Toothache
It's been a damn long time since I lost saw a dentist. I haven't seen one since I've started grad school, so it's been at least 2 1/2 years since I last had a checkup. Needless to say, that's far longer than they recommend! But I've finally arranged to see one.
Now, I was planning to see a dentist since earlier this semester. But last week, I started feeling peculiar sensations in my teeth, and that spurred me to do it right now. My top-right-back teeth feel sensitive, especially when I walk heavily or jump around. (I avoided playing DDR in order to avoid this pain.) When I combine this pain with my long inter-dentist time, the obvious conclusion (and the conclusion that my Internet searches suggest) is that I need a root canal. Apparently, when a cavity gets deep enough, it infects the inside of the tooth, which needs to be removed. The procedure is expensive and notoriously painful, and I really don't want to undergo it.
The good news is that I actually probably don't need a root canal. After searching a bit more, I found that one cause of such upper-tooth pain is a sinus infection. Then I remembered that this pain started shortly after I got a cold, about a week ago. And I still have sinus drainage and am stuffed up. So, I almost surely don't have a bad cavity, but rather just a sinus infection. I can actually feel the pressure in my right sinus sometimes.
A picture of sinus location:
I'm hugely relieved. I was really worried that I had screwed up severely and, by my carelessness, been punished with an expensive, painful hassle. It was embarrassing and frustrating. Fortunately, my foolishness will go unpunished yet again. Hooray!
Now, I was planning to see a dentist since earlier this semester. But last week, I started feeling peculiar sensations in my teeth, and that spurred me to do it right now. My top-right-back teeth feel sensitive, especially when I walk heavily or jump around. (I avoided playing DDR in order to avoid this pain.) When I combine this pain with my long inter-dentist time, the obvious conclusion (and the conclusion that my Internet searches suggest) is that I need a root canal. Apparently, when a cavity gets deep enough, it infects the inside of the tooth, which needs to be removed. The procedure is expensive and notoriously painful, and I really don't want to undergo it.
The good news is that I actually probably don't need a root canal. After searching a bit more, I found that one cause of such upper-tooth pain is a sinus infection. Then I remembered that this pain started shortly after I got a cold, about a week ago. And I still have sinus drainage and am stuffed up. So, I almost surely don't have a bad cavity, but rather just a sinus infection. I can actually feel the pressure in my right sinus sometimes.
A picture of sinus location:
I'm hugely relieved. I was really worried that I had screwed up severely and, by my carelessness, been punished with an expensive, painful hassle. It was embarrassing and frustrating. Fortunately, my foolishness will go unpunished yet again. Hooray!