I NEVER flake out on things. I need to start out by saying that. I am not a flake. But tonight I feel like such a flake, even though I know I'm not really, and a friend keeps telling me I'm not. I even called an hour and a half ahead to cancel. But I still feel like such a flake. I'm hoping posting to this blog will somehow redeem me. Or at least it'll be slightly interesting. Or maybe it will just make me feel better to get it off my chest.
Anyhow, for the past week, I've been in dental hell. Now let me tell you--I've been through it all. I've had braces--twice, retainer, headgear, rubberbands, major surgery with jaw-wired-shut, gum grafts, crowns, root canals, multiple extractions, more cavities than I have teeth, and canker sores spawned by satan himself. Mouth pain? Bring it on. But when I was in LA, a tooth that had been sensitive for a long time (kept putting it off, ignoring it) just erupted into full-on pull-out-your-hair pain. It was like getting your tooth drilled without novacaine. Like plucking out your fillings and then blowing on them and then eating ice-cream. Bad. The worst thing was that it hurt the most when I was lying down, as in, when I was trying to sleep. I haven't slept soundly in over a week.
Now, I just want to say that after watching my mom suffer, I have no right to talk about pain. What I felt was not real pain. It was just discomfort. Real pain is not blog-worthy. Real pain is something that only people a hundred times stronger than I can endure. I just want to put that out there. I'm being a big baby right now.
Anyhow. Have you seen those totally cheezy commercials for 1-800-Dentist? This blog entry is a totally cheezy commercial for 1-800-Dentist. Last December I went to my dentist in LA and he said if my tooth started to hurt bad later, then I ought to go see about a root canal. Well, it hurt. I was up here in the Bay Area, and I contacted 1-800-Dentist and right away they put me in touch with a dentist. Can I just say, I called on Tuesday morning, got an appointment for Thursday morning (that's today--I could have gotten an appointment for the same day, but was busy), and the universe being in the right alignment, or schedules falling just right, or karma, or Mom looking down on me to make things happen, or whatever--I'm done. Thursday evening and I'm done and there is only the residual ache of keeping your mouth open for an hour and raw gums and all that stuff that goes away in a couple of days. Hallelujah! Hallelujah for 1-800-Dentist! You have pain? Call them! They're totally worth their weight in cheese. The best kind too. Of cheese, I mean.
Anyhow. Things happened so fast. Dentist-guy called Endodontist guy and got me an appointment for 2 hours later. Last time I got a root canal, Endodontist-lady just talked and took x-rays. No same-day appointments like today. The guy was like, ok, here's what we can do, and if you like, we can give you a root canal, and I was like, ok, and then he had to leave the room and the nurse was like, here's your pillow and special goggles, and I was like, What??!?? You're going to do it right now? And she was like, Yeah, it'll only take an hour. But what I'm not telling you folks was that it was 4:15, and I had a date at 6 to go play taiko with taiko master J, and Endo-guy was busy and running late, and I knew that wisdom teeth (did I tell you it was my wisdom tooth? One of the main reasons why I was putting it off so long) might be a little tricky, and he even said so himself. So I was doubting this whole 1-hour concept, and my heart was beating fast, and I had other places to be, so I called Taiko Master J (TMJ) and told her, oh, can we re-schedule? And she was pretty cool, and asked, Is there anything wrong? And I was like, I'm sitting in the doctor's office and I'm about to get a root-canal. But of course she didn't have all the history like I just told you. And we re-scheduled for some time this weekend, depending on TMJ's schedule.
But then I was sitting in the death-recline of the dentist's chair (ok, endodontist) and I realized, Hey, I could have just told her I was going to be late!!! What an idiot I am! I was totally looking forward to this meeting for however long we were talking about it for!! Crap!! I SSOOOooo wanted to play taiko tonight!!! I was so looking forward to it!! I was even excited when I woke up this morning! And the thing that sucks was that I actually could have made our appointment! So Dumb! I feel so dumb! Especially since I told her I would make it, and have ALWAYS, always in the past made it to my commitments. I NEVER flake out!!! NEVER! I guarantee!!!! I'm always the one who's there early. But I didn't want to call her after I told her I wouldn't be coming to say that I actually could make it. That would be even worse. Oh I feel so bad. So dumb. I always jump the gun on those kinds of things. Always err on the side of caution. Because really, I had no idea how long a root canal on a wisom tooth would take. And I didn't want to be late. Oh, but I could have made it! And I need taiko in my life so bad! Oh, I'm such a jump-the-gun-idiot!!!
But like I said, we re-scheduled for this weekend. She's busy too--did I mention that? A busy person. And anyway, she was like (as I was reclining on the chair of no-return) Oh, I've had tons of root canals. At least you don't DIEEEE! And I, sitting the Endodontist's office, many months overdue for this root canal was like, Oh, you're not scaring me AT ALL! And she laughed, and promised to call this weekend.
I'm fine by the way.
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