Molar Update – 1 June 2011

THE DENTIST'S CHAIR_Image courtesy of Nicholas Sales on sxc.hu

Today, at noon, I lay back in my dentist’s reclining chair, opened my mouth, and – under local anaesthetic – watched as one of my molars (which has been causing me sleepless nights due to horrendous toothache) was pulled out.

Except, I didn’t.

That’s because – despite psyching myself up for the removal of the faulty tooth, and even bringing along my iPod so I didn’t have to think about it – my dentist said that (contrary to his colleague’s suggestions during an emergency appointment yesterday), he would not be removing the tooth. He said that, at my tender age, removing the molar would cause the surrounding teeth to become crooked, the gap to fill up with muck, and the whole process to be damaging in later years. He stated that the tooth must be saved at all costs – and what a cost that’s going to be. His best suggestion is root canal treatment, to be undertaken in two one-hour sessions by his specialist friend at the sister practice.

He’s promised that the antibiotics that his fellow dentist (who we saw yesterday) prescribed will ease the worst of the pain in the next few days. And by the end of next Wednesday’s first session, I shouldn’t feel a thing. By then, the majority of the work will be done – then I go back for it to be properly tidied off, before my dentist crowns the tooth.

I’d been hoping that after today’s appointment it would all be over, but I can see that in the great scheme of things, keeping my full set of teeth is for the best. It does mean arranging appointments between exams, but hey!

So that’s the state of play at the moment. I will, of course, keep you posted with #molarupdate (as Twitterer Phil Bray dubbed it), as soon as any developments do occur.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOLLHNve_iA]
A great video I watched about what root canal treatment may invoke.

Andrew Burdett

Andrew Burdett is a twenty-something from Maidenhead in Berkshire, working for ITV News.

1 Response

  1. Phil Bray says:

    I’m already regretting watching the root canal video. Some things are better left to the imagination!

    Hope you get on ok. Definitely for the best in the long-term.