What? No more peppermints!?!

OK. As I've been complaining lately about my tooth pain, I guess for friends and family I really should take the time to let you know what is going on with my mouth. For starters...it hurts!!! I've been in pain off and on for about a week and a half now! I thought for a few days I could "grin and bear" it until the pain faded away and I could find TIME to go to the dentist like normal people (yeah, right!) but unfortunately my mouth decided it had a different plan.

Sunday night it started to hurt BAD!!! You know the kind of pain that takes over your whole body, you can not focus on anything else and wished you could find the pliers so you could go ahead pull the stupid thing...PAIN?! Lucky for me I have a friend at church that is a dentist and worked me in after work the next day. All day Monday I was miserable. No smiles were coming from this mouth. Whether it was from pain or dread of going to the dentist, I will never really know...

I went. She looked at my mouth. She hummed and said a lot of "Ohs" and I sat there quietly waiting for the "bottom line" of where the pain was coming from. What I got was a simple, "I want x rays of your whole mouth and will see you tomorrow at the same time." Ugh! Another night of restless sleep, fear of overdosing on Tylenol and dread of what could be taking place in my mouth. Did I mention I don't like people messing with my mouth? I will say this again UGH!!!

I go back. Not as bad as it could have been or what they first thought. Not fun either! Evidently, I need to have a reconstruct on a root canal I had two years ago. Hello! Have you ever had a root canal? I have, and it certainly wasn't fun the first time around. Not only that, but she makes an appointment with a dentist friend of hers that will be doing it for me! UGH! Now I'm going to have someone I don't even know messing with my mouth! I go this Tuesday. Say a prayer for me and one for the dentist...I'm not always the best patient. Don't worry, Dad, I won't make anyone chase me around the room...

Anyway, after telling me about the root canal and the appointment with the other dentist, she proceeds to tell me what else is wrong with my mouth. Oh no! Here it comes. My mom will tell you she has problems with her teeth. I am afraid I've inherited her smile inside and out. I'm preparing myself for the mounting problems... "Actually, the right side of your mouth looks really good, I'm just going to check an old filling." What? Can you believe that, it wasn't as bad as I thought it could be, I..."But,"

Wait! Did she say "But?" I spoke too soon.

"Your left side has some problems." More than the root canal pain? I'm afraid on top of the root canal gone bad, I have a couple of cavities, a wisdom tooth coming in and a few concerns, because I'm already missing a tooth on my left side (when they pulled my baby tooth, God hadn't given me a big tooth to replace it with!).

As I'm taking all of this in I realize the dentist is wondering about a cavity I have. It is at the gum line. I had to admit that I kind of like to suck on peppermints in my jaw. It's a nervous habit. I was quickly informed that it was a habit I would have to break!

What??? Listen, I'm now looking at the dentist like she had taken away my best friend! I don't smoke. I don't drink alcohol. I don't drink dark sodas. I don't drink tea or coffee. I hardly even chew gum anymore and she wants to take away my one vice? Peppermints?!

I don't know what is worse. The root canal or facing a life of never being able to eat another peppermint without guilt?

I will have to finish this little story after next Tuesday, after the big root canal redo. In the mean time I will try my hardest not to drive my family nuts with crankiness, become addicted to my new best friend Vicodin and stay away from the hard candies I love. Say a prayer!