Root Canal Done

Well the root canal is finished.  Mostly finished.  It still needs a more permanent filling and then a crown put on it.  But the root canal part is done.

When I went to see Torture Guy (aka the dentist) yesterday afternoon, I asked him if this is the last appointment.  He said no.  I said, “Yes, it is”.  I told him that I cannot take any more time off of work for this.  He needed to finish it up today.

He seemed puzzled by this declaration. He didn’t understand the problem.  I further explained to him that my boss doesn’t appreciate that I have to leave work all the time for this and didn’t understand why a root canal should take more than one appointment.  After all, this was the fourth appointment.  Torture Guy disagreed and said it hadn’t been four appointments.  I was astonished at his poor memory and explained that this was the fourth time I have come in for this one tooth.  He denied that and said that the first visit was an emergency visit and that was just to relieve my pain.  The second visit he couldn’t finish the procedure because it was bleeding too much (he never mentioned this to me).  The third visit I was in too much pain for him to work on it (I wasn’t in THAT much pain and if he had just numbed it, I could have made it through it). So this was actually only the second appointment.  I said that I have had to leave work four times and had to take a day off because I was in so much pain from the last visit.  I can’t keep taking time off work for this.  He needed to finish the job TODAY.

At this point Torture Guy said that we might as well get started and that he wasn’t going to numb it.  Once again, I was astonished!  It’s a fricken root canal!!!  Why wouldn’t he use Novocain? He said it wouldn’t be necessary and I told him it was necessary considering the amount of pain I was in from the last visit when he poked at it without numbing it first.  He said I was confused as to what happened but if that is what I wanted, he would numb it.  YES, I WANT IT NUMB!!!

We continued “discussing” this whole thing why we waited for the Novocain to take effect.  He still didn’t understand why I couldn’t continue to take time off work and offered to call my boss to explain things.  I told him that it wasn’t just my boss that I didn’t want to take the time off.  It inconveniences everyone when I am not there.

He finally agreed to put a more permanent filling in although it wouldn’t last more than three to six months.  I would have to come back for a more permanent filling at some point.  Whatever.  More than likely I won’t be going back to him ever.  There has to be a better Torture Guy out there somewhere who will value my time, communicate better and not spend so much time arguing with his patients.

This morning, it is still sore and aches when I bite down on it but the pain is tolerable.  I am glad it is done.  I am sick and tired of dealing with this.  And I am sick and tired of arguing with someone who I am paying to torture me.  Then again, maybe that is all part of the torture.  Not just the sharp instruments poking my teeth and gum but also arguing with me instead of just understanding that my time is valuable and that I don’t like pain.