A Trip to the Dentist

Every year, we both make two trips to the dentist for checkups. Most of the time, the news after a visit is good. We both try to brush our teeth, gargle, and floss with regularity, which leads to good, healthy teeth. At least, most of the time.

Unfortunately, when I first opened my mouth, the dentist identified one area of concern. I had a small bump in my gum, which he didn't like. After an X-ray, he said that I was in need of a root canal. The nerve in the tooth had died, and an infection had built up under the tooth. So he would need to go in, remove the root, and then clear out the tooth so that the infection could be healed.

That found me this past Thursday once again sitting in the dentist's chair. Since this was my fourth root canal, I knew the procedure pretty well. It took about 35 minutes, all told. At the end, he gave me a prescription to get rid of the infection.

That leads to even better news! He told me that, since the little bump had appeared, my body was probably fighting various other infections in addition to the one at the base of my tooth, and that I had probably noticed some symptoms. Sure enough, after looking back to see when I first noticed the small bump, I had been through several different little illnesses. Now that I'm on the antibiotics, they are all cleared up, and I'm feeling as good as new again.

Moral of the story: when you get a small bump in your mouth, have it checked out ASAP!