Tooth Owie

Even though this looks like just another picture of James in the car seat, it’s really his first trip to the dentist!

Fortunately it wasn’t for him.  :)  I started having pretty serious tooth pain over the weekend, and Tuesday morning I about woke up in tears.  I called my dentist and they got me in after we dropped the girls off at school.  My mom came with and held/showed off James while I got worked on.  The pain is from a tooth that I got a crown on last year.  We were hoping that the pain was a result of the bite being off, so Dr. Bozzo adjusted it and took an x-ray.  The x-ray didn’t show an abscess, but he said that sometimes pain starts first before the abscess will show up on the x-ray.  He told me the pain would either get better (because the adjustment worked) or it would get worse (because it was abscessed) and I’d need a root canal.

It didn’t get better, and I’ve been on antibiotics and pain meds since Tuesday night.  Unfortunately they’re not really helping either.  The pain meds take the edge off and allow me to function, but I’m thinking it may not be an abscess if the antibiotics haven’t made the pain go away yet.

I took a picture of my daily meds.  I can’t believe everything I’m taking!

Just today I decided to stop taking the pain pills.  They were making me very woozy and I’m a little worried they were affecting James as well.  I switched back to plain ‘ol Motrin, and it seems to be working about the same.  I have an appointment with the root canal guy on Tuesday morning.  Even though I’m not sure that’s actually what the problem is, he’ll be able to tell.  I’m really really NOT looking forward to having or paying for a root canal.  My biggest concern is that I’m not going to be able to nurse James while I have the anesthesia in my system.  Needless to say that made me cry for a while this morning.  But then I sucked it up, got out the ol’ breast pump, and started prepping!  Hopefully he and I will adjust to a day off from breastfeeding and then adjust back with no trouble.

Whatever it is, I hope this doctor finds the source of my pain and fixes it!  A mommy with tooth pain is no fun for anyone!  I am thankful this doctor was able to see me next week.  The other one I got a referral to couldn’t see me for two weeks!  If the antibiotic was working, I could wait that long, but I can’t be in pain for two weeks, nor can I take pain meds that long!  You know that scene in Castaway where Tom Hanks’ character knocks his tooth out with a rock?  I get it.  Thankfully I shouldn’t have to go to those extreme measures.  :)