Teeth issues are fun. In the same way that I’ve been through so much debilitating anxiety that I feel like I could be a counselor in that realm, I’ve had so many teeth issues that sometimes I feel like the road to becoming a dentist would feel very familiar and the transition into dentistry wouldn’t be so difficult.
Actually, I was going to write a post about how I feel like by the time people are age 30 many of us are weighed down, sometimes permanently, and our minds and identities are defined by the experiences we’ve had – and I feel like we need a refresher. A bone-deep refresher; to be reborn. Our minds hold the key to this potential.
But, there’s really only so much thinking I can do when I’ve been dealing with an exposed tooth nerve.
I had braces in 4th grade and had them on for around 4.5 years. This I believe not only weakened my teeth but it made it very easy to get cavities on top of my not-so-great childhood brushing habits. I also am naturally prone to cavities. Whether it be prone to more bacteria forming in my mouth or the lack of enzyme required to break down food quite as well, I don’t know, but there is such a thing. Some peoples’ teeth can withstand a certain amount of not brushing enough. Mine couldn’t. When I got my braces off, I had 14 cavities that needed to be filled.
Fast forward through many years, about 13 years, of not visiting a dentist, an overly sugary diet (as most typical Western diets are) due to not knowing better, somewhat better brushing habits (but still pretty lacking in my current opinion) and the progression of age. Once I finally visited the dentist after all this time, I started to get the picture that hey, this shit matters, it cost many monies and many more monies over time. I started brushing more and flossing more, but the teeth just wanted to crumble.
Fast forward to now – I’m 30 years old, haven’t had an actual cavity in a while, excellent oral hygiene, but am still very likely encroaching upon my 4th root canal (if this exposed tooth nerve does not fix itself) and I also have a missing molar. Occasionally I have to do things like replace old fillings that aren’t holding up well, etc. I have thousands of dollars invested in my teeth and have even driven down to Mexico 3 times to have them do a root canal when I was sick and tired of paying 2k for the entire procedure here. I still only paid A QUARTER in Mexico of what I would have paid here, and that includes gas money. I still don’t know how they did, because truly, only time will tell.
Mexico (Los Algodones) is really great for teeth care though, if you do your research and find a reputable dentist. It is just extremely cost-effective. However it was quite a different experience than what I’ve experienced here. Multiple dentists worked on my tooth during different parts of the procedure and they don’t talk to you much. Even though they knew I spoke Spanish, they didn’t quite have the bedside manner that I’ve experienced in the U.S. They were there to get the job done and that’s it. This root canal was the only one I had ever had done on a bottom molar, and the procedure itself hurt like hell, which was a first too. They kept sticking those measuring needles into my gums and would occasionally hit a nerve (I am guessing) and the pain would sear through my jaw. I kept raising my hand telling them I was in pain and they would numb me up a bit more but it just wasn’t reaching that area. I also wondered what they used for a numbing agent and thought maybe it wasn’t as strong, but really I just think where they were hitting was deeper than the area that was being numbed up.
So that was fun.
But pre-root canal tooth pain is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. Ever. But a couple times I had no idea anything had gotten to that point of needing one. Many people who don’t have teeth problems will say “just visit your dentist regularly and don’t let your teeth get to that point.” Well, sometimes it’s not that easy. I am at the dentist’s office what feels like all the time. Unless they are frequently doing rescans of your entire mouth, sometimes it’s impossible to catch something before it needs a root canal. In my case, they are usually doing cleanings or working on other areas that needed help that were detected on the original xray. Sometimes nothing hurts at all so there is no pain indicator. Sometimes you just have an exposed nerve because some dentist did a shitty filling that took up a lot of the tooth and shit just fell apart. That’s why understanding how cosmetic dentistry can transform your smile isn’t just about aesthetics, it can also play a role in preventing bigger dental issues before they become painful emergencies.
Anyway, I know a lot about teeth issues, and I’ve been to many different dentists. I have certainly found that it is always wise to get a second opinion in dentistry. I’ve had the occurrence multiple times now of some dentists saying I needed something done and others saying I didn’t. I do not think it is uncommon that they prescribe work that doesn’t really need to be done.
I also avoid root canals at all costs unless I’m in unmanageable pain, which is why I am sitting here tonight taking colloidal silver (after much research on the product), oil of oregano, grapefruit seed extract, eating lots of garlic and onions, using hydrogen peroxide mouthwash, the occasional ibuprofen and praying that it will get better on its own without the need of a root canal.
But that is all for tonight on teeth. I’m beyond exhausted and am going to try to sleep through the night — the dark, quiet night, which is just when my exposed nerve likes to get extremely angry at me. Wish me luck.
I haven’t been to the dentist for over a decade. I don’t really like dentists or even medical doctors for that matter. It is another ego problem I have I guess. Hehehe.
However, my teeth are in pretty good shape. I have these little workers who are constantly working to repair any damage, and I brush and floss to make sure the amount of work doesn’t become too much for them. This is an idea given to me by someone I trusted, I accepted it in mind, and the body makes it happen.
The body’s ability to repair teeth is a part of the immune system which is highly affected by one’s emotional state. I wonder if your past anxiety issues played some part in that.
I have heard that dental pain is one of the worst kinds of pain that we can experience. I am sorry you are having to deal with that.
Pain is your body telling your mind that something is missing. My experience with this was when I cut my thumb open hot dog style at sword practice. After I got it all stitched up, the pain was very aggravating, but I refused to take any kind of pain medication (more ego stuff). At the time I had been studying hypnosis. So instead, I just lied back, relaxed and imagined that the pain was like a fire truck at the scene of an accident. I flipped a switch to turn the sirens off but left the flashing lights on so the workers would be able to find it and make repairs. This helped to some extent. Some people can use self hypnosis to the extent that they can undergo surgery without anesthesia. The closest I got to this was when I went so deep that the pain become this thing — that was just floating there — in space. I thought it was very strange and wondered what it was for.
Good luck on getting some sleep, but you probably already did that. So, good luck on your Spartan thing. 🙂 That is this weekend isn’t it?
Thanks for this comment – I am much more like you describe yourself as when it comes to dentists and doctors than I used to be – it took some years of thinking and experience to form my opinion on them. However I see what they do (especially physicians) as a one-sided approach to recovery and that it is just a small part of the picture. I think they can certainly be useful at times but shouldn’t by any means be an answer to everything.
I’m much more reluctant to take pain meds as well. I’ve never taken a heavy duty one. I only take them if i’m in a state of desperation. 😛
I imagine my teeth problems are a combination of things and I wouldn’t doubt at all that my anxiety kept them from being healthy– like you said, that interfered with my system’s ability to heal itself. These days i rarely get bad anxiety as over the years I’ve solidified my tools in dealing with it.
The dental pain I’m experiencing now is minor compared to any pre-root canal tooth pain i’ve had because there is no major infection. I’m actually grateful for this opportunity because it’s giving me a really good chance to experiment with different natural remedies for what is probably a low-grade infection (and definitely inflammation) causing the pain.
As I mentioned in the post I had done extensive research on colloidal silver, and while there seems to be some uneffective and/or possibly unhealthy versions of the supplement out there, I managed to find a very reputable company and brand. I put the silver in my mouth and hold it over the tooth for a period of time and I get immediate pain relief. Coming from someone like myself who is a natural skeptic of everything (that is, before I have solid reason to believe something), the results surprised me.
I’ve always wondered about hypnosis. The closest thing I can relate to the experience of hypnosis are my deep meditative states. Other than that I don’t quite understand it or how one gets into that state. You should tell me more about it.
Spartan thing indeed is this weekend. Am excited but lots to take care of before I leave.
“I only take them if i’m in a state of desperation. :P” Hahahaha
What reputable company? Are you talking about Isagenix?
I originally went to a medical hypnotherapist in Scottsdale, AZ for anger management. I found out that it was not anger management that I needed, but I needed to learn to let things go. The one session I had with her made an immediately noticeable change that I felt went beyond just not getting angry over stupid stuff anymore. I felt like I was liberated. The experience even led me to abandon the religion I was raised with. It changed me that much. I find the subject interesting enough that I visit her twice a year for a session and I study it whenever I can.
The most succinct definition of hypnosis that I found through all of the books I read was, “a state of awareness dominated by the subconscious.” This definition implies that all hypnosis is self hypnosis and that we enter this state many times a day without realizing it. Some old hypnotists might refute this because the idea takes away from them the illusion that they are controlling the subject. (Many hypnotists have huge egos).
The subconscious mind is the mind that feels, the emotional mind, the feeling center or another friend refers to it as the belly mind. The conscious mind thinks with language, logic and has critical faculties. It is the role of the conscious mind to analyze incoming information and decide to accept or reject it. The subconscious mind has no ability to do this. It takes in all information all at once without any analysis. So when the subconscious mind is in control of one’s state of awareness, they become more suggestible. It is not black and white though. It becomes more effective the more you relax.
The illusion that you are not in control occurs when a hypnotist delivers, successfully, a post hypnotic suggestion which you subsequently try to consciously override — but can’t. This is especially obvious when using suggestions pertaining to physical action because the subconscious controls the body.
The best book I have read on the subject, if you are interested, was “HYPNOSIS: Medicine of the Mind” by Dr. Michael D. Preston.
I wanted to share this with you. I hope you don’t mind. 🙂
http://medical-hypnotherapy.com/
She is one of the most awesome people I have ever met. I have met a number of hypnotherapists, and none of them understood the mind as well as her. She says about medication, that it does the job, but it is a bit like shooting a fly on the wall with cannon. It works, but it does some damage.
I wonder if you would be interested in trying a session with her.
Just saw this — I am interested in trying actually, just for the experience. Not sure at this point what I would really be going for specifically, though. I think as far as my mind goes, I need the most work with controlling my negativity. I am easily irritated (I think this is just part of my personality and maybe a result of a strong ego in some ways) and can easily be negative – although it’s a lot better than it used to be. Luckily I’m doing well off of prozac these days (after being on it for 10 yrs) and have my anxiety generally under control.
You seemed to list off some things here and in your sleepy post. If nothing else though, just go for the experience of it. I took my fiance a few weeks ago, and she came out of it with a much greater level of self awareness and some interesting super powers. 🙂
Very cool. Would love to try. How expensive is she? Would love to hear more about her experience and how it felt, and what they talked about (if she remembers), etc.
Her fee is 400$. That sounds like a lot, but she spends a good amount of time with you, and most people only ever need one session. It is totally worth it.
As for my fiance’s experience, I cannot speak for her. I will ask her if she would write something about it though.
Yeah that makes sense for only one session especially if she’s really good. I can’t afford it right now (trying to pay off credit card and student loan debt, medical bills, etc). But when I have the extra cash I’ll definitely try it out
Oh, I see. Hmmm… she is a good friend of mine. If I could talk her into giving you a free session, would you be interested?
I absolutely would try it. I could maybe do something for trade, too, like putting up a quick WordPress website for her to replace her current one at http://medical-hypnotherapy.com or any graphics work.
That is a great idea. I will talk to her about it.
I did send her an email. She is often busy with clients. So, she may not get back to me until late tonight.
There is something strange though. In my previous conversation with Dr. Paxson, she mentioned that there was someone from the Phoenix area who said that I referred them. I don’t remember referring anyone from Phoenix besides you though. :/