2 Cleanings a Year Keeps the Extraction Away

Last week, I had a tooth pulled which has been in the works for the last couple of months. I was supposed to have the tooth pulled back in November, but I was sick with an upper respiratory infection. The last thing someone with lupus needs to do is have a tooth pulled out when their immune system is low anyways. So I had to cancel the appointment the day before. It took a lot of nerve for me to go to a dentist at all. It took me over 15 years (yes, you read it right.) to get the guts to have the tooth pulled. Back when I was pregnant with my daughter I had a filling done and the filling did not stay. If I knew then that I had a vitamin D deficiency it would have explained to me why my teeth kept on chipping and I was drinking at least a gallon of milk while I was pregnant with my daughter. Really, it should have been a light bulb moment for my doctor, but he probably figured it was just another crazy pregnancy craving. I could not get enough milk throughout my pregnancy, but I could not drink any juice at all. If I could go back I would have gone back to the dentist to get the tooth filled again or pulled earlier. If you have had a molar pulled you know what I mean. I thought I was going to lose my mind while the dentist was trying to yank this tooth out of my mouth. On top of that I started feeling the pain from the actual scalpel (not sure if that is what a dentist uses to cut around a tooth.) cutting into my gums. She would have numbed it again, but I was afraid I would chicken out when she returned. It took all I could to finish the extraction. I held onto the side of my pants and the chair to refocus my mind. I was told to try to refocus my mind on the music playing, but who can hear any music over the suction machine. I was concerned about having an excessive amount of bleeding because I have a platelet deficiency. So I had good reason to be concerned. In my next post I’ll share ways to find dental service less expensive. I need to have some fillings done next time I see the dentist. I am hoping she will do them all at the same time. I need to buy a splint for my TMJ, but I am not sure if I will be able to afford to buy a new one. I have to have an exam from a new dentist, fitted with the splint, and purchase a new splint. My mouth is beginning to feel better now, but my TMJ is still in an uproar.