At 12:58 PM 09/23/2000 -0600, you wrote:
>Michael wrote...
>
>>This is because I got my amalgam fillings replaced with gold and a root
>>canal extracted.
>
>What happens when you 'extract a root canal'?  Do they just extract what's
>left of the tooth?

Years ago (1990? can't recall) I had a bad back/right/lower molar. I
got it
crowned. Later, it began to hurt. It required a root canal, but this
was done
through the crown and less expensive. Years went by, all okay. In 1999
I had
some pain late in the year, I tried to ignore it ("it shouldn't
hurt--it's got
a crown!").  In February of 2000, the crown popped off (I won't
mention that I
was indulging in some chocolate because I could have been eating
anything). I
visited my dentist (who did not do any of the original work) and
arranged for
him to clean up the tooth and apply a new crown.  As soon as he began
this
process (after he had shot the area with novacaine, he was that sure
of
what he
planned to do) he took a closer look and said, "Uh-oh, this is too far
gone..."

This turned into a visit to a colleague of his, an oral surgeon, who
was
qualified to remove the root canal. A root canal weakens the root,
thus the
dentist didn't want to remove it (it might break), leaving it to a
pro.
Fortunately (?) the oral surgeon is cute :) I had it removed in early
April. At
the same time he implanted some bone graft. Interestingly, it hardly
hurt at
all; I think I used maybe 4(?) generic Ibuprofen total, though I had
to be on
an antibiotic. I returned twice in the following month for a quick
progress
check, then went back again on Sept 1, at which time I made an
appointment for
implants on October 5. There happens to be enough room back there for
two, and
I have two teeth (one a crown) above it, so...

Implants used to be a two-step process: they'd put in a temporary,
then a few
months later a permanent one. Now they just try to go with the
permanent one.
When the emplants have healed, my dentist will put crowns on them, and
probably
by February I'll be chewing effectively on *both* sides of my mouth
for the
first time in a year :) Wouldn't you know? I decided to move into the
Paleo
diet in November '99--and have this big problem? As well as two other
crowns
this year? Just coincidental, but I'm otherwise healthier due to this
diet,
I'm
sure of it.

I think that throwing out my lazy-vegetarian diet and eating
organically-grown
chicken, turkey and pork has helped immensely. I've been brushing well
and
flossing, too, and I think I've managed to halt all (or a lot of any
natural,
age induced) degeneration (I'll be 49 next month; the implants are a
gift to
myself, I guess... that and wireless internet service :).

Despite what's been said about vitamin C, I've been taking a lot
(varying the
dose) to assist gum healing (for example, the graft is doing well), to
prepare
for healing of the implants, and to help me deal with the stress and
my
tendency to high blood pressure. Also, as Dori notes,, all this is
quite
expensive ($1200 per implant plus $678 per crown, and I originally
thought I'd
only need one implant, but now the cost is double...), and I have no
insurance
coverage at all (it's just not offered at my work place and I don't
have what
is offered there anyhow). So I'm keeping all the invoices and will try
to
write
the variety of dental bills off my taxes, which is a big step for a
gal who
usually fills out the 1040EZ form. Hey, if giant corporations can
write off
corporate jets and bribe--ah, donations to politicians, I can write
off my
dental bills :)

>Unfortunately, I'm on the verge of a root canal myself;
>when the tooth that hurts again was filled, the dentist said if it cracks,
>(which predicted would happen eventually),

I thought crowns were forever, but that one failed, so... Also I've
since
learned that dentists don't expect crowns to last forever anyhow. I'm
going to
make a teeth cleaning appointment for later in October (after the
minor
implant
surgery) and make sure they check that my other crowns are doing well.
I'm so
glad that dental science(?) has progressed greatly in the last few
years. It's
expensive but they do seem to know what they're doing.

>a new filling's a moot point and
>it's root canal time.  As much as I hate the pain of dental work, it won't
>hurt half as bad as the bill; my lame dental plan only pays half.  As for
>gold, I don't have the money for that, either.

Write it off, that's what I say :) Actually, ask the price of gold
versus the
other materials, and figure that if it's really gold, it might help
you
metabolically.

>If Regis gave me a million dollars, a lot of it would go in my mouth.

You'd have an even more wonderful smile then :)

>Dori Zook
>Denver, CO

Debby
[log in to unmask]
who knows how you feel...
this for me is The Year of Teeth
(not Car, not Vacation, not...)