On Thu, 28 Sep 2000, Dori Zook wrote:

> Help!  I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.  Within 72 hours, I went
> from 'hm, that tooth hurts a little' to excruciating pain, fever (from
> infection) and the following verdict from a dentist; tooth is cracked, pull
> it or get a root canal.  (Do NOT argue with this; I was told several years
> ago when the tooth was filled that this would eventually happen.  Pulling my
> back tooth, while financially tempting, is probably a bad idea; I'll have to
> pull the top back molar eventually and I use these teeth to chew.)

I don't understand.  If the tooth is cracked, how will a root
canal do anything for it?  If it's cracked enough to get a
massive infection then it sounds like it's destined for the
wastebasket.  I don't think it can be fixed.

> If I can't get an emergency appointment, I am royally screwed.

What the hell is an "emergency appointment" anyway?  "Excuse me,
could you pencil in an emergency for me in two weeks?"  What is
*that*?  An emergency means you don't need an appointment, you
need attention *now*.  If your dentist doesn't do emergencies,
ask him/her to find one who does.  It goes beyond the pain issue;
the infection is potentially dangerous.

> He even demanded I come in for a consultation and
> x-ray despite the fact that the dentist did just that and gave a referral
> less than 24 hours ago.  Time to throw a fit...

If your dentist can't do the work (And why not?  Extractions
don't call for the services of a specialist.) then he/she should
at least let you have the x-rays to take with you, so you don't
have to suck in more roentgens.

Todd Moody
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