I finally saw a different dentist yesterday. He was really great! He walked in and asked me why I was seeing him, so I had the opportunity to tell him what had been going on. I don't know what made me say this, but I said, "I think I can predict how this visit is going to go". Instead of being offended (as I'm sure I would have been had I been to years of medical school and some housewife tells me basically how to do my job) he was amused and wanted to hear my prediction (which was that he would send me to an endodontist for a root canal and then I would come back for a crown). And instead of being threatened, he complimented me on being so well prepared. So, after poking around a bit and looking at the x-rays I had brought he referred me to an endodontist, which happened to be the same one I had already picked out, and I had the happy fortune of visiting the endo today. That at was at 2pm. It is now almost 8pm and I still can't feel that side of my face (probably a good thing!). The endo was amazing (he said he ought to be good since that is the only thing he does every day, 20 times a day). :-) After he shot me up with novocaine I could still 'feel it' so he had to do several more injections (I think some directly into the tooth after he had drilled a bit). He indicated that some rare cases have that kind of sensitivity when the pain has been going on for so long. I've really never had tooth problems before this fiasco, but once you've been through it, it really makes you more compassionate on others! Anyway, two weeks from now I'll go back to the dentist for the crown episode of this saga. Will keep you posted! :-)
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