Just a little pinch she said...

More than a year ago I was having some pain to a molar that previously had a root canal and crowned. The dentist took an x-ray and found nothing. The recommendation was maintenance, so the hygienist did a deep clean and applied a thick paste into the gum line that I wasn't to brush out for 48 hours. I'm not sure of the name of the product, but it has some antiseptic properties and the pain subsided.

The problem appears to have returned as I'm getting sensitivity to pressure (I cannot chew gum or it aggravates the condition) and slight pain from cold, so I no longer put ice cubes in my mouth.

I'm with a different dentist now and explained my dental history. She took x-rays and couldn't find any infection or cause for the pain. The recommendation was (another) deep cleaning. Unlike the previous maintenance that only required the area to be desensitized, this one required full Novocaine injections.
As long as I'm in the chair, shouldn't we do both sides?
Okay, she replied.
It's amazing how they describe getting a needle as a 'little pinch' when they are going all the way to the back... the area that shuts off all sensation to the front of the jaw.
I said "Why do you call it pinch when it's much more than that?"
She said "Should I call it harpoon?"
I replied, "Yeah, that's more appropriate."
4 injections, 30 minute wait, 30 minutes of digging, scraping and cavatron followed by an antiseptic rinse, I was done.
My entire lips and jaw area was numb for more than 2-1/2 hours.

I didn't follow instructions about not eating until the numbness wears off and the bite on the inside of my cheek should be gone in a few days!

While I was uncomfortably numb, I went home to play comfortably numb.







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