Root Canal

The root canal

Just when you least expect it. Two days of rather uncomfortable to excruciating pain. I don't usually get toothaches. Actually, I never get tooth ache. But this weekend, the unheard of happened.

After sitting in the doctor's office for two hours writhing in pain, you could've sold me the Brooklyn Bridge. I would have done anything to alleviate the pain. And indeed, I did.

The doctor walked in, examined me, and said you gonna need root canal for that tooth. And your insurance will not cover it, so it's $650. Ready to proceed? Whoa! What alternatives are there? None. I could pull the tooth but that's not a good idea.

I felt like a car stranded on the open highway driving between Montana and New Hampshire. The mechanic looks at it and says, you're going to need new transmission and that'll cost you $700. What choice do I have? Just abandon the car? And believe me, the pain of a toothache is even worse.

So I just looked at the doctor, whom I had never met before and whose qualifications I did not and do not know, and simply said -- do it.

Well, today is day one. We'll see if he was successful. Meanwhile, it’s still hurting. But much much less than before.

I should write more -- but hey, I just had root canal.