Re: Denture Question

That was very helpful, thank you!
"lhamo55" <lhamo55@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1143718194.820948.26020@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I agree with Kathy:

I also TMJD and all the teeth in the lower jaws have extra canals;
nerves are hard to reach for anesthesia because of an unusual jaw joint
configeration, and once they are found I need several times to normal
dose to deaden them. And I've had to have root canals done on almost
all my teeth because the nerve roots are dying off... painfully.
Several canals had to be redone - six times is the record (lost the
tooth anyway a day before the crown was to be applied when a bit into a
piece of toast and it cracked in half). Some years ago one of my
dentists recommended I also request the Gow Gates technique used by
Orthodontic surgeons with a special needle to get deadened because it
was such sheer torture .

My current dentist didn't believe me when I told him how difficult it
was - he said few people actually have abnormalalities etc... when he
proceeded to start even after I told him I wasn't totally numb - well
it was unpleasant and since I needed three canals done he finally took
the time to read the notes from the San Francisco VA.

He sent me to a endodontist outside the VA system so I could have the
work done under IV sedation. The endo confirmed the jaw abnormality
and the presence of a complex canal configuration and Dr. K has treated
me with velvet gloves ever since.

He's prepping me for the second of two bridges this week (broken up
into two appointments) and uses bite blocks, lets me rest every five or
ten minutes and massages my jaw. Monday I told him I was in the middle
of a fibro flare and ended up getting a neck massage as well. He's
still an arrogant so and so but he's now genuinely gentle with me at
all times, takes time to listen to any problems instead of cutting me
off and has made a little ritual of covering and placing pillows under
my knees and behind my neck himself - his staff has told me I'm the
only patient who gets such special treatment. I think he was horribly
appalled that he caused me so much pain in the beginning and he knows
there have been times when I still don't get enough anesthesia but
chose to stick it out because we're running short on time. We've come
a long way from the first few months but I had decided to stick with
him because intuition told me underneath the overbooked, impatient and
arrogant crust was a kind human being and I'm glad I did.

But with all the challenges my teeth have given me there have been
soooooooo many times I've wanted to throw in the towel and have all my
teeth pulled and a few times I've told one dentist or another I was
considering it. And since VA dentists don't mind pulling a tooth in a
heartbeat if it looks like it's not time or cost effective to them to
spend the money to save it, I really have to credit the last two for
taking me out of it. - because restoration of my teeth is costing the
VA a pretty penny.

Because every procedure eventually comes to an end and the pain of
sitting or keeping your mouth open will settle down and you'll still
have your teeth - the faithful companions you were born with, instead
of a set of dental prosthetic devices your body will always see as
something apart. My bridge is glued in and when I flare the gum tissue
around them become inflamed. I don't want to have my whole mouth
feeling that way if it's not absolutely neccessary.

So here's what I do for every appointment:

1. Take a muscle relaxer before the appointment, making sure to allow
enough time for it to take effect right before getting in the chair.
If it's going to be a long session with a lot of instrumentation I take
an herbal or homeopathic sedative like Rescue Remedy; Calms Forte is
also my friend.

2.. Put in a bite block.
3. Place pillows under knees and wherever else needed.
4. Take frequent breaks to close mouth and gently massage jaw joint.
5. While in chair become conscious of body- relaxing by imagining I'm
floating in a warm lake and my limbs have turned to water. Slow deep
breathing. Check image frequently and when I catch myself tensing up,
become like a jelly fish.
6. Used to wear earbuds and listen to radio or tape but now I just
zone out on the drill by telling myself it's not my enemy instead it's
the cue to just relax.
7. When the jaw and or back start yammering for attention I focus on
the pain by bathing it with gentle heat and with a relaxed mind as if
it was on a table in front of me instead of inside me until my
awareness of it fades away on its own.

Most importantly - I know whatever discomfort I'm feeling at any given
moment will eventually come to an end; nothing/ no thing lasts forever,
nothing/ no thing stays the same. Just taking it moment by moment -
the pain from yesterday, an hour ago, a minute ago is gone; whatever
hurt before isn't hurting in exactly the same way and what will hurt in
an hour or tomorrow can be dealt with when it happens. If I try to put
my finger on a owie ouch spot I can't really say where it's coming
from, I can only say it's there somewhere; by the time I'm done working
all this out, the appointment is over:^)

Hope something here is useful to you...

renee



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