Yesterday I had a very deep cavity cleaned out and a filling put in. I'd been delaying getting seen, mostly because there's so much other work that I need to have done, and I couldn't even begin to imagine the cost. But the discomfort of this tooth was beginning to get too much in the way of everyday life, so in I went.
The cavity had progressed to a point just shy of the pulp. The dentist told me that he would do his best to drill without breaking into the pulp itself. If he could do that, I would be spared a root canal; if not, it would be just a short time before I would need to head off to the endodontist and then come back for a crown. He made no promises either way. I said, "Go for it. Aim well."
And he did! When it was done he said that he didn't feel the need to recommend an endodontist since he was confident he'd managed to do what he had set out to do. Good news indeed.
What an astounding thing! Think about it. It was on the aft face of an upper bicuspid with no molar behind it (that one was pulled some years ago). He was aiming at this overhand, using a magnifier hung on his head and a dental mirror in the one hand while drilling with the other. And as for the distance between the end of the decay and the beginning of the pulp chamber, we're talking, what, a millimeter or two? The slightest muscle twitch in the wrong direction would have meant a very different outcome, indeed.
I bow in homage to all men and women who have taken the time and effort and personal cost to develop such skills. What an amazing universe, what amazing Mind, to issue forth in such dedication and ability!
The cavity had progressed to a point just shy of the pulp. The dentist told me that he would do his best to drill without breaking into the pulp itself. If he could do that, I would be spared a root canal; if not, it would be just a short time before I would need to head off to the endodontist and then come back for a crown. He made no promises either way. I said, "Go for it. Aim well."
And he did! When it was done he said that he didn't feel the need to recommend an endodontist since he was confident he'd managed to do what he had set out to do. Good news indeed.
What an astounding thing! Think about it. It was on the aft face of an upper bicuspid with no molar behind it (that one was pulled some years ago). He was aiming at this overhand, using a magnifier hung on his head and a dental mirror in the one hand while drilling with the other. And as for the distance between the end of the decay and the beginning of the pulp chamber, we're talking, what, a millimeter or two? The slightest muscle twitch in the wrong direction would have meant a very different outcome, indeed.
I bow in homage to all men and women who have taken the time and effort and personal cost to develop such skills. What an amazing universe, what amazing Mind, to issue forth in such dedication and ability!
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