5/5 De G. 1 year ago on Google
AN
EXTRACTION
OF
DENIAL...
IN
THE
FORM
OF
A
TOOTH.
As
I
finally
faced
the
need
to
extract
a
tooth
that
was
infected
with
bacteria
from
a
botched
root
canal
performed
in
a
Mexican
dental
clinic
about
a
decade
ago,
I
am
taking
a
moment
to
reflect
on
how
the
dental
urgent
care
and
specialized
dental
clinics
at
Loma
Linda
University
had
saved
me
from
very
serious
dental
problems.
These
ordeals
ranged
from
draining
a
massive
abscess
that
could
have
infected
my
bloodstream
and
brain,
all
the
way
to
the
risky
surgery
of
removing
a
dental
tumor,
identified
as
a
supernumerae
tooth
(it
looked
like
a
coral!).
This
dental
school
has
literally
been
the
salvation
of
my
health,
as
I
battled
various
stresses
with
family,
food,
academia,
fishing,
and
dental
malpractice
in
Mexico
and
the
United
States.
I
knew
since
2017
that
this
crowned
molar
in
my
upper
right
mouth
was
a
dead
end,
as
the
X-rays
clearly
showed
an
infection,
in
spite
of
a
root
canal
treatment
in
Tijuana.
When
the
crown
fell
off,
I
tried
to
glue
it
back
on
to
the
weak
tooth
structure
with
dental
cement
I
bought
from
Ebay
England
(it
was
illegal
to
purchase
in
the
US
at
the
time).
I
avoided
chewing
on
the
right
side
of
my
mouth,
as
I
attempted
to
keep
the
tooth
as
long
as
I
could.
Though,
I
became
increasingly
stressed
about
retaining
this
tooth
due
to
the
known
bacterial
infection.
Alas,
after
five
years
of
playing
this
shaky
game,
the
crown
and
underlying
tooth
structure
failed
this
past
Saturday
morning,
and
I
remained
calm
the
whole
weekend,
knowing
that
I
could
go
to
Loma
Linda
Dental
Urgent
Care
on
Monday
morning,
and
they
will
accept
various
forms
of
insurance,
including
Medi-Cal!
The
receptionist
remembered
me,
even
though
I
hadn't
been
to
the
clinic
for
over
5
years!
At
first
they
had
no
time
slot
available,
but
a
senior
student
ended
up
making
herself
available
to
help
me
out.
I
kind
of
got
to
be
her
patient
and
dental
assistant
at
the
same
time;
I
was
responsible
for
holding
a
couple
tools
she
was
frequently
using!
I
feel
very
safe
being
treated
in
a
communal
dental
clinic:
the
students
are
generally
cautious,
mindful,
and
learning
from
each
other;
and
the
faculty
are
overseeing
their
work,
and
even
intervene
in
situations
where
students
fall
short
of
experience
in
handling
the
situation,
such
as
this
tooth
extraction.
The
senior
student
was
adamant
about
numbing
me
up,
but
quite
timid
in
prying
out
my
tooth.
Then
this
burly
and
boisterous
older
faculty
stepped
in
and
charismatically
wrangled
my
mouth
for
five
or
so
minutes
until
the
tooth
finally
slipped
out.
It
was
like
trying
to
uproot
a
stubborn
tree
that
had
been
growing
in
the
yard
for
50
years.
The
scene
was
like
the
bloody
decks
of
reeling
in
a
tuna
out
from
the
sea,
except
it
was
my
bloody
mouth
instead;
and
the
faculty
gave
me
the
fist
bump
and
said
I
did
well
and
was
strong
for
enduring
this
extraction.
My
thoughts
dipped
into
a
deep
sadness
from
finally
losing
this
tooth,
and
the
many
traumas
that
led
to
its
loss;
but
my
former
wall
of
denial
shifted
into
hope,
in
terms
of
bone
healing
from
the
prolonged
infection,
along
with
the
prospects
of
a
bridge,
a
temporary
denture,
and/or
bone
grafting
for
an
eventual
implant.
I
didn't
have
this
kind
of
hope
5
years
ago,
and
I
am
sooo
stoked
that
Loma
Linda
has
facilitated
my
healing
journey
and
hope
toward
an
affordable
path
of
dental
health!
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