Abscessed Tooth

Once I had a dentist appointment and then almost immediately after (a few days) I felt a chip in one of my teeth.  I went back and the dentist looked, probably saw the wrong tooth and insisted it was a temporary filling.  I was dubious (the “temporary filling” felt really sharp and kept poking my tongue but he was the dentist and I tried trusting his judgement.  If he was wrong, I hoped it would turn up in the next visit.

Well, just at the start of a Thanksgiving weekend (thus a long weekend), the “temporary filling” abscessed and my cheek started swelling right up. I was afraid it might pop like a balloon. Finally out of desperation I went to see a regular doctor and managed to get medication to reduce the swelling.  The tooth had to be removed at this point and was done soon after; when I asked about other dentists, the place where I got it removed, rather insensitively told me they’d normally recommend the dentist I already had. I’m not sure if it could have been saved if the doctor had been more careful during that earlier visit. Regardless, the next time I went to a dentist, many months later, it was to a new dentist.