In reference to my previous entry mentioning how I did not write about Amanda’s old root canal, I found that my entry about Dave and Tahirih’s wedding indirectly references more Amanda dental work. And this entry alludes to unspecified craziness.
Basically, in May 2004 Amanda had seen a dentist in Buffalo for a random checkup and allegedly had a couple of cavities which were filled. She started having massive pain and went back, and the dentist then did something to one of the fillings. Amanda still had massive pain, but still refused to not go on her medical shifts and instead seek help which I found crazy. She was just a med student, but so it didn’t freakin’ matter if she was not there; it seemed to me that massive dental pain barely kept in check by prescription narcotics was more important.
Anyways, Amanda eventually realized that she really really had to deal with the tooth issue, but of course refused to go back to the original dentist. Unfortunately, she realized this right before Memorial Day Weekend* when of course everyone was not going to be around (another reason I found it nuts why she did not want to try to see someone earlier). And of course, if you do not have an existing relationship with a dentist, it is highly unlikely they will see you. I started calling every dentist in the Buffalo area, and they would either not see her or were simply not around. I believe Erika ended up taking her to the Children’s Hospital ER because she knew someone there could do something. I think there was a dental emergency resident/student there.
She only got more drugs since they aren’t really set up to do anything, but the student/resident was able to set up an emergency appointment with a dentist in Kenmore who was associated with the dental school. Nothing like medical connections and networking.
So Amanda saw the dentist, whose name I have forgotten, and she definitely had to get an emergency root canal, of which the dentist did the first steps and put in a temporary filling. What a great guy.
We hypothesized that the original dentist who put in the first two fillings fucked up and hit the root on one tooth. I found it shocking that on her follow-up visit when the original dentist redid the wrong filling as well; Amanda had the root canal on another tooth. For all we know she did not even have cavities as she never had dental problems before and he was just fucking around, but of course it seems like there is no way to really know. Our savior dentist was very circumspect and would not really comment on what he really though about the previous dentist’s work or motivations.
Anyways, now Amanda has a crown, and we all know the importance of having a relationship with a good dentist. And not ignoring your own health to go to work.
* Or maybe the fourth of July weekend? It’s unclear reading my old weblog entries.