Truth Tooth Saga

 Just to chronicle for my own edification.
     Some years ago, I mentioned to Dr. P. my dentist in Albany, that I was experiencing  extreme sensitivity in an upper molar. His exam and x-rays showed no reason for it, so he referred me to an endodontist in Latham, of the Friedman, Goodcoff and Segal practice. Further testing showed no abnormalities, even after a visit to another specialist a few miles down the road in Latham. The consensus was that the tooth  might have  a cracked root. They agreed that the only way to know for sure was for surgery to be performed through the gumline into the tooth. They cautioned that it would be difficult if not impossible to remedy, and advised that I would probably want to leave it alone unless it became painful. So I took their advice, and learned to live with the discomfort.
   The longstanding partnership of our Albany dentists  dissolved and our favored dentist of the two relocated, but we stayed with the familiar office. The dentist there subsequently took on several different partners, none of whom stayed very long. So, between that and the travel distance, I decided to find a new practice.
    Several relatives used the practice of Dr. F. in Mechanicville, so I made an appointment there, for routine  cleaning, and saw the senior Dr. F. I mentioned the sensitive area, not wanting it to be a problem during the cleaning. He was positive I was grinding my teeth at night. I was positive I was not. But he kindly prescribed a mouthguard, which is still in my dresser drawer.
    My next routine cleaning appointment was with the junior Dr. F. I again mentioned the sensitivity and he also suggested I wear a mouthguard at night. I declined to do so, already tried that, I said.
   Next visit with Dr. F. the Younger, same story. I told him the sensitivity was increasing, told him of the "cracked root" theory, and I'd been told there was no way to tell aside from deep surgery. Well, he said, that has changed. Turns out he has a special machine that can detect cracks in roots deep in the jawline. But he warned it was expensive. (He was aware I didn't have dental insurance.) I was eager to find an answer to my increased discomfort, so I agreed to the new process of detection.
   The machine was located in a room of its own, with a technician trained (hopefully so) in its use. I remember its being chilly in there, assumed the machine doesn't like it too warm. The results showed no crack in any tooth root.  Ok, back to living with what was now downright painful.
    At my routine visit last year, I told Dr. F. that my tooth was hurting every time I chewed anything in that area. The molar that is the subject of this saga is one of the 12-year molars, so called because they usually erupt at that age. So needless to say, the tooth is very old, ancient even. It is home to not one, but several different fillings, none of them newer than 20 years. Dr. F. thought that there was an unevenness on one side, so he filed it down a little.
     Maybe that helped slightly, for a short time, but by now, I was feeling sharp pain whenever anything was there. It was like an electric shock.  I could close my teeth and exert all the pressure I could and I'd feel no pain at all, but if even a slight bit of anything was on that tooth, a lightning bolt of pain shot through. I learned to chew on the other side of my mouth, but of course was not able to avoid  the area altogether.
   So this fall, I made an appointment specifically for this problem.  Something had to be wrong. There were more X-rays and at this visit , besides Dr. F. and his young assistant, another person was present, more experienced perhaps? At any rate, she explained that the tooth was "flexing."  So the pressure of anything between the teeth caused its center to flex, to move. Ergo, the pain.
    I just had the permanent crown installed and the pain is gone.Rejoice,  I can chew again.