It's a MIRACLE! The tooth didn't hurt her...

[PCIntern]

Two days ago, I excavated an enormous cavity on a lady, so deep that the dental pulp, which includes the nerve, bled into the preparation. This lady is economically distressed and recently out of work, 'lazy' as the G.O.P.ers like to call those types, and so, instead of referring her to an endodontist whom she could not possibly afford, or removing the tooth myself, I chose to place a medication over the nerve, a sedative base layer over that, and a 'final' restoration.

I have called her each morning since, and to my wonderment, she has no pain, although I clearly exposed her nerve which was quite vital. I'm shocked...SHOCKED (really...I am). I'm telling you, it's just a miracle that she's all right and I'm going to call MSNBC and ask for this great story to be chronicled - why, I think I'm going to ask Chris Jansing herself - she of the Miracle! revival of a baby - to narrate this thrilling episode in the Story of the Hand of God. After all, there is no Earthly reason why my patient isn't in excruciating agony as I write this post.

Well...maybe it's because the tooth is in shock from the exposure, or the patient's pain tolerance is above the level of the sensation at this point, or maybe the nerve wasn't damaged and the medicine is doing its job, or maybe any of a dozen other possiblities...

Never mind...

[redwitch]

1. Poor lady!

I am glad it isn't hurting her. Dental pain can be some of the worst.

[scheming daemons]

2. Jack Nicholson: "You can't handle the tooth"

[PCIntern]

3. Dentist's favorite time of day:

tooth-hurty.

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. LOL

[Raven]

4. I wish you were my dentist!

[PCIntern]

14. I wish you were my patient!

:hi:

[LiberalLoner]

5. I'm so glad you were able to help her and glad she is not now in pain. That

being said, I worry for the future for her...maybe her experience won't be like mine, but I had a cap placed on a very badly decayed tooth (really almost no tooth left at all) and although I am still grateful to the dentist who did that for me without a root canal, I ended up with an infection that simmered for a long time and then ended up being the worst pain of my life, including when I had kidney stones stuck in my ureters. I was given an antibiotic that apparently I was resistant to, so my pain went on for quite awhile until I figured it out and asked for a different antibiotic. I was in a lot of pain for about two weeks - one week before I could get an appointment for the root canal and one week afterwards until they changed antibiotics for me. And no painkillers because dentists are afraid to prescribe those these days.

I hope she won't end up with that experience - I hope her nerve stays healthy and does not die and then get infected.

[WolverineDG]

6. or it could be a miracle

if it bothers you so much, why not pick up the phone & ask her to come in so you can make sure she's all right?

dg

[PCIntern]

10. WTF?

Do you know what you're talking about? WTF? I mean, WTF?

Oh, I get it...one ill-conceived post/thread. That's the "New" DU?

[WolverineDG]

24. You're the one bent all out of shape over the word "miracle"

All I suggested was looking at the tooth to see if there was a "scientific" reason why her tooth wasn't hurting, since a "scientific" reason is the only one you'll accept.

dg

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. I'm so glad you were able to help her

[planetc]

8. The fact that her dentist didn't gouge her financially may play into this...

If you're the dentist, well done, sir or madam. If the patient was worrying about the expense of fixing the tooth, and you relieved her of the anxiety, and then called her every day to see how she was doing, she realizes that there are good people in the world, and her dentist is one of them. Without going into detail, I can testify that all dentists don't behave like that. Psychology is very important to health in general and even pain management. The likely explanation is that "the nerve wasn't damaged and the medicine is doing its job", but don't discount the fact that you made her life better in more than one way.

[PCIntern]

13. I'm not...where did I imply that?

My post was more directed at the MSNBC MIRACLE! of Chris Jansing the other day, than the example which I used...but I know you got that.

[anarch]

9. or she's just tough as hell and doesn't like to complain

[PCIntern]

11. Nah...

she'd tell me...I told her that if it hurt, I'd try to mitigate it by doing a pulpectomy 9removing the nerve) and sealing the tooth so at least she'd be OK for a while, and then we'd go from there.

[LiberalLoner]

17. Thank you for helping her, and offering to help further in the future if

anything happens down the road. I echo everyone else, I'd love to have you as a dentist!

[handmade34]

15. hey, Thanks

you did what you could, and that is what all of us should do.. you miracle maker

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. I've been present at a few miracles myself

I like to call them miracles of modern medicine, but that is just me...

Like you I am bothered by the magical thinking going on at the MSNBC... that baby... could it be that he was alive (barely) at all times, and skin to skin contact warmed him up enough. It is not like premies don't have a thermal regulation control problem.

:sarcasm: for those who need it.

[PCIntern]

19. Exactly...

or as the joke goes, "Ed Zachary".

That was just reeee-diculous yesterday...it's one thing to exclaim: "It's a miracle, the baby woke up..." It's another to endlessly ask doctors whether they think it's a miracle, or keep harping about how impossible this is - that someone awakened from the 'dead'.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Well this is the most religious advanced economy

so we need to feed that.

[dixiegrrrrl]

18. In all seriousness, she CAN feel pain normally, right?

I am glad she is comfortable after your treatment, and I am assuming she is "normal" in that her pain receptors work as intended, and I assume you did give her something for pain.
Read a story some time ago about a child who could feel no pain and had internal injuries from falling on the playground, no one knew about it.

[PCIntern]

20. Oh yes...

I could go on and on about pain and people...pretty fascinating...endless stories...some of which will be in my book, whose publication date is...is...'hazy' right now...but not all that far away...

[SheilaT]

22. Maybe she has a very high

tolerance for tooth pain.

People often tell me that I have a high tolerance for pain, based on various incidents in my life. I don't think so, because I have zero tolerance for any kind of tooth pain. I can't have my teeth cleaned without numbing my whole mouth. I wish it could be done under general anesthesia, even though I do understand why that would not be a very good idea.

And I'm the lady who didn't need any more pain medication about 48 hours after a C-Section. Apparently that hurts a lot longer for most women. And I was back to work exactly two weeks after sustaining a non-displaced hairline fracture of the ulna last year. I only need pain meds the first 24 hours for that.

[Nite Owl]

23. What an uplifting story

wish you were around here, I would sure go to you for my dental work. :hug:

[OregonBi]

25. Soooo...YOU did NOT follow approved LEGAL...

..medical procedures?
You may have risked this patient's health AND confidentiality by posting here just to do what?

Make some kind of point?

Please do NOT-EVER be my dentist!

[redwitch]

26. What?

What?

[PCIntern]

27. You're pretty funny...

It's nice to have a reasoned, rational poster here for a change. I'm impressed with your knowledge of medical/dental confidentiality rules and what constitutes HIPAA guidelines. Last I looked, there are published case reports in the literature which are not contrary to these rules...however...

Speaking of rules, DU rules forbid me from making the points I would like to make, so tell you what...don't bother to show up to my office anytime soon.

[Vinca]

28. I'd love to have you as my dentist. You're a compassionate human being

as well as a professional. Kudos to you.

[PCIntern]

29. Always a pleasure to see you around here, Vinca!

:hi:

[OregonBi]

31. I wouldn't let him mow my lawn...

...let alone assist ANY of my healthcare!!!

Lord knows that asswhipe would have pics of my anus posted all over the Internet accompanied by his asinine snarky comments!

He *IS* what gives healthcare a bad name!!!

[OregonBi]

30. So tell yah what...

...post your license # to practice dentistry here...I'll contact the attorney general in your state...we'll go from there...

Nut-Up little man and back-up your stance - if you have the scrotum to do so...

[RandomThoughts]

32. Does having watched the movie 12 monkeys count?

Side note, temporal lore doctrine is why some people erase history, they think the future messes with the past. No joke, real people in intelligence think that.