I’ve had a pretty good run. I didn’t even have a first cavity until up about two years ago. Prior to that, a decision was made that my wisdom teeth needed to come out when I was about forty, far far into the game at that point.

Well, about two weeks ago it began. My mouth started hurting during the day. It was like my teeth hurt, in their roots.

At first I was sure I had a horrible disease. It was that “WebMD Syndrome” for about 12 hours.

But then pain subsided and disappeared for a day.

And then it returned.

I mentioned it to my sister, and she set my mind (kinda) at ease.

“That’s sinuses. I get that sometimes. Mom used to get that when she was younger. Your allergies are messing with your sinuses, and that’s why your teeth hurt. Take something to dry your sinuses up.”

It sounded like good advice, so on the third return of the mouth ache, I took an antihistamine before going to bed. Where the morning before I woke up with a hurting mouth, that morning, I woke up and my head felt normal.

And so I thought I’d just keep my head clear and ride it out.

Oh well.

This weekend, that dull mouth ache returned, and I did the antihistamine thing again. It cut it again pretty well- except for at one spot on my lower left side of the jaw. My second molar- number 19- still ached.

That went on for a day: the general ache returned, an antihistamine vanquished it, but the spot continued to ache.

Last night, I took an ibuprofen in the early evening, and it squashed the molar ache too.

So I called the dentist’s office this morning, and shared my situation. “Umm, we can fit you in for a quick review at 4.” I’ll take it.

I left work early this afternoon and sat in the dental office for a few before a hygienist came into the lobby and walked me to a patient suite.

I did look around the area for a nameplate with my mom’s name on it. “This suite is dedicated to Brenda Welton, who single-handedly funded this room and all of its contents in the name of medical progress and the preservation of her teeth.” Poor mom. She’s one of his best, most faithful patients, but not by her choice.

The hygienist asked me about my situation, and after I described it, she took a few x-rays and then a few photos of the back teeth on the left side of my lower jaw. “The doctor will be in to see you in a moment.”

Soon, he did come in. He exchanged a few quiet words with the hygienist, then sat next to me, shook my hand and asked me to describe my problem.

He looked at the images on the monitor dangling above my head, and then the photos, and he rubbed the back of his neck, a look of perplexity on his face. “Your teeth look solid and in tact on that side. There is a little bleeding from your gums, but nothing a little more flossing and cleaning won’t help out. Your mouth looks very healthy where you say it hurts.” And then, in a quiet stroke of brilliance, he had this question appear in his mind.

“I see you’ve had your wisdom teeth out. Was that done in the relatively recent past?”

“Umm, yes. Probably when I was about forty.”

He chews on something in his mind, and then he rises and asks the hygienist to show him the x-ray again. And then in a comfort proposition, he speaks in office jingo to her- a diagnosis, and then a suggested course of action. And then he returns to sit by me.

“It’s hard to see in the pictures, but you learn to do after doing this for a while. I see weakness at the back of your back molar…” He slides a square over my x-ray which zooms in on the back side of my molar, where there is a less solid white outline…” which is common in people who have their wisdom teeth out later in life. Having those in, the back corners of your mouth work as a pouch for food collected back there, and some of that stored stuff often gets between the wisdom molar and your second molar, which cause it to decay. Your back molar is decaying. I don’t know how far it has, but that is why your mouth has been hurting on that side.”

Voila. The answer.

“Do you need some heavier meds than ibuprofen at this point?” No. I think I can manage with it for now. Ok.

After wrapping up the review, he shakes my hand again, and says they’ll do the best they can to shore it up, economically, and when he leaves, I am led up to a consultation room near the lobby where one of the admin folks goes over my bill and the potential work that would be done in the next visit. That work would involve either a filling and a $180 bill, or a root canal and buildups and a crown if worse came to worse, for $800 or so.

“Let’s hope for the former”, I crack. She agrees, and then tries to line up a date for me.

The dentist has an afternoon spot open on Wednesday, or a spot two weeks away, on a Thursday. He’s on vacation next week. And that Wednesday spot may not belong enough to get this taken care of.

I think, he is gonna be gone next week?

I sure hope I don’t need those heavier meds.