Had some pain problem with biting on a filling on Monday (the filling had been placed one week prior), and so I went to the dentist on Tuesday to have it looked at. He found what he called a slight high spot on the filling, but he also mentioned that, since the filling was particularly deep, there existed the possibility that replacing the filling that was once there - I had a cavity alongisde an existing filling, so it had to be removed - had caused the pulp of the tooth to become irritated, which as anyone who’s had extensive dental work knows, is an irreversible problem. See, the inside of your tooth is weirdly disconnected from the rest of your body - your immune system doesn’t really go near it. So when the tissue gets all angry, it ends up dying and just kind of staying there - and the problem simply multiplies from that point on, as there’s no way for the inside of the tooth to clear itself out - unless it bursts in a spectacular display of pain and suffering. The only nerves in your teeth are pain receptors - they rarely are exposed to stimuli, but that’s why, when you have a cavity or a goofy filling, hot and cold feel painful - the tooth only knows to send pain messages to your brain.
So if that’s the case - and it might be, because it still seems to be bothering me two days later - I am going to have to have root canal therapy done on the tooth, which ain’t cheap. And the first one I had done was painful as anything I’ve ever experienced, but that’s because I believe the dentist didn’t numb me up enough to block the sensation - and AFAIK, root canals are supposed to be completely painless nowadays. I wonder if that’s true of the prep work, as well - that’s when I had the really big twinge of pain the last time. I’m hoping I won’t have to have it done at all, because I simply can’t afford it, and with another child coming in eight months, medical insurance to pay for, car insurcance to pay for, and normal living expenses to take care of, all of a sudden, my vicarage pay doesn’t seem like it’s as much as I thought it was. We’re going to be lucky if we escape this year with any savings at all.
And then what? Amanda won’t be able to work very much, depending on my school schedule, student jobs pay next to crap, and we’ll still have to pay for housing, food, insurance, you name it - and we already have 11K in loans that we’re trying to pay back. Do we take a loan out next year and hope we qualify for an interest-free one from the government? Do I get a job working overnight or early mornings to try and cover all expenses? How are we going to find a place to live that will accept our offer of a nine-month lease? Where is the money going to come from, especially with the seminary not covering all costs when I get back?
One tooth is causing an awful lot of conjecture and worrying on my part at this point, and I don’t like it. I can’t believe I’m still paying (literally) for not taking good care of my teeth when in college. I figured I had managed to get everything taken care of - fillings, previous root canal, and all - and now this tooth decides it doesn’t like being filled a second time and goes and throws a (relatively painful) fit. This is making me grumpy. And it hurts whenever I bite on it - and that’s my preferred side for biting on stuff! And the insurance/medical coverage system in America is STUPID! (I’m telling you, I can’t wait for it to collapse. But we’ll probably have to wait until we institute National Execute a Lawyer day sometime in 2012.)
And, oh yeah, the DDR pad is on hold for the time being, seeing as how it was going to be somewhat expensive, and I can’t afford something like that now. Maybe when I know the fate of this tooth and maybe get the dentist paid off. Like, in a few years - after the game is old hat and no one will enjoy it anymore. Gah! The only thing that can save the DDR pad now is some kind of ridiculous Christmas giving from more than one party, which I’m not exactly expecting by this point. And I’m not even trying to think about how Amanda will be receiving three fillings in January, or about how our insurance payment for medical insurance will be due in February, or about how tax time is coming up (although, one extra deduction this year - CHING), or about how I am completely horrible about money, and even more nervous about this tooth - and I’m likely worrying it right into being diseased…
I think I may go pass out now from the (most likely) baseless concerns I am beginning to express.