Sounds like you have an infection/abcess, and you need antibiotics to treat the infection, which in turn, relieves the pain. People often take medicine for pain in addition, either prescribed or OTC.

This will likely need what your doctor said- either a root canal or extraction.

Don't put either off as this will continue to happen.

I know, I had the same thing. The pain came and went, but one time it got infected and the pain was like nothing else I'd ever experienced.

You should talk to your dentist about sedation for whatever procedure you decide upon.

What I'm curious to see is whether the infection can be removed completely by the antibiotics to the point of not needing a root canal. But this could be wishful thinking on my part.

It just might go away and stay away for awhile, but it probably will not resolve the underlying problem. You will most likely need a procedure, and believe me (a former VERY fearful patient!), it's best to treat the problem and not just the symptoms.

I put off much needed dental work for a very long time, suffering from tooth aches, until I got an abcess and then my fears took a back seat to the pain.

I underwent sedation dentistry for much needed work, including extraction, but haven't needed it for follow up since.

It's really hard to overcome the fear of dental procedures, so believe me, I totally understand ;-)

My cheek is swollen too. Is this normal for a tooth that requires a root canal?

Me thinks second opinion is necessary. Let me explain.

After careful examination in front of the
mirror and touching with my finger, I discovered that all the pain is
actually coming from my swollen left cheek and not the tooth. It's in
the area where the cheek meets the jaw, about 1/2 an inch from my left
nostril.

And when I press my jaws together I do not feel any pain in the tooth.


Also, drinking cold water does not cause any pain to the tooth, as it
did when I first got the filling. I will have to test the tooth with hot
coffee tomorrow morning.


This is all very confusing for someone with no experience with a root canal.


I'm definitely going to try to get a second opinion.


Should I seek the second opinion from a dentist or an endodontist?


Any feedback will be highly appreciated!

Thanks!

Please take your antibiotics until the whole amount is gone, don't stop taking when pain is gone, all pills NEED to be in your system to make a full recovery.

Infections can make some good swelling, you might need some painkiller until the infection/swelling/pain is down. What happens allot with deep fillings is, ..too close to the root and it will hunt you down the road, best to do a root canal otherwise you'll loose the tooth from rotting inside out in the near future.

I recently had a friend with the same symptoms. The dentist had her take antibiotics and the pain went away. Did the dentist take any xrays? A tooth infection can cause pain near the whole area. Just take the antibiotics and go from there. It's really hard to know if you'll need a root canal or not. You'll just need to clear up that infection and see if it stays away. Drink lots of water while you're on the antibiotics too.

Yes, cheek swelling is a result of a tooth abcess. I had bad swelling with my tooth infection.

I suggest for your second opinion, you seek out a practice that specializes in sedation dentistry. They can help you with your anxiety and get you through this without fear!

I have real dentist angst. I'm not sure why since I love my dentist and I've never had any real pain there. And I did go to an endodontist for my 2 root canals and the worst part was just keeping my mouth open.......but they can give you a thing to help you keep it open. I had absolutely no pain. I guess what I'm saying is that, in my experience, the old saying about how bad root canals are, just isn't so anymore.

When I underwent my extensive sedation dentistry, he put a wedge in my mouth to keep it open, so I could relax.

Verrrrrrrrrrrry relaxed ;-)

I really appreciate the feedback.

What would really help me, in terms of getting a second opinion, is to figure out a way of finding a dentist who strongly believes in saving teeth, and isn't a big fan of root canals (despite how lucrative they are for a dental practice).

I also root canals and they were no problem at all. I don't know why they have such a bad rap. But of course your situation may be different.

to figure out a way of finding a dentist who strongly believes in saving teeth, and isn't a big fan of root canals

Well...that could also back fire, when finding one, could also mean he/she is not very knowledgeable/willing or experienced in doing a root canal.

Bostonoak,

There are a few things I want to add. I'm typing on a phone, so forgive any writing that sounds terse as well as the choppy prose.

I hope that you are feeling more comfortable, have made an appointment w a good endodontist, and will continue to take all of the antibiotic as prescribed.

You want to try to preserve that molar. When you go for the root canal, the dentist will adequately anesthetize you. Let him/her know that you are very apprehensive. They understand this.

You have an infection that you should have been taking antibiotics for (full course) right off the bat. Anytime you have an infection, you want to get prompt attention for it, even if the pain is getting better. With an untreated dental abscess, you can develop complications such as septicemia (bacteria in your blood/circulation), and that condition, if untreated, can put you in a perilous situation. So, get the infection treated pronto. Good dentists know other good dentists. I go to a dentist who is excellent, connected, doesn't take insurance, isn't cheap, but never tries to run up a tab, or do anything other that takes the best care of our teeth, health and smiles. He recently helped me save a tooth and because the damage I'd done to it was not as severe as it might have been, and a good foundation was still intact from a previous restoration, the work he needed to do was less, and the final bill was adjusted for that. He refers me, as needed, to equally competent dental specialist (example-- oral surgeon, endodontist and so on).

An X-ray can show the apex of a root and reflect whether or not an abscess is present. If not treated with the proper course of antibiotics, an abscess (bacterial infection) can spread, can cause a fistula, or lead to bacteremia/septicemia.

an abscessed tooth may have pain that diminishes -- for a while. But mind jarring pain can take hold later at an inopportune time when your options are limited. (Note how you were not able to see your regular dentist when you returned to the office beause of pain.) Even as you progress through dental caries (decay) towards pain or an abscess, your options begin to grow more restricted.

Dental care is expensive, particularly as dental problems progress or go unattended. Sometimes, as in the case of an injury of fracture, all the daily flossing, fluoride and brushing are pretty much beside the point. (Been there). Then we are left with the only three choices: do nothing, extract, or reach deep into our pockets and pay a talented dental professional, or two.

I'll venture to guess that you will be needing a root canal if you want to preserve that tooth. If you want to try to locate another dentist (for another opinion or for treatment), you can ask around, or see if there is a dental referral service with the state licensing board. Or if you know of a good dental practitioner (other specialty, say) ask him or her. If you don't have any means for payment, but want to keep your molar, sometimes dental schools have clinics. Dental students do the work ( supervised by dentists -- and that doesn't mean working chair side). This isn't likely to be optimal dentistry, but it might be a better choice than losing a first molar.

I'll stop hear. You can read about why it's not recommended to have a tooth missing (other teeth shift, and other sequelae).

Always be sure that you fully understand any and all follow up directions, particularly if it involves medications or/and antibiotics. Never assume or feel inhibited. Many people after a procedure or dental visit can get a bit distracted. Have the practitioner right the aftercare instructions down (be sure the doctor reviews what any assistant writes down. Ask for any needed clarification. Call the next day if you still have questions.

I'm sorry you're going through this. You can come out of it in fine shape. Do follow through with all the antibiotics and dental care.

The following link has some information that you may find helpful. Best wishes.

(Not in my cut/paste buffer. I'll ad it separately, next post so that I don't lose this phone typed posting.

ETA link :

There are a few things I want to add. I'm typing on a phone, so forgive any writing that sounds terse as well as the choppy prose.

I hope that you are feeling more comfortable, have made an appointment w a good endodontist, and will continue to take all of the antibiotic as prescribed.

You want to try to preserve that molar. When you go for the root canal, the dentist will adequately anesthetize you. Let him/her know that you are very apprehensive. They understand this.

You have an infection that you should have been taking antibiotics for (full course) right off the bat. Anytime you have an infection, you want to get prompt attention for it, even if the pain is getting better. With an untreated dental abscess, you can develop complications such as septicemia (bacteria in your blood/circulation), and that condition, if untreated, can put you in a perilous situation. So, get the infection treated pronto. Good dentists know other good dentists. I go to a dentist who is excellent, connected, doesn't take insurance, isn't cheap, but never tries to run up a tab, or do anything other that takes the best care of our teeth, health and smiles. He recently helped me save a tooth and because the damage I'd done to it was not as severe as it might have been, and a good foundation was still intact from a previous restoration, the work he needed to do was less, and the final bill was adjusted for that. He refers me, as needed, to equally competent dental specialist (example-- oral surgeon, endodontist and so on).

An X-ray can show the apex of a root and reflect whether or not an abscess is present. If not treated with the proper course of antibiotics, an abscess (bacterial infection) can spread, can cause a fistula, or lead to bacteremia/septicemia.

an abscessed tooth may have pain that diminishes -- for a while. But mind jarring pain can take hold later at an inopportune time when your options are limited. (Note how you were not able to see your regular dentist when you returned to the office beause of pain.) Even as you progress through dental caries (decay) towards pain or an abscess, your options begin to grow more restricted.

Dental care is expensive, particularly as dental problems progress or go unattended. Sometimes, as in the case of an injury of fracture, all the daily flossing, fluoride and brushing are pretty much beside the point. (Been there). Then we are left with the only three choices: do nothing, extract, or reach deep into our pockets and pay a talented dental professional, or two.

I'll venture to guess that you will be needing a root canal if you want to preserve that tooth. If you want to try to locate another dentist (for another opinion or for treatment), you can ask around, or see if there is a dental referral service with the state licensing board. Or if you know of a good dental practitioner (other specialty, say) ask him or her. If you don't have any means for payment, but want to keep your molar, sometimes dental schools have clinics. Dental students do the work ( supervised by dentists -- and that doesn't mean working chair side). This isn't likely to be optimal dentistry, but it might be a better choice than losing a first molar.

I'll stop hear. You can read about why it's not recommended to have a tooth missing (other teeth shift, and other sequelae).

Always be sure that you fully understand any and all follow up directions, particularly if it involves medications or/and antibiotics. Never assume or feel inhibited. Many people after a procedure or dental visit can get a bit distracted. Have the practitioner right the aftercare instructions down (be sure the doctor reviews what any assistant writes down. Ask for any needed clarification. Call the next day if you still have questions.

I'm sorry you're going through this. You can come out of it in fine shape. Do follow through with all the antibiotics and dental care.

The following link has some information that you may find helpful. Best wishes.

(Not in my cut/paste buffer. I'll ad it separately, next post so that I don't lose this phone typed posting.

ETA link : http://newsfilesid.blogspot.com/2011/07/xray-photo-of-tooth-abscess.html?m=1

http://newsfilesid.blogspot.com/2011/07/xray-photo-of-tooth-abscess.html?m=1

ETA 7:31 PM. Bos, that swelling at you face, jaw, gum line is -from the dental abscess. Not uncommon. Take the antibiotics and get the dental situation addressed.

Thanks to all of you who have responded to my thread, especially starsplitter.

I have been taking the antibiotics as instructed.

The swelling in my gum has gone down quite a bit. Just a small bump is left.

However, yesterday I woke and realized I could not keep my left eyelid completely open. It only stays half-opened.

Since this eye is on the same side of the face as the tooth that's infected, I'm wondering whether the two issues are connected.

I ran into a friend at a store today and she said maybe I had a minor stroke while asleep! Could this be possible?

I plan to go to my doctor's office on Monday (since she's very close to where I live) and see whether I can book an appointment.

Oh my goodness, I hope everything is OK. Be well.

It has been a long time with the infection and most likely not linked together.

Hopefully nothing serious is with your eye,..better sooner then later to get this checked out.

Bostonoak, I'm glad that you're "taking the antibiotics as instructed" but it's not clear to me if you are _resuming_ the original prescription, or if you returned to your dentist for a (very important) RE-evaluation and possible new prescription. Details are everythin here.

I am not a dentist or MD and anything I have said or do say is to be interpreted only as layman problem solving with some applied "common sense" _from my layman's point of view_.

Your partial eyelid droop -might- well be related to your ongoing dental problem. A neglected dental a scess or infection can result in other problems. Infections are nothing to be dismissive of. From your post, I cannot possibly have much of a clue as to what is going on with you. You need to get medical attention and to get back to your dentist (or a dentist with whom you have confidence). I wouldn't spend a lot of time messing around on Internet forums if that supplants real face time with a medical expert.

All dental practices and medical practices have an answering service or system set up. Sometimes there is an "emergency" number for an on-call partner.

While you might not want to jingle the on-call gal/guy at 3 AM, calling at 2 PM is fine. You are not a medically trained person, so it's not your task to evaluate whether or not your situation is a "medical emergency". Just phone and ask.

But please have some details available to you and to those serving you. An on call person isn't going to be famiar with you or your situation.

Always keep a log with the issue, dates, practitioner, recoended treatment, medications, history, allergies and so on. You don't need to list your siblings, favorite color..... But pertinent and recent medical points need to be lucidly and concisely available.

let us know how it goes.

Now, as a bit of a soapbox issue, I wish that more people had a better understanding of human health, anatomy, some nomenclature, or even the ability to write a paragraph. You're ps teeth good but are still vague on some details and you would serve yourself better if you had some modicum of health education. Remember too that doctors and all medical practitioners are pressed for time. If you can give them a -simple-, concise history and description of your problem, you're off to a better start than having them spend their "5 minutes" interviewing or guessing.

No need to have a lot of medicalese. Just simply stated facts in a time frame.

If given ANY instructions or medications, be sure to understand and follow them.

As an aside, it is -possible- (unusual) for ongoing dental or sinus infections to have some regrettable consequences. For example:

-- spread of infection

-- possible impact on vision

-- misdiagnosis (young woman repeatedly ttold by her HMO that she just had a sinus inflammation, but it turned out that she had an inoperable cancer behind her face. Then wrangling time between the Big HMO and the patient. Then risky surgery. The you g woman later died from complications of the cancer.

-- person treats themselves, even after continued pain, only to have the situation worsen.

Bostonoak, I hope that you are soon on your way to a full recovery. Get in touch w your dentist or doctor soon.

Starsplitter,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful post. Today was a very busy day at work. However, I have a 9:15am appointment with my doctor tomorrow. I'll keep you (and the other kind souls here) posted.

Bostonoak,

I've had you on my mind and hope that you got some good news today. How are you feeling?

"Regarding the antibiotics, weren't they just for getting rid of the
pain? I asked. She said that they would get rid of the pain because they
will get rid of the infection. I did not know this!"

Antibiotics are to treat infection by killing bacteria and it is the infection/abcess which causes the intense pain. When you get an infection/abscess in a tooth it usually means that the pulp has been breached by either a cavity or a crack etc. You said in your first post "On
one of them the doctor had to cut deep into the tooth". With cavities, you can only go so deep, once cavities go into the pulp area of the tooth, the roots etc are exposed and will start to die, which is the usual reason for a tooth infection or abcess. So antibiotics are only a temporary fix, they will clear up the infection but it will come back again unless the tooth is pulled, or a root canal is done (which will save the tooth). This is why the dentist said you may need a root canal because they obviously realised the cavity was getting deep enough that it was close to or was breaching the pulp area.
A tooth with a normal cavity or crack which does not penetrate the pulp area will not cause infection, it will cause simple toothache that can be fixed with normal dental fixes such as fillings. Any tooth infection or abcess needs to be taken seriously. As others have already said, these can get into the blood stream and cause septicemia (blood poisoning) which can be life threatening.

I really appreciate all the thoughtful advice I've gotten here.

I saw my doctor last Tuesday. She gave me an EKG and it didn't show anything unusual. She has scheduled me for a stress test at a well-known hospital on Thursday, just to be on the safe side. She said that we give the eye (that was not opening fully) some time. It has now completely healed on its own.

Regarding my infected tooth, I have now taken all the 29 antibiotics that my dentist prescribed for me. The swelling and pain have totally gone.

I know fully well that I still need to take care of the tooth. But here's the problem. My dental insurance does not cover root canals, if it comes down to this. But in March I have the chance to upgrade to a better plan which covers root canals. And the plan would start on April 1st. Can my tooth wait till then? This is the decision I'm going to have to wrestle with. Maybe in the meantime, now that I have some downtime from work, I can seek a second dental opinion.

Glad to hear back from you, bostonoak. Sounds like your doctor is going to check you out.

Sorry that your insurance doesn't cover the dental work. I have zero dental insurance and truly get what a drag that is. The best person to ask about the possibility of waiting is your dentist, of course. You'll want to follow up with him/her anyway or stay in touch to be sure your infection has healed up completely.

Even with dental insurance, those plans help some, but cover only what is "usual and customary" (in Outer Gooptania). But any bit will help.

Meantime, take care of yourself. That eye droop issue might have been from a virus like Bell's Palsy or fatigue. Having an ongoing infection can take a hit on your body and your immune system, and you were probably stressed on top of it all.

Best wishes to you. I hope you know the Powerball winner -- wouldn't that be neat. haha. I'd be happy with $50 or the million consolation prize.

Meanwhile, a prescription fluoride toothpaste like Colgate Prevident might help protect your teeth from future cavity damage. Flossing too, of course.

Teeth, feet, hands, lungs, brain, liver, gut....we really need all of these things working.

Most affordable dental insurance have low limits on the amount that is covered. The ones in this area the cost of the coverage is about the amount that is covered for normal care. Many have a $1,000 max payout.

Today I had my stress test. I biked to the hospital where my primary care physician sent me.

Before the test there was a problem: My blood pressure was high. The first reading was 160/110. The second was 170/112. The nurses then recommended that I chill out for a while and they would do another reading. After about an hour, the next reading was 140/100. At this point, after consulting with a cardiologist, they recommended that I could go ahead and take the stress test.

They said the test went well. They will send the results to my doctor. But they advised me that in the meantime I call my doctor and let her know that my blood pressure is high. The nurses felt that I definitely need to be on some kind of high blood pressure medication. The funny thing is that I used to take pills for high blood pressure with my previous doctor (2 or 3 years ago) who retired recently. But then my blood pressure went down and I stopped taking the pills. But now it looks like I need to get back to this medication.

It's always something.

"The funny thing is that I used to take pills for high blood pressure
with my previous doctor (2 or 3 years ago) who retired recently. But
then my blood pressure went down and I stopped taking the pills. But now
it looks like I need to get back to this medication."

BP pills will bring your blood pressure down while you take them. once you go off the pills your blood pressure will go back up, unless there are other reasons for it to stay lower, e.g. exercise, weight loss etc. It's generally not a good idea to go off them since high BP can cause all sorts of problems. If your BP goes down too much while on them, then a dosage reduction can be done but they're not the sort of pills that you usually stop taking because they only work on your BP while you are on them.

Hi Bostonoak,

Just as trancegemini said. So you'll want to get back in touch with your doctor about treating your high BP. And, as mentioned above, there are various strategies to help lower blood pressure (BP) in addition to medications.

I'm not sure about the benefits of meditation for lowering BP, but I believe it can help (in addition to medical treatment). Nothing complicated about meditation, even for 5 minutes or so -- just keep coming back to focusing on your breath/exhaling.

Best of luck with getting your BP under control. You never want to ignore high readings or that diagnosis.

Friends,

I started calling around to area dental offices to get a second opinion as to whether I really do need a root canal on my first molar.

I'm calling dental offices that accept my insurance and are based in my neighborhood. I got a list from my insurance company.

What I'm noticing is that these dental offices have general dentists and endodontists.

My insurance covers me for consultation sessions.

Who should I see to get a second opinion: a general dentist or an
endodontist?

Any feedback will be highly appreciated.

Thanks.

I have a root canal scheduled for Tuesday at 1:00pm.

I plan to bike to the dentist. This will be the most convenient way to get there, given the lack of parking in the area.

Then, after the root canal, I'll have to bike to work (I work nights). My shift begins at 5:45pm.

My question: If I can, I really need to work on that day and don't want
to take the day off. I'm an hourly employee. But I have never had a root
canal. They tell me that the procedure will take about 3 hours. Do you
think that after the root canal I will be able to hop onto my bike and
ride for about 30 minutes to my job? Or does a root canal take a lot out
of you?

Any feedback will be highly appreciated.

Thanks!

I'm not sure why it's going to take 3 hrs. They basically drill into the tooth & clean out the roots & fill it in with something similar to a filling. So maybe they are allowing for time before you get in there .I've had several & just had a regular dentist do it with the stuff I take in place of Novocain(allergic to that) all I have after is have to wait until numbness wears off to eat anything so at least an hour. Most of time a root canal is pretty much the dead roots so when I hear someone had a lot of pain I suspect a dentist took out live roots to make some money. In your case since you had to have meds to clear up infection you do have a problem. I had an eye tooth that went bad over Easter 1 yr & I thought I would die before I got to dentist ,all along my nose & up to between my eyes was so painful I didn't sleep that Sun night even with a sleeping pill hubby bought off a lady, it dulled it a little(this was 40 yrs ago) dentist drilled & out came a lot of pus so he had to leave it open for a week & I was on antibiotics to clear anything else up that had gone up my face.Your teeth have a direct line to your heart also, Muppet guy Jim Henson died after visit to dentist , don't know if he had heart trouble but anyone that does should take an antibiotic pill or 2 before dental work that involves any blood loss. Should go well & not be much of a problem going to work! If you are getting knocked out I think I would try to find a ride to work & home, not safe driving after you've been under, even a bike, your judgment may be off & you could get hit by a car, if you work with machinery might be dangerous too. Good Luck!

sunnyca_gw,

I really appreciate the feedback.

Thank you!

Usually it took about 1- 1/2 hour for me...had done several and each time I was back to work within a hour or two with still some numbness left, [machinist].

I could not have my root canal, after all (damn!). The dentist told me that my blood pressure was too high. It was at first one seventy something. Then it went down to one sixty something. But the dentist felt that I should first see my regular doctor about the blood pressure, because if they injected me with anesthesia my blood pressure would have risen a bit.

I'm on blood pressure medication (Amlodipine Besylate 5mg) but lately I've been slack about taking the pills.

I just booked an appointment with my doctor for Thursday.

Also, the dentist told me that when I finally ready I will most likely need 2 dental
appointments for the root canal because it's on a molar, and they tend to
be a bit complicated because of the root structure.

High BP is NOT something you can be slack about. Good way to have heart attack or stroke! You would be wise to get a Omron HEM 711 blood pressure machine battery operated & arm cuff(recommended by most of drs folks went to) so you can keep a better eye on it yourself with numbers like that. That one shows your pressure, pulse & heart symbol will blink if A Fib or in danger zone. Might be smart to keep a food diary & start checking how much salt you are taking in. Take salt shaker off the table! Most people get close to double what they should have. 1 sign is leg swelling, dizziness or light headed if BP is high but my dad's went to over 200 before he felt it so best to check & record your findings so you can tell what time of day it might be high or if after heavy meals, will give you better idea what you are dealing with & if you get it regulated better you will feel better. Sweet rolls or candy can sometimes drive it up. Lots of strong coffee or pop too. Also if you weigh in morning & weigh 2 lbs more at night you are retaining water & hard on the heart.

sunnyca_gw,

Thanks for the feedback. I'm 6 feet tall, 255lbs. I recently started working out in the gym again.

I think these are the problems that are causing my high blood pressure : I do use salt in cooking (I love cooking), I love spices (especially hot ones like from India), and I love sipping wine or gin & tonic while at home.

However, my cholesterol has always been really low. Go figure.

I'm definitely going to cut back on the salt.

Folks,

When I visited my dentist on Tuesday to have a root canal and she decided to not do it, due to my high blood pressure, she gave me some advice. She told me to visit my primary care physician and have my blood pressure situation checked.

Well, I went to my primary care physician yesterday (Thursday). She took my blood pressure. Guess what? The reading was 118/80.

My doctor asked me whether when taking my blood pressure the dentist used a large cuff
or a small one. She said that if she used a small cuff the readings
tend to be higher. I tried to recall the cuff size the dentist used. I think the dentist used a smaller one than the one used by my regular doctor. Or maybe the long bike ride caused my
pressure to go up. Or the size of the cuff and the ride and maybe the
anxiety of getting the root canal all played a factor. I don't know.

Anyway, the blood pressure reading from my regular doctor was much better than the reading I got from my dentist.

What do you make of this?

Well, it happens ,BP rises with stress. I just had a checkup & he said BP high on top, I said that was odd, how high & he said 150, it has never been 150. 135 was highest ever. I couldn't believe it, I asked if he thought that my being 3 minutes late because I had to drive further down to make left turn as nobody was moving at the light & no left turn signal, so I had to go about 8 blocks out of my way. He said he would check it again in 15 minutes & it was down to 135 so I checked it at home & it was back to 115. So yes all those factors figure into it. If I mow the yard & edge then it will be higher, never take it for at least 30 minutes after you eat as digestion can raise it. Weird isn't it but that's way it is. My dr & folks drs wanted us using wide cuff above elbow, they don't like wrist cuffs even tho some nurses at hospitals use them. Fear of dentist or Dr. also causes raise in BP. Probably fear of pain more than anything!

Your cycling to the appointment probably has a lot to do with the rise but not all of it. As you know pedaling faster will make your blood run more quickly increasing the pressure but you still need to see your doctor.

The bike ride to the dentist was 5.5 miles long, through hectic (and sometimes dangerous) downtown Boston traffic.

This would be enough to get anyone's BP up to the heavens. :)

So you need to allow extra 30 minutes to get there so you can calm down before you have dental work done! I was going at morning rush hour & traffic was heavy so I will go extra 1/2 hr earlier to allow for that. San Fernando Valley is huge so lots of traffic & people in race to get to work, were cutting off people trying to turn left so they could go through the light even after it turned red. I usually go out later so don't get caught in the "mad rush"! They keep making bike lanes out here & ruining perfectly good 4 lane roads to put in more bike lanes & poll of friends tells me they rarely see a bike on those roads, couple of streets it's fine as along edge but they have some of these bike lanes in very dangerous areas in center of road & that is where we never see them. Also had several friends killed, 2 were middle aged men from church(owned businesses ) rode to work on bikes but there are lots of crazy people out here & they cut in front of cars & try to cut off motorcycles & bikes. My dad rode around on bike into his early 90's , then said people actually tried to run you off the road & quit. So be careful in Boston & that's a long ride!

How do you deal with your dentist?

This is what happens at my dentist's office.

I go in for teeth cleaning. I always request this Ukrainian woman whom I feel does a good job. She takes X-rays of my teeth. She then cleans my teeth.

Then she says she's going to bring in the dentist to examine my teeth, in case there are any problems. When the dentist pops into the room and looks at my teeth, she always finds problems.

Two years ago, the dentist said I needed a root canal on one of my molars. Due to how expensive a root canal is, I only got around to having the root canal done last month. And I did not have my dentist do it. Instead, I went to Boston University's dental school for the procedure. It was much cheaper because it was done by a dental student under the supervision of a faculty member.

On Monday I went to my regular dentist for cleaning. This time she found a couple of teeth that need fillings. But here's the big one: She feels that one of my lower back teeth needs a crown. I told her point blank that if I need a crown I'm returning to Boston University for I cannot afford her rates.

In terms of the regular fillings, I can afford her but I'm wondering whether I really need them.

I'm curious how other people handle their dentists. Do you simply go along with what your dentist suggests in terms of work that needs to get done on your teeth?

Well...I'm pretty sure that your dentist have shown picture on your molars which needs filling due to decay, if left alone they get larger and more expensive to fill.