telerib | Oh no... not again...

When I was about 12 or so, I saw Mel Brooks's Spaceballs for the first time. It was probably the first time I saw a parody and was old enough to appreciate it - I thought it was the best thing ever. (It would have been "evar" but I'm not that young.) Towards the end, there's a scene spoofing "Alien" - at a spaceship truckstop, some guy having the "Space Special" suddenly has some convulsions, falls on the floor, and a little chestburster pops out. He looks briefly at it before sighing, "Oh no... not again!" and passing out (or dying, perhaps). (The chestburster goes on to do a little snarl-snarl at the cast before launching into a brief musical number).

Anyway... after Christmas, I noticed a molar was sensitive to both hot and to cold. That's a bad sign and sure enough, I got a root canal. This involves the dentist drilling, two trips to the endodontist for the canal itself, another trip to the dentist with more drilling, and a final trip to the dentist for the crown to be glued in.

On a post-final trip to have the crown adjusted, I casually asked the dentist, "So, when can I expect the pressure and temperature sensitivity to go away?"

I was informed that there could be no temperature sensitivity in that tooth, as there was no nerve there to detect it. A round of X-rays later and I was told there might be a problem with the tooth behind the tooth with the root canal. Or it could just be the whole root canal thing caused my gums to recede a little, and I should floss carefully for a week or so and see if it goes away.

It's been a week or so. It's still cold-sensitive and, in an experiment I've been putting off performing, I swished some warm coffee over it this morning. Ow. Not OW!!!, but still, Ow.

I am not amused.