Toothache

Major toothache. I can't tell if I lost a filling or chipped a piece of tooth off, all I know is that I am in awful pain and have been since late yesterday. It started a little over a week ago, and since my allergies had been acting up, I figured it had something to do with my sinuses because I get severe pain and nausea when they got clogged. I started by trying to unclog them through the use of decongestants and hot showers.

When that didn't improve, and part of my gum started to look irritated, I thought I must have gotten a husk from the Newman's popcorn stuck in my gum. I started flossing twice a day instead of just at night and doing warm salt rinses to dislodge it. After a day or two of that, my mouth seemed to get better and it certainly felt better. The pain would come and go, but it wasn't bad enough that I couldn't handle it. I figured I would just need a few more days to let it heal and I would be able to start chewing on that side of my mouth again.

It all came to a head yesterday as it started first thing in the morning and got progressively worse so that by the end of the day I was in such severe pain I could barely work or eat. If I lose my appetite, something is definitely wrong. When I got home, I took a little hand mirror and flashlight and tried to look at the tooth that I thought was causing the problem. It looks like I either cracked it or dislodged a filling, but since it's the last one in the back, it's very hard to tell. The only thing I can figure is maybe I bit into something and cracked it or dislodged but it didn't fall out all the way until yesterday (which means there is a good chance I swallowed a piece of tooth or a filling...ewww!)

So, now here I am, up since 5am (not because of the toothache but because my body has been waking up between 4:50 am and 5:15 am every morning...WTF? I don't have to be up until 7!). Thank God for Cepacol and Motrin because otherwise, I probably would have gotten even less sleep than I had (I didn't fall asleep until about 1am).

I have to call the dentist as soon as he opens. I am debating on if I should go into work. I hate taking sick days, and I've only taken two in over a year. Plus, we are shorthanded and today's is one of my boss's early days. I'll have to see when the dentist can fit me in and just go into work before and after that I guess. It's funny how committed I am to a job I am pretty ambivalent about.