I had the most expensive morning I have had in a long time, on the Monday morning after our return from Walking on the Amalfi Coast. I spent £278 at the dentist before 10am! I was vaguely aware when I was at the airport about to get on the plane at the beginning of the week, that something was not quite right in my mouth: the feeling did not go away. However, I was taking strong painkillers all week for my arthritic toe, so the drugs seem to have done a doubling up job on my teeth too – the pain was never terrible. I suspected I might have an abscess, but have never had one before, so didn’t know what one feels like. I was very comforted by the knowledge that two of the group of sixteen were young women GPs, who I am sure would have sorted me out with some antibiotics, if push had come to shove. Half way through the week I emailed my dentist, who very obligingly emailed me back saying he had fitted me in for first thing in the morning on the Monday after my return: that’s what I call a result! Of course, I felt hardly felt anything after that – Sod’s Law – but thought I had better keep the appointment in any event. After the first Xray – two more followed – the abscess was diagnosed and the drilling commenced! He said he had to follow the root for an inch to get to the end of it!! So now I know I have exceptionally long roots in my teeth – not the most useful information – and have also discovered what root canal treatment is.
It got me thinking about dental treatment for generations before and after mine. It seems that the generations after mostly have wonderful teeth – perhaps due to the presence of fluoride. However, previous generations had nightmare times with teeth. We visited Beamish Museum in the North East of England with the children when they were small, where there is a dental surgery with some pretty scary looking implements. We were told there that it was common practice for young women to have all their teeth removed before their marriage, as a sort of dowry from the woman’s family to the new husband. It meant that he would never have to shell out any money for any dentistry for her!
Scots have historically always had bad teeth – perhaps due to their liking for sweeties and particularly tablet, which is a Scottish delicacy which guarantees instant tooth rot! My parents in law didn’t have a tooth between them, when I first met them, and they were only in their fifties then. That was not considered very unusual then, particularly among the less well off.
I am very pleased my abscess has occurred now, and not when I am doing the real thing up Kili! Maybe I will pop into the dentist for an X-ray however, just before the trip, just to make sure there is no repetition!
