Mike’s Musings: Pull them I say, if it means pain goes away

It’s no fun getting old. Although your mind remains sharp your physical attributes begin to deteriorate.
In my case it is my teeth, that seem to be rotting away at a rapid clip. I’ve been to the dentist a dozen times this year and am preparing as I write this to go again. I can’t think of a more unpleasant trip. The pain you experience from the sharp objects they insert into your mouth is not something I wish on my worst enemy. Yes, it is true, they attempt to numb the affected area, but it doesn’t always work. And the needle used to administer the numbing shot is painful as well.
As most of you know, there is no greater pain than a toothache, and for me, I have had one in one form or another for the better part of a year. I have tried every remedy to quell the pain, and found in the end, whiskey works the best.
Now I would never saddle up to the bar and order Jack or Jim. I hate the taste of whiskey. But when it comes to extinguishing toothache paid for a time, it works, at least for me. I’ve tried toothache kits from the pharmacy, Tylenol, saltwater, baby aspirin, you name it and whiskey works the best.
I’ve had a tooth extracted and another fixed with a root canal. That’s just this year, and now I’m going to deal with another tooth, which probably means another root canal which don’t come cheap.
This tooth has been particularly painful. The pain began ten days ago and hasn’t stopped. It has provided me with some weight loss, which is a good thing, because I can’t open my mouth but an inch or two. Thus my diet consists of protein smoothies, milk shakes and macaroni and cheese. Anything else is just too difficult to get into my mouth because the toothache has affected the opening of my mouth.
It has also meant my beer or two after a long day of work is not possible. The acidity irritates the toothache, causing more pain. Ditto coffee. My favorite morning drink is kaput, too much irritation.
I told the dentist- don’t we all dislike these guys, jokingly to pull them all. A mouth without teeth, in my painful state, is much better than a mouth full of rotting teeth. I can only imagine that I will get the latest one fixed, and another problem with pop up. And these problems are occurring while I’m in the process of bridging and crowning several of my teeth- which I am still getting over the sticker shock, my house costs less.
I’m beginning to think a second opinion is in order. I keep reading about dentists in Costa Rica and Mexico that charge less than half of U.S. dentists. Their equipment and techniques supposedly are as good or better than their northern counterparts. After this year of pain, as well as other dental hiccups, I’m thinking seriously of taking a vacation to Costa Rica.