Update

[lexin]

I discovered on Tuesday that there is such a thing as prescription toothpaste. I have been struggling with pain in a tooth on my lower left jaw and the dentist says he doesn’t know what’s causing it as the ‘tooth’ is actually a crown, and should have no nerve. So he’s prescribed special toothpaste to treat the gum by reducing the pain. I have to clean my teeth with this stuff, and then spread it on the gum. But I’m not supposed to swallow it. How you can do both of these things, I’m not sure.

aunty_marion went home on Tuesday, which was a particularly rainy and windy day. We had a lovely few weeks over Christmas and New Year, eating lots and watching exciting things on TV. We watched both lots of Gilbert and Sullivan (as previously posted) and action movies.

We washed Smokey’s fluffy pink bed because we thought it unbecoming a handsome cat, and since then she’s used it exactly twice even though I sprayed it liberally with catnip. I don’t think she likes a clean bed, she liked it all catty and grungy.

Encouraged by aunty_marion I also bought some shelves for my kitchen from Ikea, which should arrive tomorrow and will be built and installed hopefully on Monday. I had asked for Saturday, but Taskrabbit couldn’t accommodate Saturday. They are more hopeful for Monday. In the meantime I’ve asked my local handyman if he can help, just in case they let me down again.

Yesterday I went to Llandudno to the hospital there. I’ve been waiting nervously for a dermatology appointment, but they first wanted to send me to Glan Clwyd, which is along the coast near Rhyl. I said ‘think again’ because Rhyl is about 40 minutes away by train and I don’t think the hospital is near the station.

Then they call me and offer my Llandudno General, which is closer. Even so, it takes four lots of taxis and a train – home to the station, train to Llandudno Junction, Llandudno Junction station to Llandudno hospital then reverse the process. I could, in theory, go by bus, but that would involve a lot of walking from the bus stops in Llandudno to the hospital which I can’t do these days.

The weird thing on my face was diagnosed as a wart (I knew I was turning into a witch!) and the dermatologist used a cold thingy containing freezing nitrogen to freeze it off. So I travelled home feeling as if I’d been kicked in the face by a buffalo. That pain seems to have passed off today. I’m told it will turn into a scab and drop off.

So that’s my news.

Comments

[kotturinn]

We (🐈🐈🐈🐈) sometimes don't even appreciate our human vacuuming our beds!

[lexin]

That's true. She doesn't like the vacuum cleaner under any circumstances.

[julesjones]

Is that high fluoride toothpaste? I have Duraphat because I'm wildly vulnerable to caries. It is possible to follow the instructions, but you really do have to be careful about spitting it out after brushing and then not eating or drinking anything for at least 30 minutes. It's tedious. However, I found that it does help with sensitive teeth, and I've probably still got one particularly caries-prone tooth thanks to it.

[lexin]

Yes, it's Duraphat. I'm not particularly vulnerable to caries, but this crown really hurts.

[julesjones]

I hope the dentist checked by X-ray that it does in fact have a dead nerve under the crown, since it's possible to have a crown on a tooth with a live nerve. I have quite a lot of experience in these matters. :-/ Apparently if one does get an abscess later on they can simply drill through the crown to do the root canal work, although much to everyone's surprise the subject of this discussion has still not needed it several years later.

Another possibility - if you're getting referred pain from another tooth and it's just sensitivity, not caries, brushing with the Duraphat should help after a bit. It made a huge difference for me, although it takes a while to work.

[lexin]

Yes, he definitely x-rayed the root.

I'm hoping that the Duraphat will work, and will give it time.