Update on Ellie

So for the past few days, Ellie has been in quite a bit of pain from her 12-year-old molar--or so we thought. On Monday, the dentist took x-rays and it showed the molar pushing up against the other. We both realized this was going to be a difficult few days or weeks while the tooth made its way through. Even the dentist said it would be a rough ride. When she woke up on Tuesday, her jaw and neck were swollen. I called the dentist and he wanted to see her again in the afternoon.

She was in a lot of pain and none of the OTC pain relievers were doing anything. At 3:30, we were in the dentist's office again. By 4:20, we were sent over for the surgeon to evaluate. By 6, she was anesthetized to have her current molar extracted. You see, it wasn't the new molar causing the problem. The tooth next to it had been filled a while ago and it was in need of a root canal. Unfortunately, it became infected and instead of a swollen cheek, she had a submandibular infection. The surgeon consulted with an endodontist and they both decided that although the best thing to usually do is to save a tooth, it's even better to, well, live. He didn't even want her to leave without something being done as he felt the level and location of the infection were both so severe that she was, in his words, in a dangerous place. Nothing says immediacy like the word "danger."

He did an excellent job with her. Although a truly frightening experience for her, he put her under gently, starting with laughing gas and then doing the IV. They loaded her with antibiotics, put her out and I went to the waiting room. It didn't take long to take care of it, but he said that as he pulled out the tooth, puss came out behind it. At that point he knew we had made the right call rather than waiting until the next day to attempt a root canal.

Ellie did a fantastic job. She was quite amusing on the way home and it was just nice to not have her crying in pain as she had been for several days. She slept through the night (painkillers are always nice) for the first time in about five days. She's still in the "danger zone" as he put it until the antibiotics have been in her system a little longer, but the swelling hasn't increased which is what we were to watch for.

Props to Ellie!