A toothache is easy to dismiss when it only bothers you now and then. I managed to ignore a cracked tooth for nearly a year, which is impressive in the same way leaving a smoke alarm to beep for months is impressive. Eventually, my tooth made it clear that avoidance was not a treatment plan.

Peanut Brittle and a Remarkable Lack of Judgment

I cracked a tooth almost 12 months ago. I can’t remember exactly how it happened. I just remember deciding, with the confidence of someone who had apparently earned a dental degree overnight, to do nothing about it.

Instead, I switched to chewing on the left side of my mouth and carried on. Problem solved, as long as I never wanted to use the other side again.

About three months ago, I bit into peanut brittle. Crunch. The same tooth chipped.

This was an excellent opportunity to call a dentist. Naturally, I ignored that opportunity, too. Why deal with a small problem today when you can give it time to develop into a much larger, more expensive problem?

When the Toothache Fought Back

One evening, a sharp, burning pain shot through my jaw. It was so intense that I nearly cried. Talking was difficult, eating was impossible, and my tooth had become a tiny torture device with an impressive sense of timing.

An infection had set in, and I needed a root canal. I was frightened and desperate, with all the usual horror stories about root canals playing in my head. The tooth, meanwhile, was not accepting requests for an extension.

The Root Canal: A Whirring Reminder

The local anesthesia eventually did its job. Getting there was another story. The first injection felt as if it lasted forever. My dentist tried to distract me with small talk, but I was too busy counting ceiling tiles and wondering how I had managed to turn a tooth problem into this whole ordeal.

Then the drilling began. That high-pitched whirring seemed to echo through my skull. Every “almost done” felt like a tease. By the end, I was relieved, exhausted, and ready to admit that ignoring the problem had not been my finest decision.

Next Time, I’m Calling the Dentist

A cracked or chipped tooth deserves a dentist’s attention, even when the discomfort seems manageable. Getting it checked promptly may help prevent the problem from becoming more serious.

I let fear and procrastination make the decision for me. Eventually, the tooth made the decision unavoidable.

Next time a tooth starts complaining, I’ll try something radical: listening before it starts screaming.