3.5 Hours Later

This morning at 7:50am I was sitting in the dental chair at the dentist office getting my teeth cleaned.  I had a sneaky suspicion that I would need a bit more work done than just a basic cleaning.  I mentioned this fact when I made the appointment.  I have a nice size crater in my back molar where all kinds of food like to hide and take up residence. I can't get the particles out unless I use a pick. I told the receptionist that although I am not a dentist, I am pretty sure I needed that crater filled.  Well - today, it was more than proven - I am not a dentist. The crater in my back molar was created by a big crack in my tooth that loosened the original filling that was placed in my tooth WAY BACK WHEN. Once that old filling fell out, nothing  remained but a big old crater.  Now the problem was that this tooth could not be fixed by refilling the crater. As soon as the dentist said, "now the problem......" I knew I would not like anything else he was going to say.  I was sure right about that.  3.5 hours later, I have a nice temporary cap on my molar to keep my tooth from splitting and in 2 weeks I get to go back to get a permanent cap. I am not sure which was more painful, the 3.5 hours of drilling and having my mouth stretched wide open and my jaw pushed past its hinge limits or....the bill! I was extremely glad when the procedure was over and I was back home.   Looks like we will have soup for dinner! Ouch!