Some whining

 I try not to whine. In fact, the most whining I do is about other people who whine. I try to be a stoic full-blooded Norwegian. A Viking! But ...

Have you ever had a root canal?

Uff da. Cracked my back molar last Monday eating a piece of steak, where I think I cut just a tiny bit of bone off and caught it just right while chewing. Went to dentist on Tuesday who looked at the x-ray and said "oh shoot." He referred me to an endodontist on Thursday for the root canal. Back to the dentist yesterday for a temporary crown. Will go back in two weeks for the permanent. Every day in between has had me whining. 

I assuage myself by saying Ragnar never had a root canal.

Not sure what is worse: back pain or tooth pain? With a sore back, you might not be able to sit or walk comfortably but you can still eat. With a sore mouth, you can't eat comfortably but you can walk.

My dentist, who used to coach my son's Teener baseball team, is a good guy. I like my dentist, but don't like going to him. At the appointment, before he stuck his fists in my mouth, he said to me: "I almost called you the other day. Do you know the worst part about dentistry?"

I said: "Hygeniests?" Because she was standing behind me.

He belly-laughed and she said: "I'm not a hygienist!" Guess she's a dental technician.

Short story shorter, he answered his own question: "Insurance companies."

Anyway, I trudge on with a sore jaw and gums from being stretched beyond normalcy and injections. Hopefully there's a light at the end of the tunnel now and I can get back to whining about this weather and cars that don't start and my mailbox getting run over by dumb drivers.