Jessica Smith and Friends 2022

[Leonana]

Pam, it is still painful. I've had it adjusted and the permanent filling was put in yesterday. The other two teeth with root canals are fine, just this one is bothering me. It's less painful if I don't chew and eat soft food. Also, if I use a mouthguard that sits on the roof of my mouth, where none of my molars touch.

It was less painful before the third root canal. I could chew on the other side of my mouth without pain. Grinding my teeth didn't bother it, as long as I didn't bite on it directly. I think this last root canal irritated it so much, that any movement in the mouth causes pain.

The endodontist thinks my issue is that my mouth is out of alignment, and I think he is correct. I'm missing a molar and I grind my teeth, both of which move your teeth. I never could get the first crown, on the lower right, from last December adjusted correctly, until eventually that tooth needed a root canal. That first crown threw my whole mouth off, and I believe that's why I had pain on the lower left side. That side is where I'm missing the back molar. The dentist couldn't find any cracks with the crown on the second side, and didn't think I needed a new crown. But it was very painful, so I thought I needed it. Then the new crown damaged the nerve, and I did need a root canal. Also, the endodontist questioned whether this painful tooth next to it needed a root canal. I think the crown and root might have been fine, the pain was because my teeth are badly out of alignment.

This painful tooth was adjusted yesterday, so the alignment is a bit better. Before this last root canal on the opposite tooth, it wasn't painful and I could chew on the other side. It should heal from the other tooth's root canal and from the permanent filling. I'm hoping that the pain will ease and I can chew on the other side eventually. I'm eating soft food and have a new OTC mouth guard, and those do help reduce the pain.

The dentist won't adjust my teeth until I get a mouth guard from the TMJ specialist. My appointment isn't until April 18, then it takes time to make the mouth guard. I probably won't have it until May. They do have cancellations, so I'm hoping I can get in earlier.

So, I guess I will be babying this tooth until I can get the mouth guard. It's also possible that the dentist can't adjust my teeth properly. I guess at that point I'd need braces. But it's not in the budget. If it doesn't resolve after all of this, I guess I'll have it pulled.

Anyway, it is a relief to figure it out. The endodontist was the one who had a clue. I'm not sure about this dentist, he looked confused when I explained my tooth pain. OTH, he did a good job with the fillings, and he did refer me to the TMJ specialist. As long as I eat soft food and don't grind on the tooth, it will be tolerable and I don't have to take much pain medication. I am hoping that this last adjustment will help.

I edited my post, since I keep figuring things out, lol.

[donnamp]

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I got a very short walk in and then did two more workouts from Ellen - her Quick Core Fusion and her Yoga Mat Work.

Today I did an hour long Essentrics w/ Sahra - it was the recording from 3/23.

I enjoy the long sessions when I do them, but there is a bit of dread about gearing up to do them. Still, I want to complete this "March Madness' and I am seeing results from being consistent. I noticed a lot of improvement when I did a few yoga practices this week. So I definitely need to keep Essentrics in the rotation, but maybe not 4 one hour classes a week.

Sherry - I hope you see the end of this tooth pain soon! How awful.

Pam - Congrats on all your TM workouts! I am working my way through Jenny's slowly - I figure there is no rush. I like to do them when the weather isn't good for an outdoor walk.

Waves, everyone - Happy Friday!

wishiwasinhawaii -have you heard anything more about the job you interviewed for?

Donna

[Leonana]

Thanks, Donna. I edited my post. I think I've finally figured out the problem!

[Pam61]

Sherry,

My DH's jaw or bite has never lined up properly, either. He frequently bites the interior of his mouth when chewing. And, he went for years with a crown that was never seated properly and was also too high, so he would eat on the opposite side of his mouth. Our previous dentist had retired in MN., and it had probably been at least 10 years of suffering for him...or more. We lived in MN for eight years and then another eight here in RI, so it could have been more like fifteen years. I'm glad the endodontist seems to understand the issue and can give you some answers. BTW, my brother just had FOUR teeth yanked out of his mouth yesterday. He said he didn't have the time to mess around and time was a factor, as well as money. His dental insurance will only cover so much, so he can't afford to have anything else done right now. It all adds up. So he's on all soft foods, and having to go through all the required testing again before they can okay him for a hip replacement surgery in April. He was on my mind last night and I had a dream that I was in AZ cooking him dinner (because he didn't have ANY teeth in his mouth!) Then his collage age boys came home and ate all the food, ha! Dreams are weird...and you've been on my mind, too!

No workout yet to report. We were out for the day and ate junk...McDonald's!!! Two steps forward, three steps back.

[Leonana]

Well, hopefully I’m not jinxing myself by saying this, but tooth 2 seems to have turned the corner. Still taking ibuprofen, but it’s less painful. Teeth 1 and 3 are fine. I think the issue with tooth 2 is that it was too high and needed adjusting, so was still irritated when I had the third root canal, and became really painful afterwards. Also, the permanent filling on Thursday irritated it, with the drilling and scraping. All of that irritated it quite a bit. I had three root canals in three and a half weeks. My mouth had taken a beating. I’ll be eating soft food for awhile, but I can handle that with less pain. My teeth grinding at night irritates it even with the mouth guard, but it seems to be still healing.

Hopefully, the TMJ specialist and mouth guard will reduce the damage from my teeth grinding. I also would like to get an implant someday for my missing molar.

Pam, your poor brother! I feel for him. It is painful and takes time and money to go the root canal and crown route. I often thought what would I do if I had to work outside of the home with all that tooth pain over five weeks. I don’t have dental insurance, but have a credit card with one year of no interest. I also took my social security at 62, and I’ll use that to pay it off. Otherwise, I would have to pull it too. I do have a dental discount plan. I checked into dental insurance from the marketplace, but it doesn’t cover much. It didn’t seem to justify the monthly price. And what you said about your dh made me realize that I bite the side of my mouth too. Growing older isn’t for sissies!

[donnamp]

Hi Everyone,

I have seen some good results in being consistent w/ Essentrics - I started in February. Hip and Lower back are feeling much better - so much so in fact I'm able to enjoy doing yoga again. It is funny that doing yoga and Pilates did not help with my issues - and in some cases, made it worse. But Essentrics seems to be doing the trick so I plan to sick with it for the future - maybe not doing 4 one hour classes a week, but getting in regular short sessions at least every other day.

This morning I did Essentrics # 8 - I'll probably do some walking later - probably indoors b/c our weather has turned wintry again. Tomorrow our high will only be 38!!

Yesterday I did a step/weights workout w/ Jenny Ford - in Montana and did a Yoga w/ Kassandra practice afterwards.

Sherry - I'm hoping it is finally getting better. Dental insurance, unfortunately doesn't cover all that much - and dental work is expensive. My plan covers 100% for preventative work - like cleanings - so 2 cleanings per year are free. But fillings are 80/20 covered -and all other work is 50/50. And it adds up fast. I guess it is still better than paying 100%..

Pam - I hope your brother can have his surgery soon and I hope he is feeling better after his tooth extractions....

waves, wishiwasinhawaii and Liz!

Donna

[Leonana]

No workouts for me, I'm not sure about next week. Even low impact affects the jaw. I did do some housework and yard work on Friday, although I think I over did it. I should have rested for healing. I've discovered rest is crucial for my mouth healing. My mouth feels better today, no medicine as of yet. It's a bit achy and throbbing, but not too bad. I'm still eating soft food. I've discovered smoothies. I wasn't eating much fruits and vegetables, and this has really helped.

Pam, the dental insurance I looked into was similar coverage, but had a cap of $1000-$1250 per person for major dental work. And it was $60 a month for dh and I. Dh never goes in, but I would need to add him for emergencies. So that's $720 per year, with only $1250 covered. I go in for checkups and cleanings once a year, so it seemed to me I'd be in the hole with the monthly coverage, which would eat into the $1250. It just didn't make sense to me. Unless I get a discounted rate for having insurance, I'm not sure about that. Of course, if dh needed a lot of work, it might be worth it. But so far he hasn't. That's great Essentrics is working for you. I didn't have any luck with Miranda on dvd, but never tried the streaming. Pilates always hurt my back too. Yoga seems to be okay, but stretches from PT you tube channels seem to work the best.

[Pam61]

Hi Ladies,

I just realized I haven't been posting my workouts recently.

Today, I went on a real outdoor hike (6 miles) with real live people, lol. The hike had a lookout point that overlooked the Boston skyline. And, another highlight was an iron mill in the woods.

Yesterday, I was on the treadmill, hiking in Vietnam with John Peel, and also in the Dominican Republic with my last Phil Catudal walk.

There was also a rest day in there, somewhere, ha!

Donna, I was on a real roll with CS/Essentrics at one time but it somehow got away from me. And, I prefer the all standing routines. I have also injured myself (over stretching/reaching) with that kind of workout, too.

Sherry, thank you for posting about dental insurance info and your kind words regarding my brother. I just want him to be well and he has always put his health on the back burner, much like my mom did. They are the reason I'm a little more obsessive with working out and (mostly) eating healthy, ha!

Waves to everyone!

[donnamp]

Hi Everyone,

This morning I did something a little different - Gilad's Xcelerate - Volume 2 - Tone Every Inch. This was a mostly standing weight and band workout. It did make me realize how much I have neglected strength work as of late!

I think April may be a strength focused month - I may do Gilad's workouts for the month. If I don't get bored w/ the repetition - Xcelerate is 4 workouts and the suggested "Rotation" is to do them in order - then take a day off - and repeat the cycle.

I don't know if my attention span could handle it - but I can see how repetition can be a good thing.

I was trying to think of another "series" or "set" that I could alternate - sort of like - do 4 days of Xcelerate, take a day off, do another series of workouts, day off, Xcelerate, etc.

I will have to think about it - I'm almost sure I have something like that in my collection and I just need to think about it harder!

Anyway -off to a Monday!!

Hope everyone has a good day!

Donna

[wishiwasinhawaii]

Sorry I haven't been writing. I've just been extremely busy. I'll have to go back and read everyone's updates when I get a chance.

Donna, I'm hoping Jessica releases her new set soon because I'm really looking for something new to do. I think I may do WS 1 again since I haven't done that in ages. I'm still in PT for my knee but it is improving and the physical therapist doesn't think I'll have to go much longer. Oh, I didn't get that job I had the interview for. It was just as well because their benefits were not anywhere near as good as what I have now, so I'm just going to stay where I am. I've been going to the office once a week and it's not that bad so I'll just deal with it.

Pam, I was on a CS/Essentrics kick a couple of years ago but then I got bored with it. I should revisit that now and then.

Sherry, Glad to hear you seem to be on the mend now. I have dental insurance through work but it only covers what Donna mentioned in her post.

Waves to Liz!