High Sierra Topix

Anyone have to deal with some horrible a toothache while in the backcontry? Have a
proceedure done like a root canal or crown shortly before heading up which caused
you a lot of pain at elevation? Did you bail or continue your trip? Or were you fortunate
enough to be carrying leftover Vicodin in your medical kit .

Maverick

you need to do a search of clowns posts for the answer to that question!

Mike

clowns.. nice.. already documented on other threads, so.. in short. your DDS will tell you to do root canal. (they can't tell) go figure. if it's busted too deep, they cant fix it.. Just pull the tooth. so bridge work or implant.

when you have a root canal that goes bad because the tooth is cracked, you then get it pulled. think 400 buxx for the root canal and then another 400 for the removal...

both experiences were pleasant. But this was before a trip up to North Lake and French basin.

the temporary started to "pop" over conway summit. she came out at North lake.

It didn't matter as i had no pain at that time. Yes, I had the Vicodin with me. Just a weird taste in my mouth..

I didn't have to touch the Vicodin as the tooth was dead. She came out when i got back.

I can say that depending on the tooth, take them out and plan. My right side lower back molar came out because of a pepper corn. Left side rear molar because of a piece of bone in an Al pastor burrito.

I don't miss them. Carry Vicodin. only works for teeth i think. Didn't work for my ankle last year; advil did.. 3 advil are equivalent. but advil can hurt you.

anyway..

russ

I've had a single wisdom tooth coming in for maybe 10 years now. For many years (not so much anymore) it would give me some pain for a week or so and then stop for many months. Back in 2009 when I did a 39 day trip out it came on worse than it had before for at least a couple weeks. The area was slightly swollen where I could not completely close my jaw without biting down into it. I remember it being really annoying while I tried to chew food. Nothing to be done about it though. I don't carry anything that could help it and it certainly was not stopping my trip.

a person has 4 wisdom teeth. I had those all removed at the same time around the age of 27. The problem with them is they tend to grow against the back molars and cause those to fail.

again, tooth pain is not fun. Despite your dealing with the pain, have stuff checked out preseason so you don't have to deal with tooth issues. Supposed to be at the dentist anyway twice a year for cleaning/checkups.

rlown wrote:a person has 4 wisdom teeth.

It actually varies from zero to four due primarily to genetics. I only had three.

Well I have never been to a dentist before so checking before hand has never been a serious option to me. If I live long enough to begin having serious problems with my teeth I will start seeing the dentist when I need them pulled out one by one.

Many years ago I had tooth decay get into the roots while in the backcountry. Major pain for a day or two till I could get out to a dentist (and have root canal and a crown). No vicodin - back in those days we just sucked it up and kept going! Learned my lesson about neglecting my teeth and have done my regular twice-yearly dentist visits ever since.

need to teach rogue, DaveB..

My teeth are not great but I go to the dentist regularly and as a result I have quite a few caps, some with root canals and some without. When I expressed concern abot having a cap come lose in the backcountry and having to deal with the exposure of a tooth my dentist reached in a drawer and handed me a repair kit he gives out. It's just a little tube of glue, aplicater, and cotton swab thing to bite down on but they work. I've never needed one a bubby had a crown come off on a trip and it fixed him right up. Every year I get a couple new new kits from him to carry in my pack and my travel shaving kit.