Meharry Dental School, Ouch!! Dentist Needed Asap

Q: One of my wisdom teeth has decided to impact and become infected. Many of you know the pain. I've been putting off dealing with this tooth for years since it's usually in remission. The last time I had one extracted--the oral surgeon let the painkillers wear off and I went through most of the procedure in agony. He had to chisel it apart and nicked the jawbone--I literally screamed for 24 hours, the pills did nothing. So here I am in pain, no dental coverage, and no regular dentist, with my Visa card armed. Could y'all recommend somebody or a practice/chain that's affordable and competent?

A:If you're up for it, you might call Meharry Dental School. I had several friends who went there (back in the early 70's) one is now a multi-millionaire with a chain of Texas dental offices; one teaches at Harvard; and another teaches at University of Detroit. The latter two have a social conscience as well, doing lots of free dental care. (The first, what can I say? He likes money and drugs.) But each did low-cost work at the clinic at Meharry. I went there myself about that time under similar financial circumstances and was very pleased. Yeah, I might call them tomorrow, though the last time I called them for some basic stuff--they had a six month waiting list. Perhaps they can use me for educational purposes. LOL Why not to wait until your thirties to remove a wisdom tooth--it's root has wrapped around the patient's entire skull! That's only mild exageration--I'm shaking in my boots at the prospect of this one. What's funny is that the facial pain which started some years ago, was diagnosed as a sinus defect. So I had two endoscopic surgeries, which made me breathe better, but didn't relieve the pain. The doctors thought I was fishing for narcotics, and told me to go to a pain management therapy group. I should've gone to a dentist instead. I wouldn't recommend going to a dental school for work to my worst enemy. I'll spare you the details, but I know what I'm talking about -- don't do it.

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