My roommate wants to pull his own tooth?!?

[eyepaddle]

There are no tooth decay or other concerns--it's just an extra tooth. If he would've had braces as a teen they'd have pulled the tooth for sure, as it makes two others crooked, but rather than pay the $150 the dentist on the corner charges he wants to take some pain pills and yank the sucker himself.

We've been friends for about 30 years, were roommates for a year or so in college--in other words I've known him for quite a stretch. He's definitely "unorthodox" in his approach to life (I think clean dishes and empty counter space irritate him, I'm not even being a smart-ass, I think there is something about excess tidiness that makes him anxious).

I've seen more than a few ill-conceived, half-baked, and yes, poorly executed schemes come out of this guy over the years and have tended to just cut him the slack and see what hilarity ensues. A rather benign example is his twenty year quest to find a cheap altenative to candle wicks.

Yes, I said "candle wicks."

He likes to make his own candles, but he absolutely REFUSES to spring the extra nickels for proper wicks and tries to find some other string to fit the bill. For the record, strings from a string mop really, really smoke. They stink too.

As you can guess he has a mania for somehow being able to "beat the system" and find an alternative that other people are too conventional to consider. This time I finally spoke up and told him how fucking insane it sounds to want to pull your own tooth, and he's more than a little puzzled that I might think it is ill advised in any way at all: sort of like "why ISN'T it a good idea?"

Other than his excessive quirkiness he's a good friend, but I think I have to move out soon, and now part of me feels like egging him on. C'mon dude--go for it!

Man I had to get that off my chest.

[pokerfan]

1. Is it an upper or a lower?

Just curious...

[eyepaddle]

3. Well, that's an interesting question

it is in fact a lower, I took a peek at it once and I think it is an extra cuspid--kinda in the right front corner of the lower jaw.

Is there significance to it being an upper or lower?

[pokerfan]

6. I'm an engineer, not a dentist

I'm trying to figure out the best way to do it.

Attached to the skull would make it easier. Being attached to the flappy part makes it more problematic.

I'll get back to you.

[KenHodson]

13. best post ...

funny!

[woo me with science]

17. oh dear.

this is priceless.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

2. "A man who defends himself has a fool for a client"

A man who operates on himself may end up with a corpse as a client. Or at the very least, he will end up with much more pain, grief, and expense than he's bargaining for.

[eyepaddle]

4. I've tried mentioning the increased chance of infection

or other complications, such as we don't know how the roots are involved with the other two teeth, and there is the chnce the root will break and begin to fester, or possibly just break the jaw trying to pry it loose.

He says in the past people used to pull teeth all the time. Pointing out that they only did it when the damned things were so rotten it hurt less to pull than to leave alone. That argument didn't cut much water.

[Love Bug]

10. People used to get sepsis and die from pulling their own teeth, too

$150 is a small price to pay versus the many thousands it will cost him is he is hospitalized for sepsis. He's being penny wise, and pound foolish.

Have him google 'dental hygiene and cardiovascular health' and maybe he'll understand why this is a real bad idea.

[KenHodson]

12. All I wanted was a sepsis...

and you wouldn't give it to me!

[Chan790]

11. Healthy tooth?

Some non-insignificant possibility he'll bleed to death, develop sepsis, pericarditis or other nasty fatal circulatory diseases if he doesn't know what he's doing.

The body slows and turns-down or off bloodflow to dying teeth as an antimicrobial measure and to loosesn them for removal or to simply fall out. In this case, it's going be a full-gusher. Being a healthy tooth, he may need to consult a maxilocranial surgeon which is going to cost a lot more than $150.

[VenusRising]

5. Did you call his therapist?

Cause that's nuts!!

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Sheesh!

Really, really, really discourage him. The thing i'd be worried about is that he might get half-way done and not be able to finish the job.

Then, he's hurting like hell, and still has to spend the $150.

Talk some sense into him eyepaddle!
The Professor

[eyepaddle]

8. Yeah, I have been.

I talked to him on the phone last night and just threw it into the conversation--"so what do you guys have going on, are ya pulling your own teeth and stuff?"

Of course that kicked off the discussion again, which was kind of what I'd been wanting to do. He says he probably won't do it, but by the tone in his voice I think he still wants to.

[Deep13]

9. Sounds a bit obsessive to me.

If it is not decayed, just leave it.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

14. For God's Sake, get a video camera

nt

[Kali]

15. ...

:spray:

[formerrepuke]

16. IS IT SAFE?

[Book Lover]

18. But if his goal is to have the other two affected teeth straighten out - pulling this tooth alone

won't do that. Think it through; what's the goal? Other than not making an ass of himself in the ER, that is...