After being told by yet another local dentist office that they categorically don't use anesthesia for cleanings, I went for a dental checkup where I've been going, and the dentist took bitewing x-rays and showed me the tooth in question has lost all of its roots. There's just filling there were the roots should be, so it was a total failure although the dentist described it as looking alright for now, and recommended replacing when it eventually breaks off.

Because the dental surgeons, at a very prestigious institution, removed a lot of gum tissue to do surgery on the tooth, the back of that row of teeth feels exposed and my tongue no longer rests against a pillowy cushion of gum tissue, instead touching the roots of the teeth. I would never have agreed to the surgery if I knew they would purposefully remove, or damage, healthy gum tissue along a row of healthy teeth to fix a cavity in one tooth. The pockets won't be measured until the next cleaning so I don't yet know the full extent of the damage. It looks like I'm in for painful cleanings for several decades, since as mentioned, it can just be exposed roots that are causing the pain, and it's been artificially exacerbated. I read a book on dental health many years ago, and it said the gums were more important than the teeth so it seems very odd they would jeopardize my gumline for a tooth, especially since my initial complaint that led to the surgery was too much pain in that area. It did not solve the pain but will likely make it worse, at least during cleanings.

I requested that the general dentist reformulate the anesthetic for the hygienic cleaning, and he said there would be a different hygienist from last year and it would be "numbed". I asked that they not use the mechanical cleaning and do it manually, but he declined that because he said it doesn't get them as clean. It looks like I'm in for another round of pain, and will perhaps until I get an implant there like I originally wanted.