Reasons for Not Running No. 559

Teeth; or to be more precise a tooth; or to be even more precise an ex-tooth


It started a couple of Saturdays ago when, with all the morning available for a run, I getting ready in a leisurely way. After cleaning my teeth I started to floss when clunk - I pulled a crown clean out of my mouth. No longer did I have a morning for running, the time had to be spent waiting to see the dentist and the day was a dud.

I had hoped the crown could be stuck back on but some of the tooth had also come away. I was told that it although it might be possible to reattach the crown it was a bit iffy and there were no guarantees that it would last. The alternative was to have it taken out.

Yesterday was the day it happened and after my jaw was suitably numbed what remained of my tooth was cut up and removed root by root. After it was over my jaw felt tired and achy and I needed to buy some more ibuprofen so I went to Boots, picked out a pack and took it to the till, where it scanned at a higher price than was indicated on the shelf. Normally I would have pointed this out and either paid the lower price or not bought the item. This time I had a dilemma: there was a lump of gauze where a tooth had been and I was holding my jaw clamped shut. I really, really did not want to move it in any way and certainly did not want to speak . In my head I ran an economic calculation: were the tablets, at that particular time in those particular circumstances worth the extra 80p. Yes I decided - not speaking was far more important for me.

I left the shop with mixed emotions: on the one hand I was a bit irritated at paying more than I thought the tablets were worth but on the other I was quite amused by playing out a piece of economic theory and thought about how circumstances can change the way we value things.

After the anaesthetic wore of the value of the ibuprofen again increased.

It was definitely another non running day.