Thanks for the vibes, I'm back not really much worse for the wear. Part of my anxiety is I've only had one "real" cavity in my whole life (I have a couple of other fillings from my adolescence caused by my braces, believe it or not). I found out today the issue is age, not lack of dental hygiene, which I find incredible considering my extreme youth. 
But today's filling (for age related root decay) was easy. The bad news is my dentist thinks I should have two teeth pulled by an oral surgeon, again due to age related root decay. I asked him if I waited long enough if they would just fall out, and he stared at me, agog. 
I want a second opinion, Jeffrey. Of all the dental ills I have endured (including an abscessed tooth that had, less than 6 months earlier, been crowned...badly, as it turns out), I have never had anyone mention "age-related root decay." That's not to say I think something like that is unlikely...I'm just saying I spent my teenage years in a dentist's chair...being treated with minimal anesthesia. I used to squeeze dents into the arms of the chairs with my hands to tolerate the pain of drills against raw nerves. My dentist told my mom I was a difficult patient and that I was properly anesthetized.
I was in the Navy when I learned that I wasn't supposed to feel pain. And if I did feel pain, then "normal" application of anesthesia was not sufficient.
Big revelation.
Anyway, I've had a laser treatment (LANAP procedure) done on my whole mouth...followed up with some sort of injections into my gums. Had a DNA test done and discovered I have a rare bacteria in my mouth that affects gums. The injections rid my gums and roots of the bacteria, and the toothpaste (gel) I now use (kind of pricy at $15 a tube) keeps it all in check. My teeth are probably healthier today than they've been since I was a kid (the military dentists did nothing but fill, refill and re-re-fill teeth that should been crowned).
ALL OF THAT SAID...it seems odd that I've never had anyone mention "age-related root decay." It seems like something that would be right up my alley. Unless, of course, you're "considerably" older than I.
