Eric Holder Getting Emergency Oral Surgery

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder had emergency oral surgery Thursday to remove a cracked tooth.

Holder spokesman Matthew Miller said the attorney general cracked his molar Wednesday night and went to a dentist in pain in the morning. Miller said the dentist told Holder the tooth needed to be removed right away, and he had a 75-minute procedure before being sent home to rest.

Miller said Holder won't be able to fly for several days. He canceled an afternoon trip to Colorado, where he was scheduled to appear at the Aspen Institute for a discussion with CBS "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer.

Miller said he did not know how Holder cracked the tooth.

Comments

[mamala4]

Does he have dental insurance?

[thats2much]

I'm sure he does since he works for Obama. I supported him during the election, but so far I am NOT impressed!

[AZterritory]

Slow news day? Can't these people have at least a private life for their teeth?

[kathy001]

Unless you're goig to tell us how the bill was paid and that soon ALL Americans will be able to get immediate relief from dental problems that are covered by a PUBLIC HEALTH CARE PLAN, then I could not care less about the AG's dental problems.

[MikeRdg]

OUCH! I feel your pain! :^)

[thats2much]

ouch may "aunt fannie" he's got a job and insurance. Thats more than we can say for the 17% of Americans who are not working!

[MikeRdg]

I understand your feelings thats2much, I understand how many Americans are suffering, from loss of jobs, loss of income and homes. I understand how many people and people who have and are being brutalized by people without conscience, and I understand how many people have and are suffering due to corruption, and the complete lack of conscience.

[bagelmaven]

Anything from the neck up is often excruciatingly painful. I had that once and thought I wanted to end it it was ridiculously painful. I do NOT know what people do in other countries where the dental care stinks or there is NO dental care. We all take our teeth for granted until the pain comes and when it come OH BOY it's just horrific.

I have had a broken femur three times which was horrendous but tooth pain runs a close second and maybe takes the first prize for pain!

[thats2much]

big freakin deal! This man has a well paying job and insurance. Why make such a big deal about a cracked tooth!

[Drumbum2112]

spoken like a true ditto head. Mindless paroting of what you where told to think.

[DrJulienArbor]

It's amazing what the right diet can do...

http://www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/ancient_dietary_wisdom.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/healthissues/holistic.html

They could try and save the tooth...

http://stanford.wellsphere.com/dental-health-article/cracked-tooth/331029

And if you need an extraction... grow a new one...

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/02/26/teeth-grow-gene.html

By the way... clove oil on the gums is an old remedy for dental pain...

http://www.atlantadentist.com/clove_oil_toothache_relief.html

You know... like the cloves that are in the clove cigarettes that the Tobacco Bill just banned... not to mention the impact that it had on Indonesia... particularly the Indigenous people. That would be the same Indigenous who have traditionally eaten so well that they don't have any dental problems!

But since you insist on going the the pharmaceutical route... ibuprofen is one of the best medications for relieving dental pain. As for extraction... you could always try this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fCo5SkNJHk

[Palemoon]

Best thing to do is to just get the tooth removed asap. I went through the root canal stuff before the dentists explained to me later that a root canal was at best, a temporary fix that was only about 50/50 chance to work over the longer term. Had to have my tooth extracted 6 months after the root canal is why I know that.

And clove oil is just another temp fix. Tried that too. You forgot to mention it's a major irritant that will cause you great pain just by applying it in your mouth. Plus, it won't do anything for an abcessed tooth. I found that anbesol, which wasn't very good itself, actually worked better than clove oil. Both together would at least create enough peripheral pain for you to briefly ignore the abcess pain.

[DrJulienArbor]

Oh... we're definitely in agreement about the root canal junk!

http://www.whale.to/d/root.html

As for the cloves... I'm not sure where you're getting your information. It's not a problem if it's prepared properly... plus it has many other benefits...

http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-clove-oil.html

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/cloves76.html

Although there is also another alternative natural alternative...

http://atlanta.broowaha.com/article.php?id=2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/14/opinion/14morales.html

You would'nt happen to be a paid shill for the pharmaceutical industry now would you? Because if Parke-Davis hadn't monkeyed around with coca leaves... we'd be able to take advantage of it's many natural health properties!

http://www.cocaine.org/parkedavis-works.htm

http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/coc03.htm

Come to think of it... there is a connection between Anbesol (Wyeth) and Parke-Davis...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfizer

You can keep your pharmaceutical "fixes"!

[billybob4]

you've been misled by your dentist. root canals have a 95% success rate when done by a specialist aka endodontist. the success rate for a root canal and an implant are the same. your dentist botched your root canal and blamed the procedure not the clinician. also, maybe you should ask him why he did a procedure

[grf67]

This is what passes for news? Who cares wha kind of dental problems the asdministration. This is no big deal; it happens thousands of times a day in this country.

[thats2much]

I agree. Lets put the focus where it needs to be. People need jobs and insurance.

[dogboy]

The yanks are coming!

[Collielady]

Gasp! Such a tragedy!

I guess this means that all investigations and resulting prosecutions are off the table for the next four years.

[marignymitch]

No. That applies only to war criminal cases, which are off the table permanently.

[historymatters]

while he's resting after surgery, I hope he takes some time to read over the legal justifications for bringing Rumsfeld, Cheney, and the rest of the American war criminals to trial.

[ProtectTheBabies]

Good thing he doesn't have national health care. He'd have to wait 3 months for an appointment. Maybe the doctors can fix his broken ethics while they're at it.

[Meah]

I wait to see my doctor NOW for three months. What are you talking about? Do any Republicans actually think for themselves? Silly question!

[LeftWingX10]

that was only the Tip of the Iceberg . . the Crack Runs Much Deeper Than That . . Catscan?

[cleveyucks]

While they're in there, maybe they can search for his tongue. He seems to have lost it when it comes to the criminal aspects of the illegal wiretaps and torture he was so vocal about before he was actually in a position to do something about them.

[Samalabear]

Wow, I've got two teeth that I'm told need a bridge. I had an emergency pulplectomy last year that cost me $200 just to at least get rid of the constant excruciating pain. A year later here I am. No, I do not have the $4,000 the dentist said I would need for the bridge, although he did say it was imperative that I save these teeth. I looked at him and I asked what he didn't understand about the phrase I have no money.

Definitely got a good laugh on this one. This would be a good idea for an ad on why we need single payer. Illustrate what our government officials get in the way of health care and contrast is with ordinary Americans and then give the solution. Call them out on it.

[billybob4]

as a dentist i can tell you it would be a good idea to save your teeth. you complain about the $4K, let me ask you this: how much is your car payment per month? how much did you pay for your car and how long does it last? that $4K will last you 20-30 years if you take care of it. it becomes a matter of priorities.

btw my dental education cost me $320,000 and 8 years of my life. (i specialized) so the $4K isn't such a bad price.

[Palemoon]

Must be nice to have FREE healthcare and immediate access! I had an abcessed tooth and had to wait a week before the dentist could work me in. Then my insurance only paid for only around $100 of the $1200 bill. I got fleeced.

[billybob4]

"I got fleeced."

by your insurance company