I spoke too soon - the day after the dentist had continued with work on my ailing tooth, the infection was back with a vengeance! I have come to the conclusion that he doesn't have to do anything other than look in my mouth before another infection kicks in, which of course means that pulling the damn thing out is out of the question. I remember being told that elderly relatives had insisted on having all of their teeth pulled out and dentures fitted in order to avoid ever having to visit another dentist, and can remember thinking that they must have been mad, but now I am not so sure! If, and its a big if, this tooth ever gets sorted, I will open the biggest bottle of champagne in celebration, providing of course that I am not still on the antibiotics that mean alcohol is out of the question!!!