Dental developments and OP

Something happened over the weekend that slightly shook my faith in OP.

A few weeks ago, part of one of my crowns chipped off. My dentist said it was manufacturer's error, removed the crown, and put in a temporary. On Saturday night I was at dinner with friends and the temporary fell out. Immediately my breath and mouth smelled like....well, actually it smelled like my old piano teacher from thirty years ago, which was extremely strange. (I'm not kidding, by the way. This is true). I was in a lot of pain too.

So I left the restaurant and was rushed to the dentist, who saw me as an emergency. He said that the cement holding the temporary in place had been completely 'washed away'. What's more, it must have started leaking as soon as it was put in because bacteria had seaped into the gap, which accounted for the decay and the horrendous smell - the smell of dying human tissue.

So here's the problem. First, swishing seems to have dissolved the dental cement. (I'm also getting pains in other teeth, I think from swishing away fillings or whatever) But even though I swish avidly every day, and recently with oregano oil, the level of decay in my tooth was enough to eat away at the tissue in a mere two weeks. How can that be? I must confess, I'm perplexed.

Yesterday, the new crown was put on and I'm fine now. Still, it was a moment of confusion regarding the benefits of this whole swishing thing.