Talking with a mouthful

I considered taking a picture of my late lamented tooth and posting it but then decided that was absolutely TMI!!!! I must admit though that it was fascinating seeing the problem child and it was very apparent to me, once I knew what I was looking at, why it was such a problem. But it really is a quite good looking tooth so I may drop it into a glass vial and wear it. OK. OK! Just kidding. No Angie/BillyBob symbols of undying devotion for this gal.

However, the whole extraction process and bone grafting was really interesting and went very easily today. I was really surprised. The surgeon knew what she was doing and was gentle and confident. I felt very secure. I ice packed my cheek on and off for a few hours, am being careful to eat soft foods, and will get ready for round two the middle of March. The best thing that came out of this day was my daughter, Krista, being able to talk with the dental assistant who is now studying to be a dental hygienist. Kris has been re-inspired to get back to school. She was able to stay in the room and observe the extraction and the bone grafting. It totally reaffirmed her desire to go into the dental hygiene profession.

The cool thing about the procedure too was that I managed to actually talk through some of it and make myself understood. That was some trick considering I had at least 3-4 tools and at least three hands in my mouth all at once. Anyway, once Miss Behaving Tooth was out we were all high fiving and then the bone grafting began. Another interesting experience. Sounded weird but I didn't feel a thing. After suturing me up, they turned me loose. There was a bit of dizziness so I was really glad my toothfairy daughter was with me to do the driving. She was quite bossy and insisted I follow all the directions to the letter. She's currently a medical assistant and all I can say is "Sheesh, give a person a little knowledge and they think they know everything". LOL

Glinda as the Tooth Fairy

I woke up this morning thinking about the day ahead of me and Corey's idea about naming my toothfairy. At first I thought I would run a contest for the name but this morning I woke up and remembered that as a child I had LOVE Glinda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz. That settled it. So everyone, please say hello to Glinda the Toothfairy. She will be keeping company with me for quite a while.

Life's Little Curves and TMI so skip if you hate dentistry

So - life has thrown me a little curve. Well, actually a massive curve in the form of oral surgery. After 18 months of sporadic efforts (on my part) to save a tooth, I've been told that it is a ticking time bomb and MUST GO. I have learned more than I ever wanted to learn about dental problems and the biggest thing I've learned is how insidiously they sneak up on you. One day you are minding your own business, brushing your teeth, checking breath with the occasional cough cough into the hand and the next you discover that one tooth must go and two others are in dire trouble.

The next several months of my life will be wrapped up in extractions (one), bone graphs (three), sinus lift (one) [with no discernible improvement on my aging face - sigh], gum reconstruction (two) and an implant (one). Good Grief!!! The next nine months of my life will have me devoted to some level of discomfort and/or pain with the end result of some nifty but hard-won dental improvements. Nine months. Hmmm, can you say pregnancy? Sounds like a gestation to me. The big first day in Friday at 10 a.m.

Funny the things you think about when you have this sort of thing facing you. What's on my calendar? How do I time things for least discomfort and maximum fun? What IS on my dance card??? Well, there is a visit from an unnamed person that I will crow about here after our meet-up and there is Erin's bridal shower in Oregon (my future daughter-in-law). Then there is the wedding in June. OK, round two of the major work will happen in mid-March after the shower and three months before the wedding (and parenthetically, my first real vacation in three years. I am so ready). That will have the "worst" of it behind me for a while.

And what is the big lesson here? Well, when your dentist is warning you about deep pockets (and I don't mean of the money sort), pay attention. This stuff is truly insidious. There generally isn't any pain associated with it until you DO feel pain. By then it is too late. Sad to say, but a hard and expensive lesson. Even with good insurance coverage, I'm going to have to dig into some deep pockets and those ARE the money ones of speaking of.