Wednesday, December 2, 2015

I just want my own teeth

We don't have the best luck when in comes to dental shenanigans.  Two of the kids and I have all had far too much work done over the years, and today was no exception.
Kayman had an appointment to get some cavities filled.  This is the third of 4 appointments.  They had to spread them out because there are so many cavities...one visit per quadrant.  Almost done, yay!   Here's how Kayman and I feel about dental work:


Last night I was feeling a little pain in one of my teeth, one that I had a root canal and a crown put on about 2 and a half years ago.  Then I noticed that my gums were swollen around it and it was clear there was infection inside there somewhere.  So, while we were already at the dentist this morning, I mentioned it and asked for the Dr. to take a quick look.

Turns out I had a fractured root, which apparently doesn't happen all that often.  Sadly, when it DOES happen, it's bye-bye very expensive root canal and crown, hello even MORE expensive implant and new crown....and bone graft, and tooth extraction, and percocet, and lots of pain, and trouble eating without one of your molars, and no sucking through a straw for 3 days.  And thousands of $$$.
This is not what I was planning on when I woke up this morning.  Nope, I was going to stop by the gas station and grab myself a Dr. Pepper and drink it all up through a straw this afternoon.  I was going to eat some chips and salsa with my healthy molars.  I wasn't going to be sipping soup, popping pills, and eating ice cream.  Ok, maybe the ice cream, but it would have been a date with my hubby or something fun.

And seriously, let's talk about the fact that I have cadaver bone in my mouth.  That. Is. Disgusting.  I'm not a fan.  I realize that it's imperative to the success of the implant and a necessary step to provide the best environment for my bone to grow back thick and strong, but it grosses me out.  Especially when pieces of it creep out and I'm suddenly mouthing a dead person't bone shavings.  Gross.

So, I get to go about 8 months without a tooth in the main spot where I chew all my candy.  Gobstoppers are going to have to be crushed by the other teeth now, and it's going to feel so weird.

At least this time it's deep enough inside my mouth you can't see it right away.  Not like in 2012 when we had first moved into our home that needed lots of work, with a yard that was severely overgrown, with dumpsters out front to facilitate our remodeling project, and me, without one of my front-ish teeth.  Just a big gap in my pearly whites I'd just had braces taken off of.

Yeah, that one was worse.