I'm serious. I brush twice a day, and sometimes in between, I floss twice a day, I clean my tongue, brush the roof of my mouth, generally, I am a dentist's favorite patient. So what is the problem? I was born in 1949. I grew up in the era just Before the dental industry discovered Flouride treatments could protect teeth, and that baby teeth could be glazed to prevent cavities.

As a consequence thereof, I have a mouth full of fillings. Not dozens, but several. During my pregnancies, I got my dental care cheap from the Northwestern University Dental Clinic. The head of Oral Surgery in those days was named Dr. Horribeau. his policy, I learned too late, was "Never do a root canal on a pregnant woman. Just pull out the tooth." Two pregnancies two teeth. Gone. Because of a stupid policy.

Recently one of my teeth started to hurt. At my every six months dental cleaning, my friendly Hygienist said. "This is really bent over here, pushing hard against the tooth next to it at the root." And yes, as she banged away on it I felt the pain. and came the dentist to check, and he dug at the little cavity, to see if it was deep. He scraped down into the cavity, all the way to the nerve, to see if he could see the nerve. Don't ask me why. It made the tooth howl. So I got a referral to an oral surgeon, and this morning I called to say I needed to have this tooth gone away. She asked if it hurt, and yes, the answer was yes: "Why don't you come in right now?" Caught me totally unprepared, but I found a ride and went and was brave.

I asked for the gas that makes one too silly to care if someone is torturing me. It cost an extra $75.00, plus $160.00 for the toofie pull. That, for me, is a heckofa lot of money. Like a good American, I put it on my credit card. One doesn't put off dental work. It just gets worse. So the toofie is out, and came home with me. Who knows. Maybe teeth have stem cells?

And pardon me for show & tell, but here it is, to be stared at by my friends and foes alike. I am still going to take excellent care of my toofies, so they can stay with me until I am very old. You do that too.

Comments:

comment by lunarhunk on Sept 30, 2008 9:22 AM ()

I know that, I really do. I'll tel you, having a crater the size of a meatball in my mouth isn't doing anything at all to improve my spirits. It's a good think I have high protein liquid just lying around. No solid food until it stops hurting. I've had lot of water & fruit juice since the dentist, and no yogurt for three days. Wounds like to get sick, so the nurse warned against aspirin, and tooth brushing. I'm just resting with my ice pack. Hugs to all. I look like a woman who had a tooth pulled out yesterday. Feel that way too.

reply by thestephymore on Sept 30, 2008 1:59 PM ()

I have been blessed with good teeth and continue to take care of them well.

I have a mouth full of cavities, by today's standards. I see the "dentist" too many times a year and still have issues

Hope you are recovering well today.

comment by stiva on Sept 30, 2008 6:46 AM ()

Thank you so much. It's hard to keep them all in these times.

reply by thestephymore on Sept 30, 2008 2:01 PM ()