Mouth

Got my teeth cleaned this morning, a nice walk there and back before it gets too hot to even stick my nose outside. Hard to complain too much, given how moderate a summer this has been here, and how bad it's been elsewhere. So, consider this a little quiet whimpering. I never much liked heat, of any kind.

The dentist and his assistant asked after my mouth injury last November, as expected. I was able to report that my front teeth feel fine, to the point of being able to bite into an apple. What else could I want? Another patient of his fell on her face at the same time, and she lost at least one tooth, and is still going through the process of dental repair. I mentioned that my orthodontist wanted to prolong the wearing of the retainer, go for a bit more adjustment, and I called it good. "In striving for perfection, we oft mar that which is perfectly adequate." Or as I told the dentist, "The enemy of good... ." * I mentioned that the plastic attending who checked the suture line wanted to do something about the little extra blip of scar on the philtrum, seeing as it would be covered by workman's comp. I dismissed the idea without a second thought. I don't want any more messing about around my mouth than I can avoid. (And I bristled at the idea of soaking the system for superfluous vanity.)

Which is why I never eat popcorn. Not that I've ever broken a tooth or crown on a kernel, but I don't want to break one while eating popcorn, then have my dentist ask me "How did this break?" And I'd have to tell him, and he'd think I was an idiot, and what is most important, he would be right. I really love popcorn.

Reading through the November posts, I realized I'd been doing a Ten Things writing-assist-exercise on Fridays. That was a really good idea. Wonder why I forgot it. Good thing to have this recorded memory going on.



*... is better."

Sloppy

So often March has a hefty snowfall, big, wet and sloppy, but ain't gonna last. This year's started yesterday afternoon, dumped for a dozen hours, then began melting away. The drive home last evening was hairy, one section had me sliding sideways off the road every time I had to brake - a long line of vehicles ahead of a large intersection. Kept regaining control, but I scraped a good 4" of slushy snow off the car before I headed out, and there was a half inch redeposited by the time I parked at home. It got more than a foot up there, about half that down here. Yes, there is that much elevation difference between where I live and work.

Walked to the dentist this morning, just as the overladen trees began dropping masses of small, slushy pellets off their branches, and the odd icy clump bomb. Mostly it pattered my cap and shoulders, two hit target on my cheek and neck. Not an enjoyable walk. Every intersection was a deep puddle of slush and icy runoff, necessitating long jumps, or foray into the traffic.

However, my broken cap proved not to be too bad. A sliver chipped off, but the tooth is still sealed, probably precipitated by the appliance to shove my front teeth back in place from that fall. He pulled out the chip, and made an appointment to get it properly repaired starting at the end of the month.

"That's a weird way for it to break." Says my dentist.

"I do try and be creative." Say I.

Moby loving the sun.

Out

The cloud has lifted, still foggy. Spent a good ninety minutes in the dentist chair. Old crown, over an abscessed tooth from sixteen, seventeen years ago, porcelain chipped. One of the more painful moments of my life at that time, when an army dentist took pity on a Saudi-buddy with no insurance, and did a bit of low cost work to clear the pus and repair my tooth. Turns out my current dental coverage is going to pay at 100%. I didn't know they ever did "special offers", but apparently they do, for a six month period. I was prepared to pull the problem child, but on consultation, I'm getting it fixed. Again. Mouth half numb, lips raw. Some rot underneath, so maybe just as well, maybe why I've been dragging. Better out than in.

Never had dental insurance as a child. Taken a couple of times when very small. Then when my parents did have dental, and I was 17 and had a half dozen cavities needing repair. Got braces as well, a few excess teeth pulled, and an end to quite a few headaches. Then many years with no more dentists. I've never had any particular fear of them. The local always worked well, and the worst bit is still just reclining in stillness, not biting down, raw lips and swallowing the nasty prep stuff. Gah, bitter. Oh, and listening to dentist's taste in music. I try to be a good, cooperative patient, seems like good karma.

Broken out, wrung out, but hanging in there.


Recurring nightmare of my teeth crumbling getting reinforced.

Teeth

Like I wasn't feeling old and crumbly enough. Comedy is all about pushing to a ridiculous extreme, so I gotta laugh. And remember my cousin Liz, who assures me that fifty is easy. And I'm only looking at 47. And both my grandmothers lived into their nineties. If this is only half way, I damn well better buck up.

Every day last week, motivating myself to get to work was an uphill drag. Work itself was fine, just getting past the door out of the apartment pulled. Yesterday, feeling much the same, and after wrangling with myself, I decided to take a mental health day. Right after I called in, I had a second cup of tea, and some goldfish crackers. I felt a crack and intense pressure. At first, I denied the likely. After brushing my teeth, I could feel the sharp edge of a broken tooth, way in the back. Not a lot of pain, although it began to ache all the way to my ear. At least I wasn't eating toffee or popcorn.

I am irrationally upset by the whole thing. My nightmare is to have my teeth crumbling. I'm not at all afraid of dentists, I am afraid of broken, rotten teeth. My first surgery in the OR was a kid getting a tooth extraction from the outside of the jaw, because the abscess had been so long neglected. I had an abscessed tooth many years ago, the clearing of which was amazingly painful. I believe in dental care. At least we have decent insurance, this time.

My dentist got me in by 0930, and got a temporary filling in. Repairable, the cap prep will start next week. I'm very relieved, and the filling very smooth, beautifully done. I thought about taking the extracted chunk of tooth, but what would the Tooth Fairy leave for me? A torn bill? A broken coin? I don't want to get on HER bad side.

Felt rather crappy the rest of the day, but resolved to make it in to work the rest of the week. Then, yesterday evening, I get a call at five, it's slow tomorrow, would I like to be called off? Well, I have the sick hours to cover, and this won't count against me, in fact I'll get credit for the low census day. Yes, oh, thank you, yes. Am definitely off, using the time to rest and heal, head and body both.

Moby ate some of the catgrass yesterday, and as expected, horked it up. Along with a broken red rubber band. No idea where he got that. Just good it came up.