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.
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.
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