Jan 31, 2014

Another Tooth Story

I've been blessed most of my life to have pretty good teeth. My sweetie has always struggled to the point that many of his have been crowned, but I still only have three crowns in my mouth...ooops, make that two. One of them is in my purse.

So I had this crown put on originally about 25 years ago when we were living in Provo. It was my first experience with major dentistry and I was pretty terrified. It took three visits instead of two after the dentist finally discovered that I had four canals instead of the normal three and the reason I was thrashing in the chair was because I was not actually numb!

Fast forward to about five years ago. I started having pain in this tooth. My dentist thought it was impossible since I had already had a root canal so he sent me to a specialist. Silly me, I had no idea that root canals weren't permanent! The Endodontist drilled it all out and refilled it with a much better material. After about a month the pain settled down and I had the new crown put on.

At the risk of being gross and disgusting...
Fast forward again to today. I'd been having a little trouble. I felt like the crown had shifted a bit so I was mostly chewing on the other side. I knew I should have made an appointment, it just seemed like so much trouble and since I've been nursing a new cold, I decided it could wait for another week.

I picked up Grandpa from the airport this afternoon. He was returning from three weeks in New Zealand with my oldest brother's family. After we got him unloaded and settled a bit, I made myself a couple of pieces of toast since the only lunch I had were the samples at Sam's Club. With the very first bite, it felt different. That's when I realized I'd better pull everything out of my mouth because that crown was no longer attached! Thankfully, I didn't swallow it!

I quickly called my dentist, but they aren't going to be back in the office until Monday, so I guess I can wait. Not that I have much choice. I just wish I could keep my tongue from exploring that strange new bump. Maybe I can buy my own Superglue...


2 comments:

LeAnn said...

Oh, not a fun dentist story. I would probably be doing the same tongue thing. I have great teeth but right now I have thin skin areas on my gums and might have to have a skin graft there due to it is barely covering the nerves.
I hope that made sense. Good luck and blessings for you!

Unknown said...

This was quite an experience for you. Being in pain is no fun, especially when it comes to tooth problems. It really needs an immediate solution. Also, I'm glad that you didn't swallow it when it loosened up on your mouth. Anyway, how was your visit? I hope you heard good news or better, received the right treatment for your teeth.

Elliot, Boyse Dentistry