After getting back from Nebraska, I decided to try to start flossing again. It went mostly well, except for all the bleeding. And the fact that one tooth kept cutting the floss and leaving a piece stuck there. I would go after it with new floss and be successful, but then a piece of my tooth would move. Ack. I went to the dentist to have him see what was going on. It was a broken filling. He just so happened to have an opening yesterday, so I took it.
The plan was to grind the broken tooth down to a stump and put a crown on it, and also to grind away the filling on the neighboring tooth and replace it with better material. That’s a lot of grinding. I was very thankful for the anesthetic. I couldn’t feel a thing. But I could hear and smell everything that was going on. Tooth powder smells a little bit like burning hair, but it’s less unpleasant. And the sounds… There’s nothing like that drill sound. At one point, the dentist said he was going to use a low-speed drill to do something. It was such an awful sound that I laughed. I felt I had to explain myself, so I told him it was a perfectly horrible sound. I made sure to tell him I was feeling no pain though, so he wouldn’t feel bad.
I now have a temporary crown in place. The appointment to put in the permanent crown is set for August 24, but the receptionist said they would call if my crown came in sooner. Till then, I have a tiny, flat tooth behind my left canine. I would show a picture, but my gum was really chewed up during the procedure. It would make a frightful picture. Instead, here is a blurry picture of the drills:
Gah. I felt light-headed during several moments of your post. -a piece of my tooth would move… That’s a nightmare right there. low speed drill ….. horrible sound… Double gah.
See?? Flossing leads to no good. No good, I say!
I’m with Lauren. No good!
Flossing leads to broccoli bits being stuck in your teeth. Back when I had a comfortable layer of tartar between my teeth, no broccoli could possibly get stuck there.
Stupid flossing.
Dental delights?!?! I won’t call you crazy….I’ll let someone else do that.
If you do like the dental work, then I’m sorry– but I have you beat (?) in this arena too. But don’t worry…. maybe one day the dentist will tell you, you need 2 crown lengthenings too. We can only hope. (they do not put you to sleep for this)
The dentist starts by making cuts to the tissue to pull the gum away from the tooth and places it out of the way. This provides access to the roots of the teeth and the surrounding bone. After the dentist drills down the bone, he will stitch the gum back in place.
Aren’t you curious to find out what bone powder smells like!
OK, Peggy – you win! My stomach didn’t flip over until I read the italicized description you posted. Your valluable prize is in the mail…please allow 4-6 weeks for shipping.
***Jibblie***
…and alright already, I’ll do it then: Brad, you. R. crazy. But I mean that in the nicest way!