This past Friday was my first day of no chewing because of the bump in my mouth. It was pretty easy because it was new. It was kind of fun. That night, the bump already looked different. It had an odd dark spot on it. Later, when I was swishing my mouth, something came out in my swishing – a small something. It was black with a lighter center. It looked woody. Maybe a chunk of peppercorn? Maybe a small stick? I saved it in the name of science.
When I looked at my gum again, I saw a small hole. That black thing had come out of my flesh! Yuck. But at the same time… Yay! Was this the irritant that started the whole thing?
I continued on my no chew diet. My gum continued to get better. And last night it finally all paid off. Last night I ate solid food. It was KFC pot pie. And a biscuit. And cole slaw. I felt sick afterward. It was wonderful and sickening at the same time. As eating fast food should be.
I’m all better! Yay! Now I can’t decide if I should go back to my dentist to explain what happened and to grind my bottom tooth down, or if I should just leave everything alone for now. Laziness always wins, so I probably won’t go see him unless he calls me.
Here’s the black thing that was stuck in my gum. I used a sesame seed for scale. Don’t worry – it’s kind of blurry, so it’s not gross.
For scale, here is a regular picture:
And here’s the closeup:
Hooray!!!! This is why you need a microscope in your bathroom (as I have) – to investigate the weird things that happen. I’m so happy for you and relieved that the source of the trouble has been found!
Hee hee – “…camera refused to focus on the black thing.” Isn’t that always the way with pure evil? Black things, vampires, etc…..
How you are consistently amusing so early in the morning is beyond me, Miss Lauren. Yet again, the daily “HA!” award goes to none other than…YOU! (“microscope in your bathroom (as I have)”. Huge guffaw.
Unless, of course, you actually DO keep one in your bathroom? 😉
I do! Feel free to take back your ‘ha’. 🙂
I’m pretty sure what astounds me most is that with all the poking and prodding done by dentists, oral surgeons and you that no one ever saw “something” in there.
Astounded.
And glad it’s out. Congratulations.
I’m also confused by that. I didn’t get a good vibe from the periodontist, so it doesn’t surpise me that he didn’t discover anything. But I really like my dentist, so I’m not sure what happened. If I had to guess, I would say that the black thing initially was stuck between my tooth and gum and slowly made its way through my skin. By the time I went for my first dentist visit, perhaps it was already invisibly embedded?
All through the ordeal, I was waiting for someone to cut the gum. It seemed like it needed to be cut. I was afraid to do it myself though. If I would have, perhaps the black thing would have emerged sooner.
Owwwww!! I can’t imagine having that lodged in my gum for so long! It gives me the jibblies!
And it kind of looks like a teeny-tiny burr. I wonder what it is & how the heck did it get under your gum! I think you should do a little caulking behind your front teeth to keep out any future intruders.
…and another possible explanation: it was implanted by one of the physicians after an initial visit. Perhaps it was a tracking device of some sort. Now the aliens won’t be able to locate you any more, Brad. Be relieved.