A new day!

[susandennis]

That poor dentist. I think he's as afraid of me as I am of him and he has the weapons! He looked at my tooth and poked around and then sat down to deliver the news. You would have thought he was telling me that I had terminal cancer. I finally had to tell him to just spit it out (love telling a dentist that) and he said that he could not save the tooth. This was far more traumatic for him than for me. Don't get me wrong. I like the tooth - it matches the others, fills in the row, etc. But, it's not like I don't have others. And, it's not like it a front one. It's near the back.

He said that the gum line was so low and the roots weren't strong enough to hold it. So he's going to yank it out on October 8. Honestly, I'm not as stressed about the yanking as I would be about fixing a filling or getting a new one. A swift yank beats a long drilling any day in my book. Plus, the insurance covers all but $30!!! The last broken tooth cost me $200 out of pocket. This is like a fire sale!!

Then when I got to work I found out that it looks like Mr. Slick New Guy (the one I cleaned up my cubicle for yesterday) isn't going to be my boss's boss after all. He's going to manage another area. My years of corporate life have made me very good at reading corporate politics, picking up on inside info, etc. but I sure missed the boat on this one. I am glad, however. This guy has weasely eyes.

Time to get back to work...

Comments

[judith.livejournal.com]

The big question then is, what happens in the space where the tooth was? Is it going to get filled with a bridge, or implant, or what? Or is it in a convenient place where such things won't be necessary?

October 8 is also MY dentist day. hmmmm. I'm sure there's a conpiracy.

[susandennis]

That's wild about the date... It's Dentist Day!!!

We did not discuss hole filler. I don't like the sound of implant at all. I'm not sure what a bridge is - false tooth of some kind?

What would dictate needing something there - besides looks (and it's not in a space where looks matter)?

[kyrielle]

Most places in your mouth, if you get a "hole" the other teeth will "move in" to fill it. Which can weaken them or cause bite or other problems if it's in the wrong spot. (OTOH, my coworker had teeth removed a couple years ago to - along with braces - permit her teeth to finally be straightened, as there wasn't enough space in her mouth.)

[susandennis]

Wow! You just made me realize why I'm not freaked about having this tooth pulled! Years and years ago I, too, had teeth pulled for braces and I realize now that the pulling was not a big deal.

But, yeah that was so the other teeth could move around. I'm not sure I like the idea of this tooth's neighbors moving anywhere. hmmmmm. Also not sure I have an option. I asked him today what would happen if I did nothing and he said I was a great candidate for an abscess. Not on my list of things I want.

[judith.livejournal.com]

kyrielle is right. Teeth on either side will start to shift to fill the hole. Also, when there is no tooth there, the bone starts to deplete - I'm not sure the right word here. You lose bone. Which makes dental work harder in the future, and makes dentures or bridges harder to fit or keep in place. If the tooth is the last one in a row it is often no biggie, but otherwise you really will be looking at some way to fill the hole.

Yeah, a bridge is a false tooth that is anchored on both sides by the other teeth. I had two bridges in my mouth, one of which filled in two holes. The real tooth on the end of the longer bridge developed decay and off went the bridge. This is where I am now - finding my way back to having teeth in that area, and I'm going for implants. Expensive but way worth it. Would have been nice if I'd been a bit more careful and had gone in about that tooth pain earlier...

[susandennis]

Ok, you guys are knockin' the shine off my post-dentist victory here. I had this vision of a quick hurt and then I'm off the hook for good. No more problems with that tooth ever. But now I got a hole problem! Implants do not sound like something I want at all. I'm not wild about that bridge thing either because I'd hate to ask any of my teeth to take on extra effort - I don't want them crumbling too. Geesh. Now I'm kind of pissed at the dentist for not mentioning this part. This is really sucks. Maybe there's a plastic something I can glue in? Crap. This sucks.

[kyrielle]

No, but talk to the dentist about options. He may not have mentioned it because he knows some reason you shouldn't worry, or he may have not thought to discuss it. You don't want something made of plastic - remember - it's not just the adjacent teeth supporting a bridge - it's the bridge also in a way supporting the adjacent teeth (by sitting between them and giving them soemthing where something should be).

I don't know about implants but I know people who've had bridges and done just fine with them. Me, I've only ever had a crown. (And I could do without the root canal part of that process ever again, thankyouverymuch, but even that was more nerves than discomfort - it was fine once it was over - and getting the crown put on was a little bit of nothing. If bridges are as easy, you're not in that bad of shape, since you've evaded the root canal part.)

But definitely ask the dentist - and maybe ask him why he didn't bring it up; I would think he ought to have.

[joyofmacs.livejournal.com]

i hope the pulling is as quick and painless as possible.

When I was 18 I had this weird dentist who practically sat on my chest whenever he did work. WEIRD CITY!

[edbook.livejournal.com]

bridges are ok... yes, they do support the teeth on both sides... what they have to do is cut the top off the supporting neighbors and then make a cap that is all three teeth and then it feels like they are three normal teeth... two words that make the procedure a lot easier to take: nitrous oxide... I only had it once and almost asked the dentist if he had any other work he wanted to do...

Peace

[joyofmacs.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the explanation. I always wondered exactly what a bridge is and how they fit, etc.