Extraction

 

Extraction

 

There I was! I couldn’t believe that I was sitting in the dentist chair again. I have spent an inordinate amount of time and money there. If someone told me what the future held for my teeth, I would have opted for dentures years ago. To late to avoid the inevitable.

 

How I got to this place I blame on a genetic defect and poor dental hygiene. I grew up in an era when the learning curve of dental hygiene was slow. Brushing twice a day was an unexciting chore and flossing had yet to become a gymnastic exercise.

 

Anyway, my dentist told me that in addition to another crown I had two teeth that needed to be pulled. Not the kind of news I wanted to hear at my annual checkup. I opted for a cavity fill instead of a crown thinking that at my age it wasn’t worth the investment. No choice about the extractions. It was either bite the bullet now or face excruciating pain as decay found its way to the nerve.

 

They were very nice at the oral surgeon’s office: pretty, young dental assistants with soft voices assuring me that it wouldn’t hurt. The dentist asked if I wanted Novocain or sedation. Even though the first was cheaper, the later was a no brainer. Before I knew it, I was awake, the teeth were out, and I was handing them my credit card.

 

That was two weeks ago. I kept a strict regiment of ibuprofen as prescribed. My tongue had a hard time staying away from open wounds. The pain was tolerable. Healing came just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. I discovered that wine is a great mouth wash when taken in moderation.

 

The song that kept me sane during recovery was “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.” I just changed the lyrics to “ all I want for Christmas is my two back teeth.”

 

I sense my time in the dentist chair isn’t over.