Mouths are gruesome things, by and large. That's why we pretty them up, whiten those chompers, slop that bright red vulva-stick on (animologists or whatever they're called speculate that women's red mouths are a way of attracting males, since female ovulation is no longer obvious in the modern human).
My two upper front teeth were capped when I was a child and had a play accident. Six years ago the second set of caps wore out and I got a bridge. Works nicely, doesn't stain, I'm quite happy with it. Now it's time for the lower. Cue dread music in the background. My dentist, Dr. Mahindi, from Smile Smile Dental (every word of this is true) has been telling me to see a periodontist for the last six years. I refused, having heard horror stories long ago about periodontists advising surgery so they could buy their next Lexus, and the surgery being the worst decision the horror storytellers ever made, mouth-wise. Now I find myself with a tooth about to fall out, the others held in by little more than gum, and the money to do something about it (thanks, dear departed Dad, I mean that!).
I'm going to chronicle the process with photos and video. I might ask if I can get a clip of the cadaver bone that's going to be grafted into my mouth. You see, there's a lot of bone loss with the lower front teeth. If he put a bridge in and no bone support, I'd end up with a gaping hole beneath the bridge. Yuck! You think my teeth are crooked and yellow now, imagine a quarter slot hole under them.
He has to graft the bone in (he told me it was cadaver bone after I asked where it came from - this will be done by an oral surgeon), put in some kind of temporary bridge for four months while the bone takes, then do the permanent bridge. Aetna will cover about $2000, leaving me with about $4000 out of pocket. I expected that. Teeth are more expensive than just about anything, and that's okay. I will finally have a permanent solution to these horrible teeth. He's even going to do his best to have the lab make the bridge straighter, so I'm not saddled with these awful crooked things. I'm not looking forward to this. It's costly and will be uncomfortable for some time, if not terribly painful. But what a more interesting thing to write about than marriage equality!
My two upper front teeth were capped when I was a child and had a play accident. Six years ago the second set of caps wore out and I got a bridge. Works nicely, doesn't stain, I'm quite happy with it. Now it's time for the lower. Cue dread music in the background. My dentist, Dr. Mahindi, from Smile Smile Dental (every word of this is true) has been telling me to see a periodontist for the last six years. I refused, having heard horror stories long ago about periodontists advising surgery so they could buy their next Lexus, and the surgery being the worst decision the horror storytellers ever made, mouth-wise. Now I find myself with a tooth about to fall out, the others held in by little more than gum, and the money to do something about it (thanks, dear departed Dad, I mean that!).
I'm going to chronicle the process with photos and video. I might ask if I can get a clip of the cadaver bone that's going to be grafted into my mouth. You see, there's a lot of bone loss with the lower front teeth. If he put a bridge in and no bone support, I'd end up with a gaping hole beneath the bridge. Yuck! You think my teeth are crooked and yellow now, imagine a quarter slot hole under them.
He has to graft the bone in (he told me it was cadaver bone after I asked where it came from - this will be done by an oral surgeon), put in some kind of temporary bridge for four months while the bone takes, then do the permanent bridge. Aetna will cover about $2000, leaving me with about $4000 out of pocket. I expected that. Teeth are more expensive than just about anything, and that's okay. I will finally have a permanent solution to these horrible teeth. He's even going to do his best to have the lab make the bridge straighter, so I'm not saddled with these awful crooked things. I'm not looking forward to this. It's costly and will be uncomfortable for some time, if not terribly painful. But what a more interesting thing to write about than marriage equality!
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