Another crown and still not a queen

I went to the dentist yesterday and spent an hour with his hygienist. I see her 3 times a year and every time I go into a total panic right before I leave. I made sure I was all prayed up, and even practiced relaxation techniques and deep breathing while in the waiting room. Not only was I was far from being relaxed, but I also managed to get some rather strange looks from the other people waiting who either thought I was an asthmatic or some kind of heavy breathing pervert .

My hygienist is a soft spoken gentle soul named Megan. She is a kind, sensitive young woman who would apologize if she accidentally stepped on a bug. However, put a dental probe in her hand and she instantly turns into Attila the Hun. She smiles sweetly and says, "Let's see how your gums are doing" and then the blood letting begins.

I have periodontal disease, bleeding and receding gums so you know it's not going to be a good report before you even go to the dentist. The very best report I can get is that I'm maintaining what I have left. She methodically begins to poke the gum line around each tooth and I instantly begin to taste blood in my mouth. Now I ask you, if someone pokes your gum with a sharp probe wouldn't you bleed?

After poking and prodding comes rinsing where I suddenly begin to think I must be running a quart low on blood from all the residue in the spit sink. "That wasn't bad now was it?" she gently coos while reaching for the dental equivalent of a power washer and a Dyson vacuum.

I slowly begin to take deep breaths again, telling myself to relax, while opening my mouth , shutting my eyes and "going to my happy place". Water begin to vibrate against my teeth and mist my face while the sucking vacuum slurps up the excess moisture.

After the "power washing " the hand tools come out and any thought of escape is abandoned. Megan goes after tarter like a worker bee gathers nectar for the hive. When she finishes she puts away her tools of mass destruction and says sweetly, "Now lets set you up for your next appointment."

What? I have to come back ? Are you kidding? But before I can protest or come up with an excuse "THE Dentist" has arrived to look at some "problem areas" that were discovered during the inquestion er....examination.

Apparently part of my filling is no longer filling my tooth. "I have good news and bad news" he tell me smiling.

Me: What's the bad news?

Dentist: You need a crown on your tooth since there isn't enough tooth left to fill.

Me: What's the good new then?

Dentist: You're getting to age that you don't have that many teeth left that will need crowns!


So dear reader, I left the dentist office with less money in my pocket, a date for next week to fix the tooth, minty fresh breath, clean teeth and the knowledge that it doesn't matter how many crowns you may gain throughout your life it only signifies that your getting older and still not a queen. (Sigh)

Crown Me!

No, I really don't think I'm royalty and I haven't won any Checker tournaments lately either. I don't have delusions of grandeur and I'm not a monarch of any state or country (OK, maybe the state of utter confusion!)

I haven't been using Imperial butter or entered any beauty contest. It's not my birthday (so I'm not talking birthday girl crown either!)

I cracked a tooth several weeks ago so this was a dental crown. I had a temporary crown that came off when I ate a jelly bean so I put it back in place and have been trying to eat on the other side of my mouth.

Friday, while eating oatmeal with raisins, I noticed that the temporary cap was no longer in my mouth nor had it fallen out of my mouth. I had swallowed it! Of course my dentist was out of town (on a mission trip to New Orleans to repair houses).

This morning I was able to get the permanet crown fitted.....so just call me Queenie!

What a time to get wisdom....

Yesterday I had an appointment with my friendly dentist to have a wisdom tooth removed. (yes, I still have mine!)

I am of the persuasion of "If they don't bother me, I won't bother them". I've been told for years that I should get them out which meant a trip to the oral surgeon and big bucks if you don't have dental insurance.

Last year I had one removed that had completely come through the gum and even had a cavity. It came out rather easily despite my internal trauma, anxiety and hyperventilating. Some of my anxiety came from my dentist who casually mentioned that he was 75% sure he could remove it . What? I want him to be 100% sure before he starts yanking anything out of my mouth!

This wisdom tooth had partially come through the gum and was coming in sideways. After looking at the xray Alan (my dentist) says casually "I can yank that puppy out.....how bout after Christmas?"

Since this exchange happened two weeks before Christmas and I truly never thought the date would ever arrive I said " Sure!"

Yesterday was the day of reckoning! Mr. Wonderful drove me and was there to hold my hand and let me squeeze his. Talk about anxiety attack! Needless to say this dentist was well prayed up and certainly had Divine intervention. This tooth was an upper moler so the sound of chipping and pressure though not painful, was distressing to this already distressed girl!

The tooth came out and I lived through the experience but it hasn't done anything to relieve my fear of going to the dentist! Wikipedia search on wisdom teeth says, " They are generally thought to be called wisdom teeth because they appear so late—much later than the other teeth, at an age where people are supposedly wiser than as a child, when the other teeth erupt. "

So maybe I'm not as wise as I thought as I still get very childish at the thought of going to the dentist!

All Prayed up before going to the Dentist!

Quote of the Day: Life is a ribbon. Will you tie knots or Bows?

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Girlfriends, I'm sending this entry from my journal so you'll know what's going on in my head and how marvelous the Lord is to his children.

I went to the dentist today. This is the third day this week. I originally went in for routine exam and xray and found that I have Periodontal disease. This discovery was followed by two more appointments in which my mouth was totally numbed ( I couldn't even feel my nose!) while the hygienist scraped and probed my gums. I bled like a stuck pig! So now my mouth is really sore and tender and that's before today's trauma.

Today I went to fix a huge filling and to pull one wisdom tooth that had completely come in over six years ago and now had a cavity in it. I am the world's worst coward when it comes to wisdom teeth. I have lived under the credo, "If it doesn't bother me, I won't bother it!" Of course I have heard terrible stories about convulsed root systems and the horrors of wisdom teeth and I must admit I had myself really scared! It probably didn't help that my dentist told me he was 80 % sure he could get it out! If he ran into trouble I might have to go to an oral surgeon.....(cha-ching!) (sound of cash register adding up big bucks!)

I had a restless sleep. I prayed every time I thought about it. I was almost in tears by the time I got to the dentist and fortunately had to wait while the numbing medication took effect. I really had time to pray and cry out to the Lord out of sheer panic. Scriptures that came to mind were, "Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee." and "the peace that passes all understanding".

God was so good. By the time the dentist was ready to start I was ready also. I won't go so far to tell you that I had a great time at the dentist. But I can tell you that I prayed really hard that the tooth would come out quickly and completely without complications and it did. My dentist said, "Gosh, I'm good!" as he held up the tooth. Then smiled and said, "but then, I had lots of help!"

So much for the trauma in my life! Thank you Father that you care even about the seemingly small things in my life!