Getting New Teeth

Last Tuesday was the last of my dental visits for the probing and scoping. This time they did the upper right side. My daughter and her friend went with me, but I dropped them off at Wal-Mart before going to the dentist's office. We went shopping after my appointment. I did buy a new pair of boots, I call them my therapy boots.

I got the the office and I'm greeted by my first name, I figure this is not a good sign. I've been there so often that they call me by my first name. I didn't have a long wait, got into the torture chamber and ready to go. First thing they do before they numb my mouth, I get my mouth stuffed with cotton swabs with this awful tasting stuff that is supposed to taste like cherries. Not. Then the fun part, getting the shots to numb my mouth. I get the normal three, then wait to see if my mouth is numb enough. Naturally it isn't so I get three more shots. One is in the roof of my mouth, ouch. We wait a few minutes. Thing are going good until she hit one tooth and I literally came out of my chair. She couldn't figure out why my mouth isn't numb with as many shots as I got, so here comes the doc with some stronger stuff.

He comes in and starts giving me a bad time, starts to laugh and rub his hands together. Not a good thing for a patient who hates dentists in the first place because of all the pain. So I got another set of three shots. Wow, nine shots in all, just to numb the upper right side of my mouth. By this time, my mouth is numb, so she was able to probe and scope away.

After she was done, the doc came in to give me the bad news. My two front teeth that I knocked loose when I fell two months ago just are not healing, in fact one is them is starting to die. I will be getting ten teeth in all pulled. I told the dentist that I want them taken out all at once. I don't want a few done then have to come back and get the rest pulled. I will be having the four upper front, the wisdom tooth on the upper right, and five lower front. He said that a bridge won't work, not for that many teeth. Said it would put too much pressure on the rest of my teeth and besides it isn't cost effective. About $1000 per tooth, so you can see this adding up. He has recommended that I get partials. They will just be for the eight front teeth on the upper and lower. They will just hook onto the side teeth.

It will take four visits to get all of this done. One will be getting the teeth removed. He said I will be sore for a while and I will have a cap to put in for a temporary basis. It will make me look like I have teeth, but I won't. He wants me to heal up first before getting the mold taken. He said it would be a real pain to get the mold done right after because I will be so swollen and then it will take many visits to have the partials fitted right. He would much rather get it done right the first time.

My next appointment is on the 25th. This is a follow up for all the scoping and probing. According to the treatment plan sheet he gave me he has the removal scheduled at the same time. I have to find out tomorrow to confirm if my teeth will be removed on this date or not. I can't imagine that he will pull my teeth just a couple days before Thanksgiving. I'm hoping that it will be done after, but will do what he says. I do want to get all of this done before I have to start my deductable again with the insurance.

I have already talked to Mom and she will come with me to take me home. If need be, the grammas will be in Hardin for Thanksgiving. No sense in having Mom come up here, then drive back to Meeteetse the next day. If need be Gary will take the day off without pay. He doesn't get any sick at the store and he already used up all of his vacation over the summer. He only got one week of vacation and took that in August when we went through Yellowstone on the motorcycle.

I told my boss that I will be using up quite a bit of sick in December. Won't be too bad because our office isn't busy that time of year anyway. We already have reports done and the next batch won't be due until February. By that time I will be back to normal, at least I hope.