When we’re young we can’t wait to get older. Envy of “grown-ups” is part of youth. Time moves at glacial speed when we’re little, and this is never truer than during the weeks leading up to Christmas. As we attain adulthood however time seems to slowly accelerate. Every time we turn around it’s another holiday, birthday, season, year, decade, wrinkle or grey hair in the mirror.
And then there’s the tooth thing! Losing them is somehow *fun* when you’re little. You get money for teeth when you're little! Tooth Fairy visits are something we look forward to. What a concept! But it's vastly different when we get older and no longer so much fun no matter how you lose them. Maybe if you’re a hockey player it’s not a big deal. After all, goals aren't scored with teeth in hockey (that's what the coaches say anyway) so you don’t need teeth on ice. But the vast majority of us aren’t hockey players meaning the loss of a biter is more of a big deal.
And that Tooth Fairy… well, she stops coming after a certain point. She sends a bill instead. Usually a big one.
Why mention any of this? It should be obvious. The Tooth Fairy sent me a bill today. What was supposed to be a fairly routine examination following my recent cleaning and update visit turned into an extraction. Ouch!!! The X-rays showed a root cracked all the way thru to the tip. There was no hope of repairing or saving it - it had to go. Double ouch too because all the yanking, cleaning and scraping work seemed to start well before any of the Novocain took effect.
Extractions usually go fairly well for me. Yes, there have been two others before this one, not counting four wisdom teeth *many* years ago… so that’s really six others (ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch)… and other than the normal amount of bleeding and soreness there’s never much swelling. But life for the week or two afterward is always awkward. Eating is a hassle (nothing but soft things and smoothies for a while), and some weight loss usually shows.
The post op examination will be early next week. Then it will be up to some of that accelerated time for the healing to complete. Eventually (in this case) the healing will be followed by a bone graft, more healing, and eventually an implant. And more bills.
Go away, Fairy. Just go far away and leave me alone.
