Tuesday, March 10, 2015

something's missing...

{Photo Source}
If you've been reading my blog for any length of time,
you've probably realized that I'm rather a girl of few words.
I prefer to let the pictures do the talking with just a wee bit of commentary sprinkled in.
It's just the way I am, I guess.
 
This post, however, will feature only one pic, and it's not me or anything I made.
(It's Lucille Ball being her hilarious self.)
 
Last Wednesday I lost something.
Well, I didn't lose it,
I brought it home so I could show it to my niece & nephews,
it's just no longer a part of me.
 
One of my front teeth had to be removed.
There. I said it.
Long story short:
The tooth was defective ever since it grew in when I was a kiddo.
It has given me nothing but trouble ever since.
Recurring infection, a root canal, & one other oral surgery later...
my body finally decided the tooth no longer deserved to be a part of me...
because of this the bone part of the root had started to break up,
and the gum, with less & less to hold onto, started to recede so...
the gimpy tooth had to go.
 
Eventually, I will have a permanent implant.
But, I had some bone loss which they are fixing now with some bone grafting.
I know, feel sorry for me. ;)
Actually, that part isn't really as bad as it sounds.
They just packed some grafting powder up there.
When they first mentioned bone grafting I envisioned part of my elbow
or something being cut out & transplanted into my mouth.
 
So, now I get to wear a temporary false tooth on a retainer type thing.
(The call it a flipper. That doesn't sound very technical to me, though.)
Thankfully, they did a wonderful job matching my other tooth.
I think it looks quite natural!
(I'm actually wearing it in the previous post. See if you can spot the imposter! hee hee)
I wouldn't say it's comfortable, but it's not unbearable either.
I think my speech is only slightly affected.
I've learned I shouldn't chew gum while wearing it...
and I'm not supposed to bite with it.
It's all fork & knife eating for me. Very proper!
You want to know what I really miss?
Biting into a perfectly toasted English muffin.
All wonderful with little lagoons of melted butter.
 
 
I was ever so nervous in the days leading up to The Extraction.
I loathe having work done on my teeth.
(Probably since I've had so much of it!)
I've been known to be so tense I hold my breath...
and pass out.
{Embarrassing.}
 
Thanks be to God, on the actual day I felt remarkable calm.
My family were all praying for me
so I have no doubt that was the source of the blessed peace.
 
There was really no pain to speak of.
Apart from the initial prick of the anesthetic needle.
The tooth came out very easily & all in one piece.
(Thanks again, Lord!)
 
I felt all of seven years old again.
Unable to properly make 'f', 'v', & 'th' sounds.
(By the way, 's' is no trouble at all, so the song
"All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth"
 isn't accurate. Just sayin'.)
 
This whole process will be months long.
At first, when I didn't realize how long this could take
I joked that it was too bad it wasn't closer to Halloween.
Just think of all the great costumes: Pirate, Hillbilly, Hockey Player...
It was just a joke, but now it could be closer to reality.
(So be sure to tell me if you think of any good costumes.)
;) haha!
 
Well, I'm not really sure why I felt the need to post about this.
Hopefully I didn't make anyone ill.
(Maybe I should've put a warning at the beginning.) :P
I guess I was just thinking how this is a pretty big...
gee, I'm not even sure what to call it...
Trial? Experience? Occurrence?
Well, let's just say it's kind of a big deal in my life right now.
I thought maybe it would be good to share it with my blogging friends.
 
So, if you've made it this far thanks for listening. :)
You're a peach!
 
 
 
 
 

16 comments:

  1. Wow! I hope that all goes well with the next steps in the process. And, no I couldn't tell one single bit that you were wearing a "flipper" :D.

    Blessings,

    Brigid
    the Middle Sister and Singer

    ReplyDelete
  2. You poor girl! I'll be praying for you! I can only imagine how awful it is to not be able to eat butter-lagoon-filled english muffins. Now I really truly feel bad! ;)
    I never would have thought you were wearing a "flipper" in the pictures!
    I will indeed be praying for you though - I know to a point what tooth-pulling is like from having my wisdom teeth out. Not fun.
    Thanks for sharing this, Miss Michelle! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Esther, I appreciate the prayers!
      Ugh is right, I've had my wisdom teeth out as well. :P
      Thanks for listening. :)

      Delete
  3. I am keeping you in my prayers! I am so glad to hear that the first step went well.

    May the LORD bless and keep you!!

    -Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh bless you it certainly sounds like you have had a nasty time of it, glad to hear that things are on there way to getting better though, I am sure you'll get used to your 'flipper' soon and I can assure you, know one would ever guess! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sweet dear, with all my heart, I'm very sorry that you've had to live with this issue for so many years and that it reached the point that did it. Though not the same thing you've experienced of course, I have really bad teeth (they're horribly crowded and due to conditional issues, I've had to have four back ones pulled over the years) that have troubled me and been a constant source of embarrassment my whole life (so hence why I virtually never show them in photos on my blog). My folks didn't have the money to fix them (they're well beyond what braces could really do much for, so a serious dental makeover is my only hope of help there - well, save for simply pulling them all and going the dentures route) and I haven't yet, but doing something about my teeth is one of my life goals.

    It's really rough that you'll be dealing with this for months. I hope that the light - and new smile - at the end of the tunnel will be beautiful for you though and that you're spared any future major dental work like this.

    Big hug & heartfelt understanding,
    ♥ Jessica

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your kind words, Jessica. They mean more than you'll ever know! ^_^

      Delete
  6. Don't worry, I won't ask you to pop it out so I can have a look when I next come home for a visit!
    ...or maybe I will! :p Isn't it wonderful the advances we've made in the dental field? :D I'm so thankful for that and even more thankful for you! Your mom's right. You ARE a peach!
    Love, Angela

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha! I will totally pop it out for you, Ang. Actually, I usually don't even wear it when I'm at home due to the uncomfortable nature of my flipper. I'm a little worried that one day I'll forget to pop it in before I leave the house! Eek! ;)
      Thanks for the sweet comment. :)

      Delete
  7. you poor thing. praying for continued healing, the grafting, and the need for english muffins drenched in whipped butter. make the english muffin dearie - then cut it in strips and parake. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Sherry! I had a checkup on Monday & everything is healing well. So I don't have to go back for 5 months! Woo-hoo!

      Oh & an English muffin update: I can eat them now...if I take out my fake tooth. :)

      Delete

Go ahead, put your 2 cents in!