After another trip to the dentist, I now look like Alfred E Newman (pictured above). I went in to start the process of having one of my front teeth crowned. Normally, they drill the tooth down to a stub and fit a temporary cap over it while they create a permanent porcelain crown.
The first injustice came when the needle came out. I was told that because I'd already had a root canal in that tooth I wouldn't need freezing.. Not so... Like the brave little soldier I am, I endured the pain stoicly and the Dentist went about her business. It wasn't until she said "oh darn" that I got concerned.
It appears that my tooth has been decaying at the no-longer-existant root for some time and by the time she was done there was no more tooth to crown! To make it even better, she sent me down the street to a periodentist because I needed to have my gums trimmed.
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The peridentist, Dr. Eugene K-something, was very friendly and used several images to show me exactly how the procedure would work. First he "seperates" the gum from the tooth (I don't think it's done with gentle tugging!). Then he cuts under the skin to remove some bulk and then sews the flap back down...
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Needless to say I was... apprehensive... about the procedure. Fortunately it's booked for sometime in May so I have some time to squirm. I would have to take a full day off work and the recovery process involves T3s...
I have to go back to the dentist tommorow to get a temporary cap put on and aparently discuss a third option called an implant. I can only hope that means it involves less pain!!!
I am kinda glad they didn't put a temporary tooth on today because now I can get a picture of my beautiful smile when I get home from work (I'll post it up here, don't worry!).
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