Toothless No More

The last 5 years have been a dental nightmare for me.  After Jake was born I switched toothpaste from Crest to Arm and Hammer.  I don't know why.  I had used Crest my entire life, more than 30 years.  I wanted a change.  Well, change isn't always good (right Obama?)

After using this new toothpaste for about 6 months, I went to my regular cleaning at the dentist and I had 11 teeth with problems.  I ended up with several cavities, several root canals, and 3 crowns.  All in 6 months time.  I was devastated.  About 6 thousand dollars later I thought I had taken care of all of my teeth and was back to my faithful Crest.

About a year later I began to have trouble with one of my root canals.  I was referred out to an endodontist who did another root canal and I got another crown for a couple grand more.

The gum area stayed sore and and swollen for another year.  I went back to the endodontist and he said I may have a cracked root so he would have to try the root canal from the top, inside the gum.  Once he opened up the gum, indeed he did he a crack in the root and I was told I would need to go to an oral surgeon for the tooth and root to be removed and an implant to be placed.

So frustrated!!!  But I went.  I went to spend another five thousand dollars.  I had to have surgery to remove my tooth and root and then a bone graft to rebuild the bone that had decayed severely because of the prolonged infection.  I was missing a tooth, luckily not a front tooth, but a tooth that anyone could see when I smiled or laughed.  I paid to have a flipper made to replace the tooth, but that was horrible.  You can't eat with it in and it made me lisp.  I could hardly work as a speech therapist with a lisp.  So that was stuck into a drawer somewhere and I was just toothless.

Once my mouth had healed and the bone graft had taken, about 6 months had past.  I had been without a tooth for what seemed like forever.  But the next step was to have a titanium rod placed into my new bone.  After that surgery and another bone graft, I new it would only be a few more months.

Once I was cleared for a crown, the nasty molds were taken and I waited for a few more weeks to get my tooth.  After 1 entire year, I finally rejoined the ranks of the middle class.  I got my tooth.  My beautiful 10 thousand dollar tooth.  I really am happy and hope to never, ever have to do that again.