Dentist today... I have a tooth with a small spot they've been keeping and eye on. It has crossed over to cavity land... my third cavity in 41 years. And yes, I am nervous about getting it taken care of. Call me a weenie. I don't care. I have not needed much dental work in my life - cleanings every 6 mos and that is about it for 41 years people.
I have a tooth that has a sharp pain every now...
I have a tooth that has a sharp pain every now...
and again when I eat something crunchy (like a veggie chip - think corn chip)...
The Dentist told me he could put a crown on it if it gets worse.
I didn't know what a crown was. He showed me on a tooth model... they grind your tooth down to a corn nubbin and then glue a prosthetic tooth on top?!
No. Huh-uh. Nope. That is all I need.
You put that in your mouth and then the next fabulous vacation you go on, you eat some food that is the best thing you've ever tasted, the crown comes loose, gets lost in your food or you swallow it and then you have this worthless corn nubbin tooth that is good for nothing and probably so painful you can't sleep, your face swells up so all your vacation pix with your wonderful husband look like you suffered through a car accident and the next thing you know your once in a lifetime trip to Italy is ruined.
No thanks. No crown for me until it is 100% totally necessary because my gum around that tooth will rot and fester and I will get gangrene and die.... then and only then will I submit to his corn nubbin tooth and prosthetic tooth crown thingy.
He sat back and looked at me, eyebrows up..."Really? You find a crown frightening?"
Me - YES!
"Mmmm - that is really interesting."
He doesn't live in my head. If he did, he would find it frightening as well.
The Dentist told me he could put a crown on it if it gets worse.
I didn't know what a crown was. He showed me on a tooth model... they grind your tooth down to a corn nubbin and then glue a prosthetic tooth on top?!
No. Huh-uh. Nope. That is all I need.
You put that in your mouth and then the next fabulous vacation you go on, you eat some food that is the best thing you've ever tasted, the crown comes loose, gets lost in your food or you swallow it and then you have this worthless corn nubbin tooth that is good for nothing and probably so painful you can't sleep, your face swells up so all your vacation pix with your wonderful husband look like you suffered through a car accident and the next thing you know your once in a lifetime trip to Italy is ruined.
No thanks. No crown for me until it is 100% totally necessary because my gum around that tooth will rot and fester and I will get gangrene and die.... then and only then will I submit to his corn nubbin tooth and prosthetic tooth crown thingy.
He sat back and looked at me, eyebrows up..."Really? You find a crown frightening?"
Me - YES!
"Mmmm - that is really interesting."
He doesn't live in my head. If he did, he would find it frightening as well.
(and to all of you who have had lots of dentistry done... you are very, very strong people. That is all.)
2 comments:
I have to say, I have totally regretted every crown (two) I have ever done. Of course, I don't know how much pain I would be in if I hadn't done them. But it just feels wrong. So I agree with your perception.
I have a crown! It's gold and way in the back - I call it my pirate tooth. The process of getting it done was unbelievably horrifying and nerve-wracking! But the tooth was cracked so there was no saving it - root canals are nightmarish and crowns are also nightmarish. I've had it probably 15 years and it's only come off once or twice, but feeling that corn nub back there is (do you sense a theme?) NIGHTMARISH!
I don't even go to the dentist anymore. I brush and floss all the time and if something starts to hurt I'll go, but I get totally panicky thinking about it. So you're braver than me already.
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