my new teeth
Got myself new teeth the other day. Well, some new teeth, a couple of top molars on each side and one on the bottom to balance them.
I blame the Scots diet for this. Until I left Scotland when I was 21, I consumed a horrifyingly sweet and bad diet (with the 20/20 vision and knowledge of the future). I have nightmare visions from my teens in Edinburgh, worthy of a Terry Gilliam film, of grey-haired dentists with bad breath and white coats, snaking stainless steel, whirling and whining drills with the impact respectively of a jack hammer and a oil-drilling bit. To this day, when dragging myself along for a routine and these days painless dental treatment, the trauma of the past comes to haunt me and anxiety mounts as the day approaches.
Notwithstanding all that, I have recently come out of a program of dental work that attended to all little bits of decay (not many or major I am happy to say) and the provision of some false gnashers.
To my immense relief, these teeth are not the cartoon image, top and bottom sets of teeth clacking away across the table. Instead, I have a modest little fitting that embeds cute little baby-like teeth onto to a seemingly space-age metal or alloy that sweeps round inside my remaining top teeth to provide for the molars now missing after 60-odd years in action. Fits well and does not change my speech more than a little. I need to slow my speech a little to enunciate (now that bon mot would be a test for them and me!) words clearly. But all is well generally.
It will take me a little time to get used to these new choppers. But the pleasing thing is that the $2,500 cost (there is a small bottom frame also) was met by a Government scheme for old codgers like me. So I am getting a little back from the astronomical amounts of tax I have paid over the years. Ha ha. A good feeling. Makes it all worthwhile.
Filed under: around home, australia, drawing, my story, who i am | 2 Comments
Tags: dental work, diet, drawing, false teeth, teeth, teeth decay
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Well happy chomping to you, Adam!
I don’t actually know the procedure you describe, as I
have never had a tooth pulled or otherwise lost a tooth (ha
ha, watch ‘em fall out tonight just ’cause I said that!) but
my husband has several dental implants. I don’t know
how that works either, except they they drill something (I
imagine something like a screw) into the bone (all dentists
reading this will now shudder) and attach the new artifactual
tooth to the bone in that way.
One at a time.
At a cost of several $K each.
Insurance doesn’t pay for that, even though our insurance
premiums are probably our highest monthly bill after our
mortgage pmt.
Well, enough. I think when (if) my time comes I’d opt for
your method. Seems less invasive and heck, if it works,
then why go around drilling holes in your jawbone, that’s
what I say.
Well, your blogging inspires me. I think I’ll see if I
can find where I left my blog — I know I started one
somewhere. And once I find it, I’ll see if I can remember
how to use it.
Namaste,
Helen
H
Helen, you have been lucky – teeth can be a real problem. Luckily mine are not so bad.
Adam