Classic Rant #1,253 (July 23, 2014): The Tooth of the Matter

Today I have something to write about, something that has been bothering me for several months now.

It's my teeth.

I have good teeth, they have held up pretty well over my lifetime, and certainly as an adult, my teeth have been pretty much terrific.

As a kid, my adult teeth were growing in every which way, I had to wear railroad track braces for several years, but everything worked out fine with my adult teeth.

I went years without a cavity, and while my gums aren't that good--inherited from my father--my teeth have been sturdy as any part of my body.

But lately, that is not the case.

This year, I had two major cavities that had to be filled, and therein lies the problem.

Evidently, due to age, my teeth have shifted, and some teeth--primarily the rear teeth, the teeth I chew with--have shifted to the point where naturally, I have larger spaces between these back teeth than I really should have.

Thus, not only is chewing a chore, but when I do chew, food gets caught in between the teeth to the point where not only can't I clean it out myself, but it inflames the gum, making for a sore mouth, and certainly an even sorer ego.

Heck, I like to eat, like to enjoy my food, but I can't do either if this situation persists.

At first, the dentist told me it was a natural thing, and they really couldn't do anything about it, which really made me quite upset and angry.

Then they came up with a plan.

On the left side, replace the filling that they put in with a larger filling, which would not only fill the cavity but extend far enough over the space where food was getting caught.

On the right side, remove the crown that is already in that area and replace it with a larger one that, again, would extend far enough over the space where food was getting caught on that side of my mouth.

I had the cavity redone several weeks ago. It is OK, I guess I can live with it, but that side of my mouth simply does not feel the same. I can chew there, food gets caught there, I can get it out myself, but that side simply does not feel right.

Then comes the right side ...

We put in for a new crown with the insurance company more than a month ago, and we didn't hear a word from them.

All the while, I could only chew on the left side, which was making my mouth ache, because all the chewing was going on on one side of my mouth.

I even called in the interim, trying to find out what was going on, and there was nothing going on.

Finally, this week, they told me that the crown was "approved" and that I could come in today after work to get it put in.

I can't wait.

It is difficult to use only one side of your mouth to chew your food.

Although you try as much as you can, food still moves over to the other side, and thus, it gets stuck in between the teeth.

And since the left side is bearable at best, it makes my whole mouth ache ... ache for some normalcy, and to wait more than a month until this crown was "approved"--evidently, my plan only allows for one new crown every three years or so, what a joke that is--has been torture.

And then we come to the next torture.

This procedure is going to cost me several hundred dollars, screwing up my bank account for sure.

I guess I will be able to eat, but after the procedure, I can't pay for my groceries, so what's the point?

Well yes, I am overstating things a bit, but frankly, it is killing my bank account to get this done, which I am not too happy about.

Hopefully, by tomorrow, I will know that it is money well spent.

Today, the tooth of the matter is that I just wish this nightmare was over already, no matter what it has cost me in discomfort, pain and dollars.

Keep your fingers crossed for me today. I will need all the help I can get.