My Visit to the Dentist

 I am normally not in the best condition to write today, as I am not feeling the greatest.   After some very extensive dental work yesterday, I have an upper denture now that makes me feel like I have a wad of gum on the roof of my mouth, and I haven't been able to eat solid food in over 24 hours.  I am told by other people that have these that you eventually get used to them, and God, I hope so!  Mind you, this has been my first visit to a dentist in about 50 years, so it was intense.  

I found a really good downtown dental practice - Inner Harbor Dental Associates - that did my work for me.  This was actually my third visit, as the first two entailed sticking things into my mouth and taking a 3-d image of my whole array of teeth.  They do this to custom-make the denture to fit, so I guess that is good.  Yesterday though the real work started.  My teeth had gotten so bad that I had maybe four of them left on top, and they all needed extraction.  That in itself is an experience, as I had a nasty reaction to the local anesthetic they use.  Let's talk about that first.

I don't know what it is, but for many years I have had two related problems.  The first is due to the fact that I have had some scary breathing attacks which result in extreme stridor (The loud "heep-heep-heep" sound you make when you cannot catch your breath).  Along with that, I have a very sensitive gag reflex - just about anything can cause it from flavorless gum to this denture I am wearing, and it is not pleasant either.  I don't know why I have either of these issues, but I would like to do something about them to stop the risk at least.  If any of you reading this know of something, please feel free to reach out as I am up for trying it. 

My dental procedure took approximately 3 hours yesterday.  The remainder of my top teeth were extracted, and then the holes stitched.  I was bleeding profusely, and even today I can still taste some blood in my mouth.   While the anesthetic was effective to where I didn't feel any pain, I did feel the crunching of the removing teeth and also I felt the pressure as the dentist extracted them.  Many of them were just pieces of roots, but there was a whole table full of them when I finished.  And, I could taste also - the blood, as well as some weird liquid that reminded me of either stale tobacco, old coffee, or rancid hazelnuts - I am wondering if that came out of me?  The whole experience was not overall bad (save from that initial local anesthetic) but the adjustment after was a challenge.  I have to wear this new denture for 24 hours straight - I can take it out when I get home - and that meant I could not eat regular food - my dinner last night was chicken stock essentially.  I was told by the dental technician that it will take a while to adjust, but I really want some real food - with only liquids for the past couple of days, I am feeling it.  I know this will pass soon, but my goodness it is difficult!   I guess though that dental health is a sacrifice, both physically and financially (I have paid close to $2500 into this already in all honesty).  And, I still have the bottom part to do yet in January - that will involve root canals, crowns, and a partial.  So, why did I have to go through this?  Let's go back to the beginning.

The last dentist I saw was about 50 years ago in 1975 not too far from where I am sitting now - he was an old dentist named Dr. Schreiber, and he was the one who took care of my baby teeth then.  I remember he gave me those in a little tooth-shaped plastic case, and I had them for a while until they started to really smell and then someone threw them out.  Over the years, I have made a point of keeping my teeth if they come out, and currently between my house now and my stuff in storage I maybe have a dozen or more of them.  I was thinking about asking the dentist to keep mine from yesterday, but in all honesty it was the last question on my mind as I was too much in a weird state - pain, the discomfort of the new denture, and a bit of fear too.  So, they are more than likely now disposed of (besides, who keeps their extracted teeth anyway??).  As of today, I am guessing Dr. Schreiber is long gone - he was as old as dirt when he treated me then in all honesty.  I still remember though his practice being somewhere over on West Pratt Street on the other side of Pigtown, and dental technology has come a long way since - Inner Harbor is a lot different in all honesty.  In many respects, it is probably better as a lot of the old stigma of drills and other formidable dental tools is not as big of a deal anymore, and thank God for that.  And, this being looked at in retrospect, yes, I have regrets.

My biggest regret is perhaps not getting dental care sooner - I really should have been doing regular dental checkups since my first visit to Dr. Schreiber, but Mom never cared when I was younger and I never had the time to invest in it when I was older.  My first problem tooth happened when I was 18 years old in my lower jaw - I remember having a bad abscess that made my face puff out, and my poor English teacher there felt so bad for me that she was going to get me to a dentist herself.  But, a combination of a couple of surefire home remedies  - one being warm salt water and the other being a rather unconventional treatment called Square Snuff, a "granny snuff" that came in a tiny can, and it looked like cocoa powder.  The old lady we took care of at the time, Myrtle, used it, and so did my paternal grandmother.  The trick to the remedy was to take a Q-tip, dip a little of the snuff on it, and apply it right in the cavity where the abscess was.  The acid in the snuff would break through the abscess, and it then would drain this horrible pus that tasted awful in your mouth, but once that happened the nerve of the tooth was dead and there was no more pain.  Of all the tooth issues though, an abscess is absolutely the worst.  Let me explain it. 

Think of a tooth abscess as being like a painful boil at the root of a tooth.  It fills up with pus, and as it does, it bears on the dental nerve and the pain is excruciating.   In due time it will break anyway, but most people want those things gone immediately, as the pain is perhaps one of the worst a member of the human race can experience.  As the abscess grows, it also causes swelling in the face, and if it is really serious it can even block your eyeball, as mine did in 12th grade when I had my first.  I haven't had any that bad since, and honestly, that is a blessing.  In recent years my teeth have gotten much more fragile though, and over the past 20 years I gradually lost a lot of them, many in the past 5 years or so. A lot of them just gave way while I was eating - a cold Snickers or Starburst would crack a fragile tooth like a thin egg.  You then know it happens when you feel something crunchy in your mouth, and you know it ain't peanuts from that Snicker's Bar you just had.  Then you spit it out - little pieces of enamel, with often some black or brown stuff (dead pulp) inside them.  Then you had the sharp edge of the remaining shell of what was once a tooth, and that can cut one's lips or the inside of the cheek.  Any rate, you have probably been mortified at this, but I felt like sharing today.

Thanks again until next time, and pray for my quick recovery.