You remember when you were a kid, and your baby teeth were falling out one by one? And whenever one was loose, all day long your tongue, seemingly of its own accord, would poke and prod at the loose tooth, until you had a sore spot on the tip of your tongue and the tooth was so loose you could taste the blood underneath it?
Ah, dentistry.
I now have a temporary crown on my bottom left first molar. The tooth had a large cavity on it, which was drilled out long ago and filled. But the filling doesn't really provide any structural integrity to the tooth, and when I chew on that side - or when I grind my teeth, as I do at night - the molar kind of starts to break apart. It had a big ol' crack down the middle, just waiting to give way. I've been unable to chew on that side of my mouth for several weeks.
I know some people stereotypically fear and loathe the dentist. Not me. First of all, I have a great dentist. Secondly, I appreciate my teeth. Oh, it wasn't always the case. When I was in elementary school, I barely ever brushed, and never flossed. I ate candy whenever I could (though I didn't have a major sweet tooth), and by the time I was in high school I literally had an addiction to Coke. I actually had fun creeping out my friends by audibly grinding my teeth together.
But now, I'm thirty-six years old and my teeth are falling apart - literally. I still need them! I intend to chew for at least another thirty-six years! Why were humans not designed to have a third set of teeth come in around midlife (or, for that matter, a jaw that all their teeth could fit into)? Elephants get six sets. But then, when that last set falls out, they die of starvation. Still think you can wait another year before you make a dentist appointment?
My dentist tells that once the permanent crown is in place, I will never have to worry about that tooth again. Bring it on!
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