November 7, 2003
I finally went to the dentist a couple weeks ago, after something like a 2-yr hiatus. Since moving, I had informally been looking for one, but when a new dentist opened by Thanksgiving Point, which happens to be quite close to home, I decided to settle down. I went and they were very friendly and serviceable. They gave me a checkup and took some nifty panoramic x-rays of my mouth, and guess what? I'm missing 5 teeth! I had no idea. And, two of those missing teeth are kinda towards the front, and since they never came in, I still have two baby teeth in their place. I was quite surprised.I went back the next day, for cleanings, and they had a cool new laser tool to check enamel depth of teeth, providing a more accurate way of looking for cavities. Now, I've been pretty proud of my mouth, having no metal, except for a pin in a rebuilt front tooth (Even the dentist complemented my teeth a number of times). I attribute that to being raised on floridated water in Seattle (For some reason, a lot of Utahns think floridated water is a conspiracy theory or something, and won't allow it). However, this laser thingy found several potential cavities, and the dentist recommended 5 fillings (the porcelain, not metal type). I thought perhaps the laser was creating opportunities to make more money for the dentist and that I didn't really need to worry about the teeth yet. But the laser was so cool, and I could kinda understand the science behind it, so I went ahead and had them all done at once the following week. The dentist was actually surprised at how well it went -- only taking about 90 minutes for 5 fillings -- which he attributed to my good behavior (which I attribute to them having a dvd and satellite tv monitor in the ceiling). The dentist also called me that evening to see how my teeth felt -- specifically the bite and also sensitivity to hot or cold foods; I haven't had any problems. I was impressed by the service, and it made me think I made the right choice, notwithstanding my internal geek's fascination with the laser.
Posted by charr at 9:48 AM
Reader Comments
So does that mean that the baby teeth are going to fall out someday?
That's what he said, though the root structures (which are much smaller and narrower than the adult teeth) are still fairly strong. It could be 15-20 years before they fall out.
You better find a woman by then (15-20 yrs, before your teeth fall out) or you'll really lose all hope oh toothless one.
I also have a baby toothe that is supposed to fall out. It will cost me a limb to replace it though.
JC, thanks for the hope. I thought I only had until age 30 and I'd be declared a menace to society or something. This means I can procrastinate and take it easy for 14-19 years.
Sounds like a pretty good dentist. Not very close to where I live, but it's awfully close to the office. Perhaps I'll give them a try; I'm overdue for a checkup myself.
Lemme know if you wanna go -- we'll each get a $25 account credit if I refer you.
You'll just need to remember that in 15 years, you could have one of those baby suckers pop out while you're eating something yummy. You don't want to swallow it. That could hurt. So if you're going to put off the whole woman finding thing, make sure that they don't fall off on a date.~Loosing a tooth on a date~
Unromantic.
I don't know what's the funniest: the idea that Mel thinks that Cameron will be dating in 15 years or the idea that he could loose a tooth on a date. Heh.
Well, Cameron might start dating in 15 years...with or without teeth.
...start dating...again. I'm about due for another sabbatical from dating. I took one last winter, though I ended up going on 5-6 dates during that 3-month time-out from dating.
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So does that mean that the baby teeth are going to fall out someday?
Posted by Jan at November 7, 2003 10:04 AM