I had a busy night last night. After work and going to the gym I had no time to go home to eat supper before book club. Since I was presenting a review at book club I had to be on top of my game. So I stopped at Panera for some black bean soup and half of a grilled cheese sandwich. The soup was delicious. The sandwich had (what the heck?) a tooth in it. Gross! I do not want to eat someone's tooth. How more unhygienic can food get? I was about to go back to the counter and complain to the manager when a dark realization slowly, gradually, dawned over me. I could feel this realization move reluctantly from my feet up to my sad brain. Could this tooth look familiar? Could this tooth be an intimate part of me that I've never seen from this angle before? Is this my tooth? Is this a tooth I've been brushing twice a day and flossing daily? I try to quickly swallow the sandwich so I can look at my teeth. I run my tongue around my mouth. Oh, good, the front teeth are there. I can't feel any missing. I look in a mirror. Oh. My. I'm missing a part of the first molar past the eye tooth on the upper right. I'm missing the outside - the part that people see. I find two more pieces of tooth and silver soldier (filling) and set them aside. I doubt these pieces can be jigsawed back into place. I smile. A dark gap shows. I smile a smaller smile. The gap doesn't show. In 30 minutes I will be talking in front of a group of book club members. I wasn't nervous or self-conscious about it before but I am now that my tooth is missing. What can I do? Forge ahead. The tooth doesn't hurt. The half of the molar that is still there is firm. I chew my supper on the left side. I go to book club and present my review even though a piece of me that has been there since I was eight years old is missing. I can do this. We discuss Border Songs by Jim Lynch. We end up having a great discussion which is good because we have some new members tonight. All the members spoke and no one person dominated the conversation so I couldn't have asked for more. I'm sure once I get a dental appointment made, I'll feel much better.
2 comments:
That is what happened to me last winter while in Mesa. I was eating a cracker lol. I waited for my appointment in Blaine and decided to get the rest of the tooth pulled. It's on the upper right along side my eyetooth! It too is visible when I have a large smile. I didn't want to get what my dentist called a *flapper*. I have noticed so many other women missing the same darn tooth. I think it's a bit funny! ha ha
We arrived at our Mesa home Oct. 22nd. All settled and it's such a good feeling to be here but it's really hot in the mid 90's. Cooler temps to come next week mid 80's!
It's been so awesome getting reacquainted with our park friends. We have already had a coffee clutch yesterday morning. So fun!
Have a good winter!
Dianne - it's the same tooth - right behind the eye tooth. I still have most of my tooth and I'll get a crown in a couple weeks but he put enough white filling on it to look better. Enjoy Mesa and have a wonderful warm winter down there.
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