The tooth saga continues...

so, once again, i am having tooth drama. i mean, just because i just paid about 500 bucks for a new crown doesn't mean i am off the hook, oh no. so, yesterday, i was simply eating a handful of banana chips, almonds and raisins. i am on a health kick again. i was feeling really good about my new daily snack. then, as i am eating, i bite down on something really really hard. and since i have done this before, i was pretty sure it wasn't just a piece of dried banana. i went into the bathroom and spit everything out of my mouth into my hand (sorry) and sure enough, there were little bits of tooth. i searched and searched but couldn't find which tooth was chipped! then i found it. right near the front, the back part of my tooth was gone and a big silver chunk was sticking out. what?

so, my supervisor made an appointment for me today and i was having major anxiety because going to the dentist is bad enough without having to do it in a foreign country. but low and behold, the minute i stepped into the office, peaceful lyric-less music was playing to the tune of...genesis? then, i went in to see the doc and there was a lovely little screen showing pirates of the caribbean. i thought, this can't be too bad.

but after many language barrier issues, i finally realized what he was saying. it was my REAL tooth that had cracked....

after a few x-rays, the doc (who is my age and cute) told me the camera hadn't worked, so he pulled out this montrous digital SLR with a special lens on the end, stuck a mirror in my mouth, and took a picture of the reflection of my tooth. no kidding. then he explained what was going to happen. see, i figured i had cracked my crown because i have one up there. but after many language barrier issues, i finally realized what he was saying. it was my REAL tooth that cracked and it was my filling from a cavity that was sticking out!!! so, i have the front side of my tooth and basically, no back side. there is a little left on the bottom in the back, but not much. he said that if i want porcelain, i don't get covered by the health insurance. now, this tooth is like the third from the front, so i really was about to have a nervous breakdown. but he assured me that no one would be able to see, and when i checked it out in the mirror, i think he's right. plus, i really don't have that kind of money to be turning down 80% dental coverage.

so, i have two appointments ahead of me. the next one, i am getting numbed up and he is going to remove my filling and replace it. i'll get a temporary crown, like i have now. then, the next appointment, i will get the metal crown for the back of the tooth. and then i will have officially cracked and bitten on two teeth in the past year. i am really getting fed up. seriously, i don't know what to do anymore. think about it. my real tooth couldn't hold up under the pressure of my incessant night grinding. the stress on that tooth cracked it away from the filling. what is stopping this from happening to all my teeth? i mean, i have fillings in practically all of them! i understand if my fake teeth break, but my real teeth? what the hell am i supposed to do now? never eat anything crunchy again? just throw in the towel and get a massive bridge in my mouth? or worse yet, have two teeth crack and fall out each year while my savings get progressively more and more sapped. and you wonder why i grind.

anyway, i could have just told you that i cracked my tooth, but i thought i'd make it interesting. i haven't written anything since i've been here...except for in my blog...and i am feeling it. so, sorry...but you would have asked me for all the details anyway, right? here's to another thousand bucks down the drain.....

kolet ink*