Losing my teeth and dealing with a touch of ageism, all rolled into one

Darn it, I’m a little down, a little worried.  A couple days ago I was eating a tuna sandwich, when the crown on my third molar on the bottom left broke and came off.  (That’s the one with the big red X.)

When I went to get it re-cemented, my new dentist told me she couldn’t do that; the tooth beneath was fractured in several places and would have to come out.  That’s what happened to the second molar on that side in 2010, and to the FIRST molar on that side in 1990. 

Just one month ago was my first teeth cleaning since 2017—I hated not being able to go to the dentist for 3 years, but it’s taken that long to recover enough from TMJD to get my jaw opening wide enough again.  Anyway, in those 3 years my dentist of 25 years had retired and his former office only does x-rays & cleanings now. 

So when my crown broke, I was tasked with finding a new dentist, pronto.

I lucked out and found a dentist who is new to my neighborhood, across from the library.  I have to admit, when I saw her photo and read her bio, I was hesitant.  She’s tall, slender, blonde and married with 3 blonde daughters, all under the age of 12.  She’s as waspy as they come.

There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but my former dentist was an older gentleman, gay as he was Jewish.  He could be quite dramatic and we got along like bread & butter.

It turns out Dr. Shannon is as kind as she is smart.  In fact, she radiates such good vibes that I liked her 30 seconds after meeting her. 

I just didn’t like the news she delivered, that my LAST tooth on the bottom left has to be pulled.  The partial denture I’ve worn for 10 years was molded to attach precisely onto that tooth.  It cannot be altered, so it feels more like I’ve lost 3 teeth.  

Here’s my partial, now rendered useless.  This cost me $750 ten years ago!

She wrote a referral to have an oral surgeon pull it and implant a ‘locator’, a brassy knob where a new partial can be anchored.

But I KNOW the oral surgeon I’m being sent to, and he’s going to tell me I don’t have the bone mass for a locator, let alone a $4,000.00 tooth implant.

(I visited him 5-6 years ago to see about getting a couple of implants and was told I wasn’t a good candidate.)

Dr. Shannon “polished down” the jagged remnant to be level with my gumline, so now it’s like I don’t have any teeth there already.  It’s difficult to chew on that side now, my bite is really lopsided.

It’s also embarrassing.  I’ve always brushed regularly, gargled with Listerine (or Natural Dentist) mouthwash daily.  But I did smoke for years before quitting in 2008, and smokers are 3-5 times more likely to lose their teeth than non-smokers. 

Anyway…. I’m putting off that oral surgeon for a few days, until Joe & Kamala’s inauguration is over! 

Gee I never got around to the ageism thing.  When I arrived at Dr. Shannon’s office, there was a sign on the door saying I couldn’t enter because of the pandemic; I’d have to call the number provided and the receptionist would let me in.

I stood there, unsure what to do as I currently don’t have a cellphone.  The door suddenly opened and the receptionist welcomed me in.  I apologized for being unable to call from outside.

She said “That’s okay sir, when I saw you out here I guessed you might be confused or didn’t have a phone.  A lot of our older patients don’t.”   

Older patient??  My hair’s mostly gray now but I’m still a whippersnapper!  Still, she looked around 20 so…. you know.

After I hung my coat, she handed me a tablet to enter my patient information, and asked if I’d ever used an ipad before.  When I said no, she patted my wrist and said “Well don’t worry, they’re very simple” and proceeded to show me how to dab or swipe a touch screen.  I didn’t say a word.

It’s true I’ve never owned or used an ipad, but I’ve been going to bed with a sexy Android tablet for a few years now, and I suspect they work pretty much the same!