Upon learning of the shut-down last spring my first thought was thank goodness my dental work was finished and out of the way! Who wants to go to a dentist during a pandemic!
Then in late June I was happily enjoying Rosemary & Olive Oil Triscuits topped with goat cheese, a taste of pure heaven. When suddenly I bit into one and yeowled in pain! I actually felt something shift in my teeth! -- The last time I experienced a similar sensation I required a bridge and bone graft. That was only last year!
The dental department at the clinic where I usually go to get a discount based on my income remained closed. So I returned to the dentist where they sent me before. Due to the pandemic I had to sign a waiver. What was the other option? -- Dying of dental infection as many folks did back in the days of the old west!
X-rays revealed a cracked tooth plus a deteriorating filling consisting of a material no longer used by dentists. I was shown a photo. A crown was required. This time they were unable to do a bridge because the tooth was next to the one they installed just last November.
And it would be 5 weeks before I could be given a temporary one. Plus I was in pain!
In the meantime, I was instructed to chew on the other side of my face. Should the crack spread to the root I would need an implant which would be even more costly!
We are nearing the peak of hurricane season. It was forecast to be an extremely active one and it sure is! This could really mess everything up! Boarding and unboarding my house is expensive! And that's another anxiety ridden thing I went thru just last year along with dental issues!
I'm grocery shopping less often due to both the pandemic and hurricane season. The contents of my fridge & garage freezer must be whittled down to a bare minimum. A long power outage would leave everything ruined and need to be thrown out. I've been forced to do this before and the waste is heartbreaking.
For me, it's been easy to save money during the pandemic; all the fun places are either closed or too crowded. I thought I'd be able to save enough to go on a cruise with my friend Sue if life ever returns to normal.
Unfortunately every cent I save is going to preserve my teeth and my vision. Geez, I'm falling apart! And worse, at my age it's just the beginning!
But at least now I have a temporary crown and am no longer in pain. That's something!
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